roofed open passageway in traditional palace architecture
A roofed, wall-less corridor connecting the main residence (寝殿) to side buildings in Heian-period shinden-zukuri architecture. Highly specialized historical term.
See also: 寝殿造り
In shinden-zukuri, the sukiwatadono connected the main hall and the side pavilions.
Standard kanji spelling for this architectural term.
Compound of 透 (suki, 'gap' or 'see-through') + 渡 (wata, 'cross over') + 殿 (dono, 'hall' or 'building'), referring to an open passageway. The reading すいわたどの is a variant, possibly reflecting historical sound changes.