noun
inverted pillar; pillar placed upside down
In traditional Japanese carpentry and folklore, a wooden pillar intentionally or accidentally set with its base pointing upward, believed to bring bad luck or ominous phenomena.
古い民家で逆柱を見つけたら、縁起が悪いと言われる。
If you find an inverted pillar in an old house, it is said to be unlucky.
逆柱は、木の上下を逆にして立てた柱のことだ。
A sakabashira is a pillar that has been erected with its top and bottom reversed.
noun
intentionally inverted pillar; pillar inverted to avoid perfection
A deliberate practice in traditional Japanese architecture where one pillar is placed upside down to introduce imperfection, based on the belief that perfection invites misfortune or is inauspicious.
わざと逆柱を入れることで、建物に完全を求めないという考え方がある。
There is a concept of not striving for perfection in a building by intentionally including an inverted pillar.
神社建築では、逆柱を一本
I heard that in shrine architecture, they sometimes use just one inverted pillar.