You just can't shake off this bracket!

I recently came across an article in 'Interesting Engineering' on the 'Dougong' Bracket.  After checking that this wasn't a mis-spelling of the mammal (dugong, also affectionately known as a 'sea cow') which is found in Australian shallow sea-grassed coastal waters, I checked out a few more articles (courtesy of Dr Google) and, sure enough, the Dou Gong (or Dougong) is an amazing structural element in Chinese and Japanese architecture, dating back some 2500 years.

This unique interlacing timber arrangement certainly looks pretty in the title photo (sourced from Wikimedia Commons and reportedly selected as picture of the day for 17 Feb 2008).  It depicts a number of these stacked brackets in Sagami Temple in Kasai, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.  But strip away the pretty paint and what do we have, and, more's the point, what it's purpose, or for the grammatically challenged ..... WTF?

First off, the elements are held together solely due to the skillfull accuracy and craftsmanship of the Chinese chippies, or Japanese joiners, who shaped the various elements to form a tight joint (no nail guns, PVA or Superglue back in those days).  And then I stumbled across this note ..... "In the Forbidden City, all of the buildings used this technique".  So, duly armed with this stimulus, I rushed off to look through my copious travel photos (it takes little excuse to point me in this direction) and, sure enough, here are a couple of relevant roof shots from one of Beijing's most popular tourist attractions.

Incidentally, among the hoards of visitors, predominantly domestic rather than foreigners like myself, 'dress-up' was very popular.  Perhaps the cheery little chappy below is also in awe at the craftsmanship of the Dou Gong joints?

And the purpose of the Dou Gong? 

These joints are located where the horizontal roof beams are supported on vertical columns.  Their upwards spreading shape results in a larger area to spread the roof load onto the columns and a consequently reduced strain on the beams.  It also facilitates the roof eaves to cantilever further away from the outer walls.  The process is invariably repeated over rising storeys, with the overall benefit that the structure is relatively flexible and resistant to earthquake loading, a very real hazard in many parts of China and Japan.

Here are some more typical examples of the Dou Gong joint taken on my recent trip to Japan, and which I have only just 'discovered' since being introduced to this structural phenomenon from the architectural archives of the distant past.

The above depicts the Dou Gong supports in the Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa District of Tokyo.

These Dou Gong joints (above) are on the Todaiji Temple (of Deer Park fame) in Nara, not far from Kyoto.

These impressive 'Dougonged' structures (above) are located in the Garam Temple Complex at Koya, south-east of Wakayama.

For those of you with a 'melancholic' character trait, and who are just itching to explore the typical mechanics and assembly of this jaw-dropping and justifiably jump-resistant joint, the video below will have you barking up the right tree.

The author of the above, Ken Boddie, besides being a sometime poet and occasional writer, is an enthusiastic photographer, rarely leisure-travelling without his Canon, and loves to interact with other like-minded people with diverse interests.

Ken's three day work week (part time commitment) as a consulting engineer allows him to follow his photography interests, and to plan trips to an ever increasing list of countries and places of scenic beauty and cultural diversity.