Japanese architecture

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Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto, originally built in 1397 (Muromachi period)

Japanese architecture (日本建築 Nihon kenchiku?) originated in prehistoric times with simple
pit-houses and stores that were adapted to a hunter-gatherer population. Influence from Han
Dynasty China and Korea saw the introduction of more complex grain stores and ceremonial
burial chambers.

The introduction into Japan of Buddhism in the sixth century was a catalyst for large scale
temple building using complicated techniques in wood. Influence from the Chinese T'ang and
Sui Dynasties led to the foundation of the first permanent capital in Nara. Its checkerboard street
layout used the Chinese capital of Chang'an as a template for its design. A gradual increase in the
size of buildings led to standard units of measurement as well as refinements in layout and
garden design. The introduction of the tea ceremony emphasised simplicity and modest design as
a counterpoint to the excesses of the aristocracy.

During the Meiji Restoration of 1868 the history of Japanese architecture was radically changed
by two important events. The first was the Kami and Buddhas Separation Act of 1868, which
formally separated Buddhism from Shinto and Buddhist temples from shrines, breaking an
association between the two which had lasted well over a thousand years and causing, directly
and indirectly, immense damage to the nation's architecture.[1]

Second, it was then that Japan underwent a period of intense Westernization in order to compete
with other developed countries. Initially architects and styles from abroad were imported to
Japan but gradually the country taught its own architects and began to express its own style.
Architects returning from study with western architects introduced the International Style of
modernism into Japan. However it was not until after the Second World War that Japanese
architects made an impression on the international scene, firstly with the work of architects like
Kenzo Tange and then with theoretical movements like Metabolism.

Contents
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 1 Prehistoric period
 2 Asuka and Nara architecture
 3 Heian period
 4 Kamakura and Muromachi period
 5 Azuchi-Momoyama period
 6 Edo period
 7 Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods
 8 Late Showa period
 9 Early Heisei period
 10 See also
 11 Footnotes
 12 References
 13 Further reading
 14 External links

[edit] Prehistoric period

The prehistoric period includes the Jōmon, Yayoi and Kofun periods stretching from
approximately 5000 BCE to the beginning of the eighth century CE.

During the three phases of the Jōmon period the population was primarily hunter-gatherer with
some primitive agriculture skills and their behaviour was predominantly determined by changes
in climatic conditions and other natural stimulants. Early dwellings were pit houses consisting of
shallow pits with tamped earth floors and grass roofs designed to collect rainwater with the aid of
storage jars. Later in the period, a colder climate with greater rainfall led to a decline in
population, which contributed to an interest in ritual. Concentric stone circles first appeared
during this time.[2]

During the Yayoi period the Japanese people began to interact with the Chinese Han Dynasty,
whose knowledge and technical skills began to influence them.[2] The Japanese began to build
raised-floor storehouses as granaries which were constructed using metal tools like saws and
chisels that began to appear at this time. A reconstruction in Toro, Shizuoka is a wooden box
made of thick boards joined in the corners in a log cabin style and supported on eight pillars. The
roof is thatched but, unlike the typically hipped roof of the pit dwellings, it is a simple V-shaped
gable.[3]

The Kofun period marked the appearance of many-chambered burial mounds or tumuli (kofun
literally means "old mounds"). These are thought to have been influenced by similar mounds in
Korea. Early in the period the tombs, known as "keyhole kofun" or zenpô-kôen kofun
(前方後円古墳?, lit. square in front, circular in back old tomb-mound), often made use of the
existing topography, shaping it and adding man-made moats to form a distinctive keyhole shape,
i.e. that of a circle interconnected with a triangle. Access was via a vertical shaft that was sealed
off once the burial was completed. There was room inside the chamber for a coffin and grave
goods. The mounds were often decorated with terracotta figures called haniwa. Later in the
period mounds began to be located on flat ground and their scale greatly increased. Among many
examples in Nara and Osaka, the most notable is the Daisen-kofun, designated as the tomb of
Emperor Nintoku. The tomb covers 32 hectares (80 acres) and it is thought to have been
decorated with 20,000 haniwa figures.[2]

Towards the end of the Kofun period, tomb burials faded out as Buddhist cremation ceremonies
gained popularity.[2]

Reconstructed pit dwelling houses in Yoshinogari, Saga Prefecture, 2nd or 3rd century

Reconstructed dwellings in Yoshinogari

Reconstructed grain storehouse in Toro, Shizuoka

Reconstructed raised-floor building in Yoshinogari

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Daisenryō Kofun, Osaka, 5th century.

[edit] Asuka and Nara architecture

The most significant contributor to architectural changes during the Asuka period was the
introduction of Buddhism. New temples became centres of worship with tomb burial practices
slowly becoming outlawed.[2] Also, Buddhism brought to Japan and kami worship the idea of
permanent shrines and gave to Shinto architecture much of its present vocabulary.

Some of the earliest structures still extant in Japan are Buddhist temples established at this time.
The oldest surviving wooden buildings in the world are found at Hōryū-ji, to the southwest of
Nara. First built in the early 7th century as the private temple of Crown Prince Shōtoku, it
consists of 41 independent buildings; the most important ones, the main worship hall, or Kon-dō
(Golden Hall), and the five-story pagoda), stand in the centre of an open area surrounded by a
roofed cloister (kairō). The Kon-dō, in the style of Chinese worship halls, is a two-story structure
of post-and-beam construction, capped by an irimoya, or hipped-gabled, roof of ceramic
tiles.[4][5]

Heijō-kyō, modern day Nara, was founded in 708 as the first permanent capital of state of Japan.
The layout of its checkerboard streets and buildings were influenced by the Chinese capital of
Chang'an. The city soon became an important centre of Buddhist worship in Japan.[6] The most
grandiose of these temples was Tōdaiji, built to rival temples of the Chinese T'ang and Sui
Dynasties.[7] Appropriately, the 16.2-m (53-ft) Buddha or Daibutsu (completed in 752) enshrined
in the main hall is a Rushana Buddha, the figure that represents the essence of Buddhahood, just
as Tōdai-ji represented the centre for imperially sponsored Buddhism and its dissemination
throughout Japan. Only a few fragments of the original statue survive, and the present hall and
central Buddha are reconstructions from the Edo period. Clustered around the main hall (the
Daibutsuden) on a gently sloping hillside are a number of secondary halls: the Hokke-dō (Lotus
Sutra Hall), the Kōfuku[2] and the storehouse, called the Shōsō-in. This last structure is of great
importance as an art-historical cache, because in it are stored the utensils that were used in the
temple's dedication ceremony in 752, as well as government documents and many secular
objects owned by the Imperial family.[8]


Kon-dō and pagoda at Hōryū-ji, Ikaruga, Nara
Built in 7th century

Pagoda at Hokki-ji, Ikaruga, Nara

Built in 706

Pagoda at Yakushi-ji, Nara, Nara

Originally built in 730

Hokkedō at Tōdai-ji, Nara, Nara

Founded in 743

Shōsō-in at Tōdai-ji, Nara, Nara

Built in 8th century

Golden Temple at Tōshōdai-ji, Nara, Nara

Built in 8th century
[edit] Heian period
Although the network of Buddhist temples across the country acted as a catalyst for an
exploration of architecture and culture, this also led to the clergy gaining increased power and
influence. Emperor Kammu decided to escape this influence by moving his capital first to
Nagaoka-kyō and then to Heian-kyō, known today as Kyōto. Although the layout of the city was
similar to Nara's and inspired by Chinese precedents, the palaces, temples and dwellings began
to show examples of local Japanese taste.[9]

Heavy materials like stone, mortar and clay were abandoned as building elements, with simple
wooden walls, floors and partitions becoming prevalent. Native species like cedar (sugi) were
popular as an interior finish because of its prominent grain, while pine (matsu) and larch (aka
matsu) were common for structural uses. Brick roofing tiles and a type of cypress called hinoki
were used for roofs.[10] It was sometime during this period that the hidden roof, a uniquely
Japanese solution to roof drainage problems, was adopted.[11]

The increasing size of buildings in the capital led to an architecture reliant on columns regularly
spaced in accordance with the ken, a traditional measure of both size and proportion. The
Imperial Palace Shishinden demonstrated a style that was a precursor to the later aristocratic-
style of building known as shinden-zukuri. The style was characterised by symmetrical buildings
placed as arms that defined an inner garden. This garden then used borrowed scenery to
seemingly blend with the wider landscape.[12]

The chief surviving example of shinden-zukuri architecture is the Hō-ō-dō (鳳凰堂?, Phoenix
Hall, completed 1053) of Byōdō-in, a temple in Uji to the southeast of Kyōto. It consists of a
main rectangular structure flanked by two L-shaped wing corridors and a tail corridor, set at the
edge of a large artificial pond.[12] Inside, a single golden image of Amida (circa 1053) is installed
on a high platform. Raigo (Descent of the Amida Buddha) paintings on the wooden doors of the
Hō-ō-dō are often considered an early example of Yamato-e, Japanese-style painting, because
they contain representations of the scenery around Kyōto.

The priest Kūkai (best known by the posthumous title Kōbō Daishi, 774-835) journeyed to China
to study Shingon, a form of Vajrayana Buddhism, which he introduced into Japan in 806. At the
core of Shingon worship are the various mandalas, diagrams of the spiritual universe which
influenced temple design.[2] The temples erected for this new sect were built in the mountains,
far away from the court and the laity in the capital. The irregular topography of these sites forced
their designers to rethink the problems of temple construction, and in so doing to choose more
indigenous elements of design.[13]

At this time the architectural style of Buddhist temples began to influence that of the Shintō
shrines. For example, like their Buddhist counterparts the Shintō shrines began to paint the
normally unfinished timbers with the characteristic red cinnabar colour.[13]

During the later part of the Heian Period there were the first documented appearances of
vernacular houses in the minka style/form. These were characterised by the use local materials
and labour, being primarily constructed of wood, having packed earth floors and thatched
roofs.[14]

Phoenix Hall at Byōdō-in, Uji, Kyoto

Built in 1053

Ujigami Shrine, Uji, Kyoto

Built in 1060

Pagoda of Ichijō-ji, Kasai, Hyōgo

Built in 1171

Nageire-dō of Sanbutsu-ji, Misasa, Tottori

Typical minka-style gasshō-zukuri farmhouse

[edit] Kamakura and Muromachi period

During the Kamakura period (1185–1333) and the following Muromachi period (1336–1573),
Japanese architecture made technological advances that made it somewhat diverge from its
Chinese counterpart. In response to native requirements such as earthquake resistance and shelter
against heavy rainfall and the summer heat and sun, the master carpenters of this time responded
with a unique type of architecture[15], creating the Daibutsuyō and Zenshūyō styles.[16][17][18]

The Kamakura period began with the transfer of power in Japan from the imperial court to the
Kamakura shogunate. During the Genpei War (1180–1185), many traditional buildings in Nara
and Kyoto were damaged. For example, Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji were burned down by Taira no
Shigehira of the Taira clan in 1180. Many of these temples and shrines were later rebuilt by the
Kamakura shogunate to consolidate the shogun's authority.[2]

Although less elaborate than during the Heian period, architecture in the Kamakura period was
informed by a simplicity due to its association with the military order. New residences used a
buke-zukuri style that was associated with buildings surrounded by narrow moats or stockades.
Defense became a priority, with buildings grouped under a single roof rather than around a
garden. The gardens of the Heian period houses often became training grounds.[19]

After the fall of the Kamakura shogunate in 1333, the Ashikaga shogunate was formed, having
later its seat in the Kyoto district of Muromachi. The proximity of the shogunate to the imperial
court led to a rivalry in the upper levels of society which caused tendencies toward luxurious
goods and lifestyles. Aristocratic houses were adapted from the simple buke-zukuri style to
resemble the earlier shinden-sukuri style. A good example of this ostentatious architecture is the
Kinkaku-ji in Kyōto, which is decorated with lacquer and gold leaf, in contrast to its otherwise
simple structure and plain bark roofs.[19]

In an attempt to rein in the excess of the upper classes, the Zen masters introduced the tea
ceremony. In architecture this promoted the design of chashitsu (tea houses) to a modest size
with simple detailing and materials. The style informed residential architecture with lighter, more
intimate buildings relying on slender rafters and pillars with sliding inner partitions fusuma and
outer sliding walls shōji.[19] Although woven grass and straw tatami mats first began to appear in
the Kamakura period, they were often thrown all over the floor. In the Muromachi period they
began to have a regular size and be closely fitted together. A typically sized Chashitsu is 4 1/2
mats in size.[20][21]

In the garden, Zen principles replaced water with sand or gravel to produce the dry garden
(karesansui) like the one at Ryōan-ji.[22]

Jōdodō of Jōdo-ji, Ono, Hyōgo

Built in 1194
 

Danjogaran Fudo-dō in Mt. Kōya, Wakayama

Built in 1197.

Nandaimon of Tōdai-ji, Nara, Nara

Built in 1199

Sanjūsangen-dō, Kyoto
Built in 1266

Butsuden of Kōzan-ji, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi

Built in 1320

Shōfuku-ji, Tokyo, Completed in 1407

 

Ginkaku-ji, Kyoto
Built in the 15th century

Pagoda of Negoro-ji in Iwade, Wakayama

Built in 1547.

Ryōan-ji dry garden in Kyoto

Garden of Tenryū-ji in Kyoto

[edit] Azuchi-Momoyama period

During the Azuchi–Momoyama period 1568–1600) Japan underwent a process of unification
after a long period of civil war. It was marked by the rule of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi
Hideyoshi, men who built castles as symbols of their power; Nobunaga in Azuchi, the seat of his
government, and Hideyoshi in Momoyama. The Ōnin War during the Muromachi period had led
to rise of castle architecture in Japan. By the time of the Azuchi-Momoyama period each domain
was allowed to have one castle of its own. Typically it consisted of a central tower or tenshu
(天守?, lit. heaven defense) surrounded by gardens and fortified buildings. All of this was set
within massive stone walls and surrounded by deep moats. The dark interiors of castles were
often decorated by artists, the spaces were separated up using sliding fusuma panels and byōbu
folding screens.[2]

The shoin style that had its origins with the chashitsu of the Muromachi period continued to be
refined. Verandas linked the interiors of residential buildings with highly cultivated exterior
gardens. Fusuma and byōbu became highly decorated with paintings and often an interior room
with shelving and alcove (tokonoma) were used to display art work (typically a hanging scroll).[2]

Matsumoto, Kumamoto and Himeji (popularly known as the White Heron castle) are excellent
examples of the castles of the period, while Nijo Castle in Kyōto is an example of castle
architecture blended with that of an imperial palace, to produce a style that is more in keeping
with the Chinese influence of previous centuries.[22]

Himeji Castle in Himeji, Hyōgo,

Completed in 1618

Matsumoto Castle in Matsumoto, Nagano,

Completed in 1600.

Dry stone walls of Kumamoto Castle,

Completed in 1600.

Ninomaru Palace within Nijo Castle, Kyoto

 

A six-panel byōbu from the 17th century

[edit] Edo period

Typical machiya in Nara

The Tokugawa Shogunate took the city of Edo (later to become part of modern day Tōkyō) as
their capital. They built an imposing fortress around which buildings of the state administration
and residences for the provincial daimyōs were constructed. The city grew around these
buildings connected by a network of roads and canals. By 1700CE the population had swollen to
one million inhabitants. The scarcity of space for residential architecture resulted in houses being
built over two stories, often constructed on raised stone plinths.[22]

Although machiya (townhouses) had been around since the Heian period they began to be
refined during the Edo period. Machiya typically occupied deep, narrow plots abutting the street
(the width of the plot was usually indicative of the wealth of the owner), often with a workshop
or shop on the ground floor. Tiles rather than thatch were used on the roof and exposed timbers
were often plastered in an effort to protect the building against fire.[23] Edo suffered badly from
fire devastating fires and the 1657 Great Fire of Meireki was a turning point in urban design.
Initially, as a method of reducing fire spread, the government built stone embankments in at least
two locations along rivers in the city. Over time these were torn down and replaced with dōzō
storehouses that were used both as fire breaks and to store goods unloaded from the canals. The
dōzō were built with a structural frame made of timber coated with a number of layers of earthen
plaster on the walls, door and roof. Above the earthen roofs was a timber framework supporting
a tiled roof.[24] Although Japanese who had studied with the Dutch at their settlement in Dejima
advocated building with stone and brick this was not undertaken because of their vulnerability to
earthquakes[25] Machiya and storehouses from the later part of the period are characterised by
having a black coloration to the external plaster walls. This colour was made by adding India ink
to burnt lime and crushed oyster shell.[26]
The clean lines of the civil architecture in Edo influenced the sukiya style of residential
architecture. Katsura Detached Palace and Shugaku-in Imperial Villa on the outskirts of Kyōto
are good examples of this style. Their architecture has simple lines and decor and uses wood in
its natural state.[27]

In the very late part of the period sankin kōtai, the law requiring the daimyōs to maintain
dwellings in the capital was repealed which resulted in a decrease in population in Edo and a
commensurate reduction in income for the shogunate.[28]

Tenshu of Matsue Castle in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture

Built in 1607

Tenshu of Hirosaki Castle in Hirosaki, Aomori

Completed in 1611

Hikone Castle in Hikone, Shiga

Completed in 1622

Hondo of Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto, Built in 1633

 

Konponchudo of Enryaku-ji in Ōtsu, Shiga

Built in 1641

Yomeimon of Toshogu, Nikko, Tochigi

Inside the Shokintei at Katsura Imperial Villa, Kyoto

Built in 17th century

Tenshu of Kōchi Castle in Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture

Built in 1748

Three halls of Engyō-ji in Himeji, Hyōgo, Completed in 18th century


Townhouse with black (edoguro) colouring to upper floor