Types of Wadokei

• dai dokei lantern clock on a four legged stand
• fune dokei ship or marine bulkhead clock (passengers’)
• inro dokei pocket watch (European) mounted in Inro
• jimie-ban early reference to wadokei
• jimie-sho early reference to wadokei
• jin-shin-gi early reference to wadokei
• kake dokei lantern clock hung on the wall
• kara dokei Chinese clock
• keisan dokei paperweight clock
• koban incense clock (wood box filled with white ash)
• makura dokei small cased clock made of high quality wood – resembles the pillow (Makura) used by geisha
• oki dokei table clock
• orugoru dokei musical clock
• sage dokei watch
• senko dokei literally incense watch – referred to pocket watch as the case resembled an incense container.
• shaku dokei small weight driven clock mounted on the pillar of a Japanese room
• tsuri dokei bracket clock
• tokei daiko drum clock.
• yagura dokei lantern clock on truncated pyramid stand
• zasshu

Dial Types

• namagata dial – graph time scale on pillar clock
• shokoku half “hour” markers
• warikoma rotating adjustable hour marker dial

Components

• Hi-no-ura wheel train
• kawa case (external four sided (1+3))
• kazekiri fan pinion, or fly
• kuchinashi-te bell nut for its resemblance to bud of gardenia
• nicho-temp two foliot arrangement for day and night
• setuita dials changeable dials on a pillar clock
• warabi-te bell nut for its resemblance to the bracken fern.
• Yukiwa count wheel

Materials

• haku mekki leaf gold and lacquer finish on top /bottom plates
• hama ko gane iron ore dug from the beach.
• kaji-tan forging charcoal
• sarashi-momen bleached cotton cloth
• shitan cedar wood or sandalwood
• shakudo an alloy of copper, antimony and gold
• yama ko gane iron ore from the mountain
• yamanaka-hetetsu steel

 

Related Terminology

• Andokei/Kei-shaku Sun dial of 2.424m base
• Dokei (see Tokei) Clock when in liaison with fore word (e.g. Wadokei)
• Hashira Pillar – main support in Japanese room
• Hi Sundial up to mid-1800’s by travellers.
• Jikoro/Jokoban Early incense burning clock. Ji – Time / Koro – Incense burner.
• Jimei-ban Early reference to wadokei
• Jimie-sho -ditto-
• Jin-shin-gi -ditto-
• kake mono Scroll
• karakuri Literally “mechanism” or “system”
• karakuri ningyou Mechanism used in automata, clocks and watches
• rokoku water clock.
• senban lathe
• tatami straw matting floor covering that clocks sat on
• temp foliot Balance (also see nicho-temp)
• tokei (see Dokei) Clock (when not in liaison with a fore word)
• tokei-no-ma Clock Room (castles)
• tokonoma Alcove in a Japanese for decorative object
• wa-fuku Japanese cloth
• wa-shi Japanese paper.

Note: “bu” could relate to measurements of linear distance, time, weight and currency (weight of silver) – similar to the word “degree” in the West that can be used for an angle, temperature, level of qualification and effort.