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How did the Tap'o style differ from the Chusimp'o style?
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Korean architecture
Five-story stone pagoda of Jeongrimsa Temple, first half of the 7th century, Baekje period; in Buyeo, South Korea. Height 8.33 meters (27.3 feet).
The tap'o and chusimp'o styles represent two distinct approaches to bracket systems in Korean architecture. Their primary differences are defined by the placement of brackets and the resulting aesthetic impact:
- Bracket Placement: The chusimp'o style, or column-head bracketing, features bracket complexes that project specifically above the heads or capitals of the columns. In contrast, the tap'o style—literally meaning "multibracket"—adopts intercolumnar brackets in addition to those on the column heads, filling the spaces between columns.12
- Structural Complexity: With the introduction of the tap'o style, brackets incorporated more than three longitudinal spreaders to support eaves purlins.2
- Aesthetics: Because the intercolumnar brackets fill the empty spaces between columns, tap'o buildings are significantly more decorative than the preceding chusimp'o style. Additionally, tap'o structures often feature coffered ceilings to conceal girder beams and eaves purlins.21
While chusimp'o was the traditional style during the Koryŏ period, tap'o became the prevailing architectural mode by the 17th century, dominating the Chosŏn period.231