The original purpose of the
katsuogi is uncertain. A theory is that the wooden logs were initially used to weigh down the
thatch roofing seen in early Japanese structures. As construction techniques improved, the need for weights disappeared, and the logs remained only for ornamental value. Their existence during the
Kofun period (250–538) is in any case well documented by numerous artifacts. Like the
chigi, the
katsuogi was initially reserved only for the powerful nobility. It was first described in the
Kojiki, a 7th-century Japanese text, where it seemed to be something accessible only to the
emperor. In the excerpt,
Emperor Yūryaku (418–479) sees an official's house laden with
katsuogi on the roof. Angered by this, he pronounces the official a knave and a scoundrel for building a house in imitation of the imperial palace. Later in history, emperors granted families such as the
Nakatomi clan and the
Mononobe clan permission to use
katsuogi on their houses. As these clans were fervent supporters and administrators of
Shinto, the
katsuogi would eventually come to decorate Shinto shrines. By the 6th century,
katsuogi were beginning to be used on the homes of powerful families, along with
chigi. After the
Meiji restoration (1868) their use in new shrines was limited to the honden. == Design ==