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In Eastern Asian architecture, the hip-and-gable roof comprise a hip roof that slopes down on all four sides and integrates a gable on two opposing sides. It is usually constructed with two large sloping roof sections in the front and back respectively, while the two sides each are usually constructed with a smaller roof section.
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The style is of Chinese origin and has spread across Asia. The original style and similar styles are found in the traditional architecture of Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Kalmykia and among others.
Etymology
It is known as xiēshān (歇山) in Chinese, irimoya (入母屋) in Japanese, and paljakjibung (팔작지붕) in Korean.
Irimoya in Japan
It arrived from China in Japan in the 6th century. The style was originally used in the main and lecture halls of a Buddhist temple compound, but started to be used also for the honden at shrines later, during the Japanese Middle Ages. Its gable is usually right above the moya, or core, while the hip covers the hisashi, a veranda-like aisle surrounding the core on one or more sides. It is still in wide use in Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Japan, but also in palaces, castles, and folk dwellings. In the last case, it is often called moya-zukuri (母屋造).
Kandyan roof of Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, a style known as the Kandyan roof bears many similarities to the original East Asian hip-and-gable roof. The Kandyan roof is primarily used for religious, and historically, royal buildings. Its roots however lie in the traditions of the "Sri Lankan village".