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ARCHITECTURE

A harmonious coexistence of tradition and innovation

The Development of

Japanese

Historically, architecture in Japan was influenced by , although the differences between the two are many. Whereas the exposed wood in Chinese is painted, in Japanese buildings it traditionally has not been. Also, Chinese architecture was based on a lifestyle that included the use of chairs, while in Japan people customarily sat on the (a custom that began to change in the period [1868–1912]). Architecture in Japan has also been influenced by the climate. Summers in most of Japan are long, hot, and humid, a fact that is clearly reflected in the way are built. The traditional is raised somewhat so that the air can move around and beneath it. Wood was the material of choice because it is cool in summer, warm in winter, and more flexible when subjected to . In the (593–710), was introduced into Japan from , and Buddhist were built in the continental East of Yakushiji ( Pref.) manner. From this time on, Buddhist This pagoda was completed in AD 730. architecture had a profound influence on architecture in Japan. The Horyuji temple, buildings of this period were built in originally built in 607 and rebuilt shortly after a the Tang style of China. 670 fire, includes the oldest wooden In the (794–1185), Chinese structures in the world. It is among the elements were fully assimilated and a truly Buddhist monuments in the Horyuji area that national style developed. The homes of the were registered as a UNESCO World nobility in Heiankyo, now , were built in Heritage site in 1993. the shinden-zukuri style, in which the main In the (710–784), a capital buildings and sleeping quarters stood in the city called Heijokyo was laid out in Nara in a center and were connected to other manner similar to the Chinese capital, surrounding apartments by corridors. whereby streets were arranged in a Many castles were built in the sixteenth checkerboard pattern. Many temples and century, when feudal lords dominated

1 ARCHITECTURE Izumo Pictured is the main shrine () of this major shrine in , which is built in the taisha-zukuri style. The current building was constructed in 1744; its design is said to reflect the residential style of the period (ca 300–710). (Photo courtesy of Izumo Shrine)

Japanese society. Though constructed for Enclosing the entire temple compound was military defense, these castles were also used earthen with on each side. It to enhance the local lord’s prestige and as his was common for a to have two stories. residence. A few of them remain today, The main contained the most admired especially for their tenshukaku prominent object of . The lecture hall, (donjon). The buildings used as living space which in early temples was most often the inside the castle grounds, and also the living largest structure, was used by monks as a quarters at Buddhist temples, were frequently place for , instruction, and performing built in the domestic architecture style known rituals. as -zukuri, which incorporated new Two types of towers predominated: one features—including translucent and opaque with bells that announced the times of paper-covered sliding panels ( and religious observance each day and another in , respectively) and rush-covered straw which canonical texts were stored (the mats ()—that are still key elements of repository). Behind or to the side of the inner the traditional Japanese house. The most precinct stood refectories and . magnificent extant example of this style is the The buildings of the temple complex were seventeenth-century Ninomaru Palace of Nijo generally arranged in a geometric pattern, Castle in Kyoto. with variations between sects. The main In the seventeenth century, the shoin- buildings at temples were frequently zukuri style was combined with features placed in a line and connected by roofed characteristic of sukiya, the teahouse in which corridors, and the temple complexes of Pure the tea ceremony is performed, to create the Land Buddhism often included gardens and sukiya-zukuri style of domestic architecture. ponds. Characterized by a delicate sensibility, slender wooden elements, and unornamented simplicity, this style’s finest extant example is the Katsura Detached Palace (Kyoto), which Architecture is famous for its harmonious blending of buildings with the landscape garden. Followers of Shinto believe that a () exists in virtually every natural object or phenomenon, from active volcanoes and beautiful mountains to trees, rocks, and waterfalls. Shinto are places where kami are enshrined, and also where people When Buddhism came to Japan in the sixth can worship. century, places dedicated to the worship of Rather than follow a set arrangement, Buddha were constructed, their architectural shrine buildings are situated according to the forms originating in China and . In each environment. From a precinct’s distinctive temple compound, a number of buildings gate, a path or roadway leads to the main were erected to serve the needs of the monks shrine building, with the route marked by or nuns who lived there and, as importantly, stone lanterns. To preserve the purity of the to provide facilities where worshippers could shrine precinct, water basins are provided so gather. that worshippers can wash their hands and In the seventh century, a group of mouths. , pairs of lionlike figures buildings comprised seven basic structures: placed in front of or main of the pagoda, main hall, lecture hall, bell tower, many shrines, serve as shrine guardians. repository for , , and dining Temporary main halls were constructed to hall.

2 ARCHITECTURE Castle Located in the city of Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture, is known as the “White Heron Castle” for its soaring white . (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

house the kami on special occasions. This style of building is said to date from about 300 B.C. The main shrine building of the Sumiyoshi Shrine in is similar to this temporary building type and is thought to more thought was given to particular areas preserve the appearance of ancient religious and their functions, such as eating, sleeping, buildings. or dressing, self-standing screens (byobu) The other major style for the main hall came into use. Shoji and fusuma, which are draws its simple shape from the still found in many homes, came afterward. and treasure storehouses of prehistoric Japan. Though they serve poorly as sound barriers, The best example of this style is the Ise they do provide some privacy and can be Shrine, in . Its inner shrine is removed to open up the entire space (except, consecrated to Omikami, the sun of course, for the that support the goddess. The outer shrine is dedicated to the house). Shoji also admit light. grain goddess, Toyouke no Omikami. The way in which Japanese view the Elements of residential architecture can interior and the exterior of the house is be seen in the main building of the Izumo another key aspect of traditional design. Shrine in Shimane Prefecture, as evidenced Instead of seeing the inside and outside as by columns set directly into the ground and two distinctly different environments, they are elevated . thought of as being continuous elements. This The of Shinto worship changed, concept is embodied in the Japanese following the introduction of Buddhism, and (), which acts as a kind of transition shrine buildings borrowed certain elements space from inside to outside the house. The from Buddhist architecture. For example, nure-en, which is fixed to the side of the many shrines were painted in the Chinese house and gets wet when it rains, is a style: columns and white walls. variation of the engawa. It was a tradition to reconstruct shrine From an aesthetic standpoint, the buildings regularly to purify the site and renew traditional house is designed for people who the materials (a practice still followed at the are seated on the floor, not standing. , Ise Shrine every 20 years). For this reason, , and alcoves are placed so that both and also as a result of fire and other natural artwork in the house and the garden outside disasters, the oldest extant main shrine can be viewed appropriately from a sitting buildings date back only to the eleventh and position. twelfth centuries. Despite the changes that modernization has brought to the style of , the traditional Japanese style has not vanished. Even in the Westernized houses, it is still Design Concept usual to find a whose floor is covered over with tatami, and it is still the custom for people to remove their shoes before entering The interior of Japanese houses in the past the house. was virtually open, without even screens to partition off individual spaces. Gradually, as

Modern Architecture

Modern architectural techniques were introduced into Japan with the launch of the Kaichi Elementary School in 1867. The first buildings Built in 1876, this school building in to result from this effort combined traditional Matsumoto, , is a Japanese methods of wooden construction well-preserved example of the hybrid style used in the early modern period of with Western methods and designs. The . (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

3 ARCHITECTURE Kaichi Elementary School (1876) in the city of A redirecting of architectural priorities away Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, is typical of from unmitigated commercialization was led the hybrid approach adopted for schools built by Isozaki Arata, who as a young man had across the country. worked under Tange. His work and writings In the 1880s, reactionary opinion turned had a great influence on the younger against the rush toward , even generation of . The 1970s also saw in architecture, and Asian models were the appearance of architects who stressed an advocated. After World War I, traditional artistic approach to architecture, a departure Japanese architecture underwent a from the previous emphasis on technical reassessment when architects like Frank expertise. Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) of the United Domestic architects’ offices were kept States and (1880–1938) of busy during the high-riding decade of the Germany came to work in Japan. 1980s, as were some major foreign architects The years following World War II saw a who were invited to work in Japan. The continuation of efforts to reconcile traditional collapse of the “bubble economy” of Japan in and . Tange Kenzo, one the early 1990s caused a slowdown in the of Japan’s most famous and influential post- architecture industry. Many Japanese war architects, managed to fuse traditional architects, however, are still highly ranked in Japanese architecture with scientific and Japan and elsewhere, and a large number of technological advancements. In the 1950s foreign architects find business markets in and 1960s he designed several striking Japan, a trend that has spread even to local edifices, including the National areas. Among the outstanding works of the Stadium for the 1964 Olympic Games in 1990s are the International Forum Tokyo. (1997) by Rafael Vinoly and the Tokyo The building, first built in Metropolitan Government Offices (1991) by 1914 under the influence of Western Tange Kenzo. architecture, has been going through In the 1980s and 1990s, Japanese numerous renovation. In 2012, it was architects were recruited increasingly for completely restored to the original shape. overseas assignments. Among them were For Japan, which is frequently hit by Isozaki, to do the Museum of Contemporary earthquakes, development of - Art (1986) in Los Angeles; Tange, for Tokyo Station's resistant construction has always been a Singapore’s OUB Center (1986); Kurokawa building major problem in architecture. The first Kisho, for the Pacific Tower (1992) in Paris; The dignity at the time of was of Japan, the and Ando Tadao, for the Space reproduced Building, was completed in 1968 using the (1995) at the UNESCO complex in Paris. latest earthquake-resistant technology. A Ando has been especially well received large number of have been built abroad. He has taken several international since then, including those in Nishi- prizes such as the 1995 Pritzker Architecture in Tokyo (1971– ) and the Landmark Tower Prize, given by the Hyatt Foundation, and the (1993; 296 meters high) in Yokohama. 1997 Royal Gold Medal for architecture, awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects. In 2006 Ito Toyo was also awarded the Royal Gold Medal from the The National Art Center, Royal Institute of British Architects. In addition, Tokyo Sejima Kazuyo and Nishizawa Ryue jointly The innovatively designed won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2010 in National Art Center opened in recognition of the outstanding work of their Tokyo’s Roppongi in 2007. The building, designed by architectural firm SANAA, most notably the Kurokawa Kisho, has the Ogasawara Museum (Ida, Nagano Prefecture, largest exhibition space in 1999) and the Kanazawa 21st Century Japan. (Photo courtesy of Museum of Contemporary Art (Ishikawa Getty Images) Prefecture, 2004).

4 ARCHITECTURE In 2012, , the world's tallest, 634 meters, free-standing broadcasting tower, went into commercial operation. It features an elegant silhouette from the top to the bottom, one which features "warp" and "camber" seen in traditional Japanese architecture. Already a new landmark here, Tokyo Skytree changes its views depending on where viewers are and how they look up at it. Architect Kuma Kengo, who designed the Kabukiza Theater in 2013 and the new National Stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is noted for using many eco- Tokyo Skytree friendly natural materials, such as wood, The world's tallest paper, and soil. In 2016, he earned a global broadcasting tower award for "Sustainable Architecture" from the Locus Foundation.

Kabukiza The Kabukiza theater in , Tokyo.

4 ARCHITECTURE