Japanese Architecture – Japan boasts a wide variety of architecture, from Horyuji Temple, the oldest surviving wooden building in the world, to cutting-edge modern architecture. What makes Japanese architecture different from others? Let’s take a look at its history and explore it!
Table of Contents
Overview of Japanese Architecture
What makes the difference between Japanese architecture and others?
The general structure of the modern house is almost always the same: posts and lintels support a large and gently curved roof, while the walls are paper-thin, often movable, and never load-bearing. Arches and barrel roofs are completely absent.
When we think about Japanese architecture, we must consider its climate: high temperature, humidity, heavy rainfall, and earthquake resistance. We will look at the relationship with the climate in the section on Japanese architectural characteristics.
Materials are primarily wood due to the abundance of timber and the relatively good earthquake resilience.
The time distinctive architecture appeared was in the 6th century with the introduction of Buddhism. New temples became the center of worship while the previous tomb burial practices quickly became outlawed.
The most influential Buddhist structure comes from mandalas (diagrams of the spiritual universe) of Shingon Buddhism, which was introduced by the famed Buddhist priest, Kukai.
Kukai: Biography of Japanese Buddhist Superstar
Shinto shrines began to be seen at this time as Buddhist temples stimulated the idea of permanent Shinto architecture.
The first permanent capital, Heijo-kyo, was constructed in 708. The layout of its checkerboard streets and buildings was modeled after the Chinese capital of Chang’an. The city soon became an important center of Buddhist worship in Japan.
Not long after that, Japanese architecture found its way into the original buildings that satisfied the needs and wants of natives and was suitable for each climate and topographies.
Japanese Architecture Characteristics
The very basic stuff we have to consider before we build any buildings in Japan is high temperature, humidity, heavy rainfall, and earthquakes.
Wood has been the main material due to its abundance and its breathability, which makes the building to be well ventilated.
Architects have been designing houses with four seasons in mind. The best house should manage the cold of the winter and keep it cool during the hot summer. Keep its openness to connect with nature.
Tatami Mats (straw and rush mats)
One of the most characteristic features of Japanese architecture is Tatami mats. Made of straw, Tatami keeps the room warm in winter and cool in summer.
It absorbs the moisture when it rains a lot while releasing it in the dry season. The scent of Tatami has a calming effect, especially when it is new.
It’s not cheap, but once you install them, it lasts long years to come.
Fusuma – framed and papered sliding door
Fusuma are vertical rectangular panels that can slide from side to side to redefine spaces within a room or act as doors.
Historically, fusuma were painted, often with natural scenes, such as mountains, forests, or animals. Many feature fans, autumn leaves, cherry blossoms, trees, or geometric graphics today.
Engawa – veranda or open corridor
Engawa is an open corridor where you can sit and look out the garden. It’s like a boundary between the house and nature.
Also, making use of the surrounding landscape as a part of the design of a garden.
People always feel a connection with nature, even from the inside, and cherish the sense of nature together with family or friends.
Bath
We used to have numerous public baths when only a few wealthy were able to have their own bath at home. Now, you can find a bath in almost all houses in Japan.
Sento: 7 Public Bath Houses in Tokyo for Authentic Experience
Bathe in a tub for relaxing, and washing the body outside the tub is the norm. You can see keeping oneself clean is one of the most important customs of Japanese people.
We can see the influence of Shinto beliefs here as they put importance on caring for nature and keeping oneself clean.
Shinto Beliefs: Purity, Sincerity, and Harmony
Traditional Japanese Architecture
Temples
Temples came along with the introduction of Buddhism from mainland China in the 6th century. Chinese influences were strongly seen in earlier times, such as expansive courtyards and symmetrical layouts.
However, temples began to exhibit less symmetrical features and many started incorporating gardens in their compounds.
Temples were also found in more remote places and the mountains, with more varied layouts owing to complex topographies.
Shrines
The Japanese native beliefs, Shinto, had no scripture, no founder, and no permanent facilities. Since the arrival of Buddhism, the situation has changed.
Along with Buddhist teaching, the construction of temples was booming, and it encouraged Shinto to have its facilities, Shinto shrines.
Several major shrines followed the unique custom of periodic rebuilding for symbolic purification. The Izumo Taisha Shrine and Ise Shrines still follow this custom today.
Shinto Shrine: History, Architecture, and Shrine Crest
Castles
The typical Japanese castles began to be built in the 16th century.
Initially built for the purpose of fortification and defense, mainly on the mountains, the castles moved down to the field as it became the center of the government and the status symbols of warlords.
Hundreds of castles used to stand across the country, but most of them destroyed due to wars, natural disasters and the past government’s policies to limit their numbers, only twelve castles survived from the feudal era.
Higher-ranking Samurai lived closest to the castle in large houses with spacious tatami rooms and gardens, while lower-ranking ones had more humble residences further away from the castle.
Japanese Castle: Layout and Architecture for the Defense
Farmhouse
Different farmhouse construction styles developed according to widely varying weather patterns and topographies.
Farmhouses were the most numerous among the old buildings but were rarely preserved.
The remaining ones we can see today tend to be the more prestigious ones, such as those that belonged to village heads or those in remote locations.
Traditional Architecture Styles – Japanese Architecture
Shinden-zukuri (palatial architecture style of the Heian era) – Japanese Architecture
The architectural style called “Shinden-zukuri” was for the aristocrats, established in the Heian period (794-1185).
The main characteristic of the Shinden-zukuri was the remarkable symmetry of the group of buildings and the undeveloped space between them. Its delicate features and refined way blend well with nature.
The increasing size of buildings in the capital led to an architecture reliant on columns regularly spaced per the ken, a traditional measure of both size and proportion.
The main room of the Shinden called the Moya, was surrounded by a secondary roofed Hisashi or veranda. The Moya was one big space partitioned by portable screens (byobu).
Guests and house residents were seated on mats, and alcoves and gardens were designed to be viewed from a seated position. The culture of making poems flourished, and the architecture supported it by providing openness.
One of the most famous buildings in Shinden-zukuri during this period is the temple. The Konjikido (golden hall) of Chusonji Temple boasts its owner’s power, the Fujiwara clan.
We can see the influence of Buddhism, specifically Pure Land Buddhism, so there were many gardens that represented the Pure Land Paradise.
Japanese Buddhism #2: End of the World Belief, Pure Land, and Zen
Shoin-zukuri (Living Room and Study Combined Style) – Japanese Architecture
As the political power transferred from courtiers to Samurai classes in the middle ages, they valued a simple and sturdy architectural style. It used to be called “Buke-zukuri”, Samurai houses literally.
The characteristic of Shoin-zukuri is it puts importance on the reception room. Frequent wars and battles required them to have a large room to discuss matters and battle tactics.
Also, the development of partitions made it possible to attach a different function to each room. Making a difference in the level gave a distinctive appearance to recognize who is in the higher and lower ranks.
The buildings were grouped under a single roof, surrounded by narrow moats or stockades for security reasons.
The pillars used to be columns, but square ones began to be used for this style. Modern-day architecture draws its origin from this architectural style.
Partitions such as Shoji (sheer, translucent paper room dividers) and Fusuma originated in this period. Engawa, Amado (sliding shutters), and the front door were developed in this style, too.
Sukiya-zukuri (The Style developed from the Tea Room) – Japanese Architecture
Suki means refined and cultivated taste and delight in elegant pursuit, which initially refers to enjoying the exquisitely performed tea ceremony.
Derived from the small rooms of Shoin-zukuri, it developed a style which eliminates formality or fixed style.
Found no taste in the ostentatious display but in the simple and refined presentation with cordial hospitality.
The traditional Sukiya-zukuri layout has rooms that open to a garden through an indirect diagonal or curved path that permits a view of the tea house.
The beauty of Sukiya-zukuri comes from the delicate sensibility of the slender wood elements and other natural materials used and the simplicity of ornamentation.
The sense of Wabi-Sabi was born with this architecture, Chado (tea ceremony), and Ikebana.
Chado: “The Way of Tea” Cultivates Hospitality and Zen Spirit
Ikebana: Styles of Japanese Flower Arrangement “Kado”
The Edo Period Architecture – Japanese Architecture
The secular culture also flourished in the Edo period in the architectural field. Sukiya-zukuri, which has a tea room, theater architecture, and pleasure quarters.
In terms of Buddhist architecture, it began to build large halls that could hold numerous followers, such as Zenkouji Temple and Sensouji Temple, along with the popularity increase.
Townhouses (Machiya) – Japanese Architecture
A typical townhouse had its store in front, the living quarters behind, and a storehouse in the back. They were built in an orderly fashion,n facing the street.
As the economy grew, merchants began to accumulate wealth, producing the town’s festive and lively mood.
Nagaya – Tenement Houses
Most of the tenement houses were one-storied houses; you encounter the kitchen when you enter the house, and there were two rooms in a house at most.
They were inhabited by craftsmen and merchants further down the social ladder in the past. It’s a traditional Japanese style of architecture as well. Many townhouses had relatively narrow facades but extended wide into the back because taxation was often based on road access.
They shared a bathroom in an alley and had no bathing facility. There used to be a water inlet on an alley, people got together and interacted with the other until the water filled up the bucket.
The Edo period brought back a lot of classic architectural techniques. Since fire’s struck in the Edo region quite often, houses made to be able to be rebuilt easily. Structures were simple and classy, and like the Hein period, their respect for nature took a great deal in the architectural way of construction.
Nikko Toshogu – Japanese Architecture
Toshogu Shrine is the final resting place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan for over 250 years until 1868. Shrines became increasingly ornate during this period, just as Toshogu shows.
The lavishly decorated shrine complex consists of over a dozen buildings in a beautiful forest.
Countless wood carvings and large amounts of gold leaf were used to decorate the buildings in a way not seen elsewhere in Japan, where simplicity has been traditionally stressed in shrine architecture.
Also, we can see the strong influence of Onmyodo (way of Yin and Yang, an occult divination system based on the Tao). The locations of the building were carefully designed to align with the Pole Star.
Modern Japanese Architecture and Architects
After WWII, most buildings were no longer made of wood, which caught fire so easily during earthquakes and bombing raids that internal steel construction began to be used instead.
Post-war buildings adopted an efficient, unadorned box style in general. One of the most significant architectural challenges was creating tall buildings resistant to Japan’s frequent earthquakes.
Japanese engineers and architects pioneered the techniques that are now used all over the world.
However, the architects, we see below represent the new style of architecture.
Shigeru Ban
Shigeru Ban is best known for his work with paper and his innovative use of recycled cardboard.
In 2014, Ban received the prestigious Pritzker Prize. His work is based on the theme of the “invisible structure.”
Toyo Ito
Toyo Ito was born in 1941 and is known for creating conceptual architecture to express both physical and virtual worlds.
He has been named one of the world’s most innovative and influential architects and was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2013.
Tadao Ando
Tadao Ando is one of the best Japanese architects and creators of some of the most memorable buildings in the country.
He has received almost every conceivable prize in architecture and is regarded as one of the Great Fathers of contemporary architecture.
Kenzo Tange
Kenzo Tange was one of the most significant architects of the 20th century, combining traditional Japanese styles with modernism, and designed significant buildings on five continents.
Influenced from an early age by the Swiss modernist Le Corbusier, Tange’s work influenced a generation of architects worldwide.
Kengo Kuma
Kengo Kuma is an architect and professor at the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Tokyo.
He manages to give stone, for example, the same sense of lightness and softness as glass or wood.
Fumihiko Maki
Fumihiko Maki studied with Kenzo Tange in the University of Tokyo, where he received his Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1952. He received the Pritzker Prize for his work in 1993.
He has maintained a consistent interest in new technology as part of his design language, quite often taking advantage of modular systems in construction and fusing the cultures of East and West.
Atsushi Kitagawara
Atsushi Kitagawara’s concepts and methods draw on fields including poetry, music, and contemporary arts. He has won many awards, including the Architectural Institute of Japan Award in 2002, the first prize in the Innovative Architecture International Award (Italy) in 2006.
He is a protagonist of an artistically shaped and expressionistic architectural style, which celebrates the experience of space without losing sight of the functional requirements.
Famous Japanese Architecture
Dogo Onsen Honkan – Dogo Hot Spring Main Inn
Dogo Onsen Honkan is the symbol and the main attraction of Dogo Onsen. This famous hot spring in Matsuyama, which is one of the oldest in Japan, draws people all around Japan.
Completed in 1894, the interior of this wooden public bathhouse is a maze of stairways, passages, and rooms. It is said to have inspired Miyazaki’s popular animated film Spirited Away.
Sazaedo
Aizu Sazaedo is a three-storied, hexagonal Buddhist pagoda located in Aizu-Wakamatsu.
Ikudo, the abbot of the Zen temple Jissoji in Wakamatsu, decided to construct a pagoda to house 33 images of Kannon Bodhisattva and selected the Miya Daiku (shrine carpenter) Yamagishi Kiuemon to carry out his plan.
With an interior double-spiral structure of slope ways, you enter the Sazaedo and walk up to the top floor and down to the exit without seeing anyone.
OK, so how do people deal with Japanese architecture in real life?
Chairs and tables were not widely used until the 20h century, now and then, Japanese people feel comfortable sitting on a cushion or the floor.
It’s the country with the most architects per capita in the world. Despite the shrinking population due to the low birth rate, construction jobs are on the stable ground since the Japanese don’t buy used homes to live in.
The vast majority of people who buy a home are building a new house from scratch, which is unusual, while only 11-34% of their Western counterparts buy brand-new houses.
It’s in proportion with a high metabolism, especially in major cities. It’s rare that your hometown remains the same after ten years.
Japanese architecture has influenced Western architecture with its emphasis on simplicity, horizontal lines, and flexible spaces.
We can find its origin in Shinto beliefs and Zen through its spatial arrangements and the concept of interpenetrating exterior and interior space.
The new architect will find a way to fit the new era’s needs while connecting with nature as it is in their DNA.
References
日本建築、寝殿造り、書院造りなどから学ぶ日本の文化 (百計ONLINE)
日本住宅の変遷 (www.moiss.jp)
HOKI COLLECTIONとしての建築 (www.nikken.co.jp)
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