Japanese Architecture

Japanese Architecture

The usual historical and chronological method s are not entirely suited dealing with Japanese architecture and the history of its development.

The resons of this are due to the immunity of Japan, over very long periods. from external interference or influences. Those influences which have operated, such as that Chinese civilixation and the neighbouring culture of Korea, have been of themselves continous and only gradually developing, assimilating new elements.

The same is consequently oftrue religious.and philosophical development, and of social economical changes.

Even after the great and immensely influential eruption of Buddhism (after AD 588) into Japanese life, the original and age=old belief and traditions of Shinto survived alongside the new beliefs, and are current today relatively unchanged.

Complementary to this steady and strong tradition of thougt was highly organized structer of medieval society besed on industrious and skilled peasantry bound to their lands

The whole was reinforced by a highly developed

Craftsmanship using the available indigenous bulding materials of timber, metal, clay abd fibre.

One can only compare such as culture of the Nile valley; in which the overall forms are constant, and change only be observed after close examination.

In complete contrast with to this immunity, from external disturbance and stability of social culture, there has been throughout Japanese the constant tgreat and actuality of phosical disaster, on gigantic scale, from the natural earthequake and storm, so which these islads, are subject,. For they are situated on the edge of Pacific hurricane belt and also in an area of where earthequakes are regular and frequent occurrence.

To live with these great natural forces, men have been compelled to retrict themselves to the continued and universal use of timberfor building to the right up to the advent of Western influence in the last eighty years, which brought them steel and reinforced concrete and engineering techniques to counter the effects of nature. This choice of materials was made easier by the variety and quantity of local forest products and of the general-purpose of bamboo.

Sione though available in plenty, has in cosequence been practically eliminated as a building material, except for some store houses and in few rural areas, and for the defences of great feudal castles.

A side effect of great influence of Japanese architecture, resulting from the impermanent and temporary nature of so many materials used for construction, has been the replacement of ancient buildings by exact replicas as illustrated by the earliest Shinto shrines ( AD 478 ) which, though probably identical with the original design, have, in, fect, been reconstructed many times-as frequently as every twenty years.

Another vitalty important feature to bear in mind is the effect that the use of timber always has on form and plan---as a result of basic use of commont units of length, a rectilinear character becomes universal and all—pervading, even in asymmetrical lay—outx.

This natural formality has been used as contrast by the Japanese to the extreme and sometimes hyper-self-cocious irregularly of their garden; this is also related to the contrast between their society;s extreme rigidity and the universality and ‘nature cociousness’ of their religiousor philosophic out look.