Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Preface
I received the SOM Foundations Structural Engineering Travel Fellowship in 2009. The fellowship allows recent structural
engineering graduates to travel anywhere in the world to experience and study architecture. Through the fellowship, I
spent two and a half months exploring Japan and studying architecture ranging from ancient temples and shrines to
modern skyscrapers. Japanese architectureboth old and newhas long been my favorite, and I am deeply indebted to
the SOM Foundation for the opportunity to experience these wonderful buildings in person.
All photographs and drawings are mine unless otherwise noted. Many Japanese buildingsparticularly temples and
museumsdo not allow photography, and several prohibit drawing. This means that I have no visual record of certain
buildings, especially interiors. I apologize for this omission.
The paper is organized around groups of key buildings, arranged by category and then roughly by age within each section.
Short sections discussing elements of Japanese architecture appear throughout. Pictures of additional buildings are
included at the end of the report with the same organization, without text.
Table of Contents
Introduction!........................................................................................................................................1
Map of Japan with Cities Visited!......................................................................................................2
Elements: Gates!.................................................................................................................................3
Shrines!................................................................................................................................................4
Elements: Rebuilding!......................................................................................................................10
Temples!.............................................................................................................................................11
Elements: Wooden Joints!...............................................................................................................16
Temples II!..........................................................................................................................................17
Elements: Gardens!..........................................................................................................................23
Villas!..................................................................................................................................................24
Elements: Wood!...............................................................................................................................27
Castles!..............................................................................................................................................28
Elements: Tatami Mats!....................................................................................................................35
Residential Architecture!..................................................................................................................36
Elements: Layers, Detail, Materials!................................................................................................41
Museums (and an Aquarium)!..........................................................................................................42
Elements: Competing for attention!................................................................................................48
Modern!..............................................................................................................................................49
Tadao Ando!.......................................................................................................................................60
Additional Buildings!........................................................................................................................69
Shrines!..............................................................................................................................................70
Temples!.............................................................................................................................................75
Villas!..................................................................................................................................................79
Residential!........................................................................................................................................82
Museums!..........................................................................................................................................85
Modern!..............................................................................................................................................90
Tadao Ando!.....................................................................................................................................100
Itsukushima Jinja!
Fushimi Inari!
Elements: Rebuilding!......................................................................................................................10
Temples!.............................................................................................................................................11
Horyu-ji!
12
Todai-ji!
13
15
17
19
Kodai-ji!
20
Nishi Hongan-ji!
21
Elements: Gardens!..........................................................................................................................23
Villas!..................................................................................................................................................24
Katsura Rikyu Imperial Villa (Katsura Detached Palace)!
25
Elements: Wood!...............................................................................................................................27
Castles!..............................................................................................................................................28
Himeji-jo!
29
Matsumoto-jo!
33
Matsue-jo!
34
37
38
39
43
44
45
46
47
50
51
52
Tazawa-ko Station!
53
Kyoto Station!
55
Prada!
56
Tod#s Omotesando!
57
58
Mikimoto Ginza 2!
59
Tadao Ando!.......................................................................................................................................60
Church of the Light!
61
Water Temple!
63
65
Sayamaike Museum!
66
67
Additional Buildings!........................................................................................................................69
Shrines!..............................................................................................................................................70
Izumo Taisha!
71
Sensoji!
72
Kasuga Shrine!
73
Meiji Jingu!
74
Temples!.............................................................................................................................................75
Yakushi-ji!
76
Kiyomizudera!
77
78
Villas!..................................................................................................................................................79
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavillion)!
80
81
Residential!........................................................................................................................................82
Buke Yashiki Samurai Residence!
83
84
Museums!..........................................................................................................................................85
Peace Memorial Museum!
86
Ukiyo-e Museum!
87
88
89
Modern!..............................................................................................................................................90
Former Hokkaido Government Office Building!
91
92
National Gymnasium!
93
94
Asahi Brewery!
95
96
97
98
99
Tadao Ando!.....................................................................................................................................100
Museum of Literature!
101
Minami-dera!
102
103
104
Introduction
First, an argument in favor of travel.
Visiting buildings in person differs fundamentally from studying plans or looking at photographs. A visitor can stumble
upon unexpected views and watch her perspective shift as she walks forward. The feeling of passing through a mighty
gate or of emerging from a low-ceilinged corridor into an open room is not easy to understand from a distance. It is nearly
impossible to predict in advance how a building will feel. Planning this trip, I looked forward to experiencing structures in
all their three-dimensional, dynamic glory.
Its even better than that.
The buildings taught me again and again to appreciate my senses. The sound of falling water changes the experience of
a place. So does the feeling of running your hand along a smooth, polished concrete wall. Or a rough stone wall. A
shrine built over water smells different from a shrine built over land, and the light on the water shrine dances continuously
as the water ripples below. Walking across wooden castle floorboards in bare feet, feeling irregularities smoothed by
years of use, is not the same as walking the same path in boots. The sounds of clapping hands and coins falling into
collection boxes are fundamental elements of Shinto shrines. The smell and the feel of tatami mats are fundamental
elements of Japan.
Even from a single vantage point, our eyes make observation a rich experience. Where a photographer must pick an
exposure setting, losing detail in the light and dark parts of the picture, our eyes can continually readjust to reveal a wealth
of subtleties in bright and dark areas. A place that looks uniformly black in a photograph is actually many different grays
and browns. An exterior wall the same color as the sky does not actually blend into the sky when you see it in person.
The time it takes our eyes to adjust is part of architecture too: walking into a sunlit room from a dark corridor is completely
different from walking into a sunlit room from a sunlit corridor.
I have tried to record these impressions, and to let my experience of the structures guide this report. I have enjoyed
studying the history of Japanese architecture, and will include history, construction details, and structural information
whenever it makes sense. I hope to convey here a little of the feeling of walking through these places, with the time to
linger on the details.
FinalItinerary(chronological):
Building(Architect)
Sensoji
TodsOmotesando(Ito)
ChristianDiorOmotesando(SANAA)
Prada(HerzoganddeMeuron)
NationalGymnasium(Tange)
PolaArtMuseum(NikkenSekkei)
DesignSpace2121(Ando)
SuntoryMuseumofArt(Kuma)
NationalArtCenter(Kurokawa)
TepiaScienceMuseum(Maki)
InternationalLibraryofChildrensLiterature(Ando)
GalleryofHoryujiTreasures(Taniguchi)
TokyoSeaLifePark(Taniguchi)
NakaginCapsuleTower(Kurokawa)
ShizuokaPressandBroadcastingSystemsBuilding(Tange)
MikimotoGinza(Ito)
TokyoInternationalForum(Vinoly)
TokyoMetropolitanGovernmentOffices(Tange)
MeijiJingu
AsahiBrewery(Starck)
Byodoin
KatsuraDetatchedPalace
Toji
GardenofFineArts(Ando)
HimejiCastle
KyotoStation(Hara)
NishiHonganji
IseJingu
Yakushiji
Horyuji
KasugaShrine
Todaiji
Sanjusanjendo
FushimiInari
Kinkakuji
DaitokujiKotoinsubtemple
City
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Hakone
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Uji
Kyoto
Kyoto
Kyoto
Himeji
Kyoto
Kyoto
Ise
Nara
Nara
Nara
Nara
Kyoto
Kyoto
Kyoto
Kyoto
Prefecture
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Kanagawa
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Kyoto
Kyoto
Kyoto
Kyoto
Hyogo
Kyoto
Kyoto
Mie
Nara
Nara
Nara
Nara
Kyoto
Kyoto
Kyoto
Kyoto
Kiyomizudera
Kodaiji
Ginkakuji
ShinUmedaSkyBuilding(Hara)
SayamaikeMuseum(Ando)
HimejiMuseumofLiterature(Ando)
ChurchoftheLight(Ando)
OpenairmuseumoftraditionalJapanesefarmhouses
PeaceMemorialMuseum(Tange)
NimaSandMuseum(Takamatsu)
BukeYashikiSamuraiResidence
Matsuejo
IzumoTaisha
IzumoTaishaoldtrainstation
ChichuArtMuseum(Ando)
NaoshimaFerryTerminalBuilding(SANAA)
MinamideraArtHouseProject(Ando)
BenesseHouseMuseum(Ando)
WaterTemple(Ando)
ItsukushimaJinja
21stCenturyMuseumofArt(SANAA)
Hidanosato
Sanmachidistrict,Takayama
MatsumotoPerformingArtsCenter(Ito)
UkiyoeMuseum(Shinohara)
Matsumotojo
TazawakoStation(Ban)
KakunodateDistrict
Odatewarehousedistrict
Kyoto
Kyoto
Kyoto
Osaka
Osakasayama
Himeji
Ibaraki
Toyonaka
Hiroshima
Nima
Matsue
Matsue
Izumo
Izumo
Naoshima
Naoshima
Naoshima
Naoshima
Awajishima
Itsukushima
Kanazawa
Takayama
Takayama
Matsumoto
Matsumoto
Matsumoto
Tazawako
Kakunodate
Odate
Kyoto
Kyoto
Kyoto
Osaka
Osaka
Hyogo
Osaka
Osaka
Hiroshima
Shimane
Shimane
Shimane
Shimane
Shimane
Kagawa
Kagawa
Kagawa
Kagawa
Hyogo
Hiroshima
Ishikawa
Gifu
Gifu
Nagano
Nagano
Nagano
Akita
Akita
Akita
FormerHokkaidoGovernmentOfficeBuilding
Sapporo
Hokkaido
Elements: Gates
Exploring Japanese architecture means passing through gates. Every shrine, temple, castle, and villa has one or more
gateways, ranging from simple stone torii outside neighborhood shrines to elaborate wooden temple gates that feel like
buildings in their own right and take several seconds to pass through.
Temples, castles, and villas feature wide entry gates, often with several columns, complex roof systems, and intricate
wooden joints. These gates often lead to courtyards enclosed by thick walls and covered corridors. Several layers of
gates sometimes separate the outer world from the most protected area.
Gates make you feel transitions. Walking under a wide gate takes time and feels powerful, as if you have crossed a
significant barrier and entered a world separate from the one you left a few seconds before. As you walk under the gate
you often cannot help but look up; watching thick wooden beams pass over your head conveys a sense of time passing,
the world turning, progress being made. The fierce guardian statues that reside in some temple gates heighten this effect.
Torii, the ubiquitous gates that form an integral part of every Shinto shrine, vary impressively in terms of both size and
effect. Made from stone or wood, left unfinished or painted bright orange, they are typically constructed from two crossbeams spanning two cylindrical columns. Though commonly built at a scale that comfortably fits a person, they range
from miniature torii placed on shrines by worshippers to mighty structures such as the 24 meter tall torii of Heian Jingu,
which precedes the main shrine by a long city block and towers over a wide, traffic-filled street.
Torii signify the entrance to sacred space. Crossing under torii, however, feels much less momentous than passing under
a mighty temple gate. It is almost possible to walk under the narrow torii without noticing. Perhaps because they stand
alone rather than forming an opening in a wall, they feel natural, marking off the world without demanding much attention.
Passing through layers of torii in large shrines calms you, subtly separating the inner shrine from the bustle of everyday
life.
Shrines
Shinto, Japans indigenous religion, emphasizes the worship of the natural world and the Kamideities or sacred forces
who inhabit it. Shinto practice often focuses on sacred rocks, trees, or mountains. Practitioners also visit shrines to
worship the Kami who reside inside the shrine buildings. Most people in Japan practice Shinto, often alongside
Buddhism; the two religions have come to coexist quite peaceably.
The first Shinto shrines were probably small and portablesimilar to shrines carried in traditional festivals today.1 Today,
larger stationary shrines vary widely in style, but generally contain torii and one or more sanctuaries. Visiting Shinto
shrines involves a series of ritual acts: visitors first purify themselves at the entrance by pouring spring water onto each
hand, and then approach the main shrine, throw coins into the donation box, clap their hands twice, bow, pray, and bow
again.
Kazuo Nishi and Kazua Hozumi. What Is Japanese Architecture? Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1985.
4
Ise Jingu
Date: 4 C.E. (claimed, Naiku), 477 (Geku), ritual rebuilding starting in the 7th century
Location: Ise, Mie Prefecture
Shinto shrines were traditionally dismantled and rebuilt every several years in order to preserve spiritual
purity and renewal. The great expense associated with reconstruction in
modern times has stopped this practice everywhere but at Ise Jingu,
Japans most sacred Shinto shrine. Two shrine complexesNaiku (Inner
Shrine) and Geku (Outer Shrine)contain the main shrines, over a
hundred secondary sanctuaries, and a bridge leading to the Inner Shrine
complex, all rebuilt every 20 years since the 7th century. The 62nd
rebuilding will be completed in 2013.
Each modern reconstruction costs millions of dollars and takes several
years to complete. Carpenters construct the building using the original
methods, passed down from generation to generation of builders. The 20
year interval allows trained carpenters to instruct new generations in
building techniques that are not practiced anywhere else. Through
constant reconstruction, the shrines are both ancient and newphysically
new but also physically connected to the buildings that preceded them
many centuries ago.
Each structure stands in one of two identical adjacent lots that lie to the
East and West of each other. The second lot remains empty except for a small
wooden hut called an Oi-ya, built around a short Shin-no-mihashira, or heart pillar.
The heart pillar must remain hidden at all times.
During reconstruction, carpenters build the new
sanctuary around the Oi-ya, deconstructing the
hut only after completing the building around it.
On the first site, an Oi-ya is constructed around
the heart pillar inside the sanctuary before the
sanctuary itself is disassembled. Priests transfer
Kami and other treasures to the new sanctuary
in nighttime ceremonies, renewing them during
the transfer.
Ises buildings are constructed in the Shimmei architectural style, famous for its
simplicity. The main shrine buildings, hidden behind a tall fence, are considered too
sacred for public viewingonly the Emperor can enter them. Subsidiary buildings
follow the same architectural style, however, and thus give visitors a chance to see
how the main buildings look. Two free-standing columns, the munamochibashira,
lean slightly inwards and support the roof beam. 2 Joists at the gable ends extend
A sanctuary in the Geku complex
2
Ibid
5
above the miscanthus thatched roof, and katsuogiroof billetsline the ridgeline.3
Columns run directly into the ground. Wood is unpainted and unfinished, adding to the
impression of unadorned simplicity and calm. Simple wooden torii lead into the complexes
as well as to individual sanctuaries.
Ise Jingu feels deeply connected to its surroundings. Sanctuaries lie nestled in the forest
that fills the expansive shrine complexes amidst fog, ponds, dripping water, and bird calls.
Tree branches and folded paper strips indicate sacred spaces throughout the forest, and
from time to time an important rock or tree is roped off for protection. Damaged trees are
patched with bark. Even full of visitors traveling along a broad gravel path, the forest feels
wild compared to the controlled, consciously designed gardens that fill Japans temples
and cities. The buildings look well-made, with careful, tight-fitting joints and wood cut at
exact angles, but also purposefully simple and unadorned. They create a place to stop
and contemplate the forest, and life, without drawing
attention to themselves.
In addition to housing statues of Kami, Shinto shrines allow people to worship the
natural world. In some, including Nara Prefectures Miwa shrine, a mountain replaces
a building as the main focal point, emphasizing the importance of nature above the
physical shrine.4 At Ise, thousands of visitors pad calmly through the forest along
gravel paths, pausing to pray at numerous wooden sanctuaries before reaching the
gate outside the main Inner Shrine. The buildings simple lines and bare wood allow
them to blend into the forest; moss growing on torii and bamboo and paper on trees
further blend the division between nature and the built environment. The sanctuaries
call people to stop and notice their surroundings, breathing in the wildness of the
forest.
Ibid
Ibid
Itsukushima Jinja
Date: probably 9th century, rebuilt in current form 12th century, rebuilt 16th century (Noh
Stage rebuilt 1875)
Location: Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima), Hiroshima Prefecture
Legend claims that Itsukushima Jinja was constructed over
water to accommodate commoners, who were not allowed to set
foot upon the deeply sacred island of Itsukushima. At high tide,
they could pass through the otoriithe o at the front of the word
signifies particular respectand approach the shrine on boats.
Taira no Kiyomori, the powerful head of the Taira clan,
transformed the original shrine into its current form in the 12th
century, but kept its walkways and otorii over water.
Water and location make the shrine magical. A long, bright
orange walkway guides visitors over the bay, past the central
shrine and a Noh stage, and onto the shore at the other side. A
steep, green mountainside rises from the island behind the
shrine. Water adds the smell of wet wood, the ripples of light
dancing on the ceiling beams, the sound of waves splashing,
and the impression that the pathway is swaying slightly. The air
feels fresh and clean. The Noh stage extends out from the
shore into the center of an open rectangle of corridor. Watching
performances across a small stretch of water must have been
amazing.
Far out in the bay, the mighty 16 meter otorii stands solidly in the flowing
water. The two twisting, tapering tree trunks that serve as its main
columns give the impression that it grew there of its own accord and has
roots that reach deep into the earth. It looks powerful, ready to
withstand whatever destructive forces will come its way.
As the tide goes out, mud surrounds the corridor and stage, and the
water stands knee deep around the otorii. Shoes line the spit of mud
that juts towards the mighty gate. People wade out towards it, startled at
its size now that they can see it up close. Joints that looked small from a
distance actually contain wedges a foot wide; the column bases are
perhaps six feet in diameter. The otorii stands immutable in the midst of
tidal changes that completely transform its surroundings and peoples
relationship to the shrine, adding to the impression of its might.
Fushimi Inari
Date: 8th century
Location: Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
Fushimi Inari Shrine, dedicated to Inari, the Shinto deity of rice
cultivation and business success, is famous for a winding path through
thousands of bright orange torii. At times tightly packed and at times
irregularly spaced and several yards apart, the torii lead visitors on a
4km hike up, along, and down a steep hillside past an assortment of
smaller sanctuaries. Worshippers place small orange torii onto the
stone sanctuaries, creating a warm contrast with the gray stones.
As I walked along the path, the flow of gates overhead created a
nearly constant feeling of progress, not unlike driving through farmland
and watching rows of crops sweep by outside. In the beginning,
where the torii were packed closely together into a tunnel, I found
myself covering a great deal of ground without much thought. The torii
continually divided the long space, drawing my attention to the
sequence of columns and beams and the patterns of light and dark.
Later, as the torii spread out, the outside world returned. My feeling of
progress continued, but my attention focused on the forest that I had
entered almost without noticing.
Large torii in the pathway and small torii placed on stone shrines
Elements: Rebuilding
Perhaps the most striking thing about traditional Japanese architecture is the degree to which buildings have been rebuilt,
starting in ancient times. Stories of temples reconstructed several times over the centuries abound, as do examples of
buildings which burned down soon after construction, over a thousand years ago, only to be rebuilt immediately.
Far from being a modern response to tourism and historical preservation, rebuilding is an intrinsic part of Japanese
architecture. Buildings can continue past their original lifespans. Reconstructions sometimes preserved the original form,
sometimes included modifications, and sometimes changed the buildings form entirely, and some modern reconstructions
go so far as to model intricate wooden structural systems with concrete. Regardless of the specifics, people saw and
continue to see reconstructed buildings as fundamentally connected to their predecessors. People often say a temple is
as old as its original buildings, even if all those buildings were destroyed and reconstructed centuries later.
Shinto shrines no doubt influenced this view of reconstruction. Shrines such as Ise Jingu were traditionally rebuilt at
regular intervals to ensure purity and continuity of construction knowledge. Thus, shrines could be ancient and new at the
same time. This view of age reaching back past the age of individual buildings created a precedent for rebuilding
unintentionally destroyed structures throughout Japanese architecture.
The predominance of wood as a building material perhaps made a strong tradition of rebuilding inevitable. While certain
buildings are breathtakingly oldHoryuji temple contains wooden structures dating to the late 7th or early 8th century
wooden buildings are vulnerable to disaster. Even those Horyuji buildings, the oldest wooden buildings in the world, are
themselves reconstructions of the originals, completed in 607 and burned down in 670.5 Fires account for the vast
majority of buildings destroyed, with earthquakes, war, and political turmoil playing roles as well. The Japanese tradition
of reconstruction serves well in a country with both an abundance of fragile building materials and a rich architectural
history.
Ibid
10
Temples
Buddhism first arrived in Japan from Korea and China in the 6th century. Temple architecture was imported at roughly the
same time, and the first Buddhist temple complex was probably Asukadera, constructed between 588 and 596 and no
longer standing.6 Developments in China continued to influence Japanese Buddhist architecture for centuries.
Complexes contain a variety of arrangements of pagodas, halls, and roofed corridors with wide gates passing through
them. Historically, rulers and Buddhist sects invested great time and money into temple construction. As a result, temples
generally showcase the most elaborate construction techniques and ornamentation of any traditional Japanese buildings.
Ibid
11
Horyu-ji
Date: 607, burned 670, rebuilt late 7th or early 8th century, some parts destroyed and rebuilt since
Location: Nara, Nara Prefecture
First built in 607, Horyu-ji burned down in 670 and was reconstructed in the
late 7th or early 8th century. The temples Five Story Pagoda (Goj no T),
Golden Hall (Kond), Inner Gate (Chmon) and much of the Corridor (Kair)
have survived since then, and are now the oldest wooden buildings in the
world.7
Sitting just inside the main gate, surrounded by these buildings, I found it hard
to comprehend wood so old. Wood is vulnerable to fire, water, and insects,
not meant to last forever. Traveling in Japan offered example after example
of the materials susceptibility to destruction. Yet these buildings have lasted.
Patches fill sections of columns that had suffered insect
damage, and surfaces look deeply weathered, yet the
buildings have survived countless earthquakes and 14
centuries of use. Exploring the complex, I had a hard
time not thinking of them as delicate, in need of
protection.
A patch on a column
The existing buildings display Asuka era (552-710) architecture, including slightly convex columns
and cloud pattern brackets.8 The buildings look less adorned than newer temples, with simpler joints
and fewer flourishes. The huge cloud pattern bracketsbigger than a personare striking. Builders
must have invested great effort in carving out the cloud pattern from inside the mighty beam,
demonstrating an impressive commitment to aesthetics.
Dragons represent water in Japan, and curl around the
Golden Halls columns to protect it against fire.
Ibid
Ibid
The corridor
A cloud pattern bracket and rafter
12
Todai-ji
Date: 760, destroyed 1180, rebuilt late 12th century, Great Buddha Hall rebuilt identically
around 1700
Location: Nara, Nara Prefecture
Todaijis Great Buddha Hall, or Daibutsuden, the largest wooden building in the world,
was originally fifty percent larger. The mighty Nara era complex also originally included
two 100m pagodas, far taller than any that exist today. The scale today astounds
visitors; the original temple must have demanded awe.
After Todaijis wartime destruction in 1180, the priest Chgen, who had travelled to
China several times, convinced the shogun to rebuild the temple in the Chinese Song
style. Constructed by Japanese and Chinese sculptors and carpenters, Todaijis
architecture became known as the Great Buddha Style for the 15m tall Buddha inside
the main hall. The Great South Gate, or Nandaimon, holds two fierce guardian statues
that date, with the gate itself, to the late 12th century.
The Great Buddha Style streamlined construction for the incredible scale of Todaijis
buildings. Identical blocks and increasingly long brackets stack on top of each other,
making connections simpler and allowing for mass-production of individual parts.
Stacked brackets also let loads transfer back to the columns without exerting much
pressure on the lateral ties that span the length of the buildings. Fascia runs under the
edge of the roof, removing the need for an additional layer of adornment. Open
ceilings simplified construction even further. The well-organized exposed brackets and
beams provide architectural flourish not
through irregularities or adornment but rather
by forming structural systems that are very
small compared to the overall buildings. The
difference in scale makes the orderly rows of
brackets and blocks appear intricately
detailed in themselves.
The Daibutsuden
Nandaimon Gate
13
In person, the Nandaimon gate is impressive. Huge columns extend to the roof. Every
other bracket arm in the almost endless stacks of brackets reaches back through the
supporting column and across the building; the alternate bracket arms end at the far
side of the thick columns. The guardian statues loom high above visitors, looking
dangerous. It takes several seconds to walk under the wide gate; the experience
encourages visitors to feel small.
The Daibutsuden is enormous, far bigger than I expected. Looking up at the ceiling
captures the feeling of the spires of stone cathedrals and of redwoods in an old growth
forest. It seems almost natural rather than man-made. It is dazzling that it reaches so
high, that the space inside is so big, but it leaves the impression that it could have
somehow grown there on its own, over time. The Buddha, too, is impressively large
and weighty. It makes the large braces that fill the hall look tiny and intricate, like frills
or icing on a cake.
14
Sitting on the front steps outside Tji temple, I looked across weathered stones, a
murky Koi pond, and a four lane street at closed store fronts and a King Pachinko
parlor, complete with flashing neon lights. The first sight of the greenery that stretched
over the walls behind me felt like finding an oasis in the middle of the surrounding
south-of-the-station grunge. Music drifted through the gate to mingle with the sound of
traffic.
Tjis famous five-story pagoda, the tallest in Japan at 187 ft, has burned down four
times from lightning strikes since its initial construction in 826. The most recent
reconstruction took place in 1644. In person, it rose dramatically above a graceful
garden and turtle pond. Along with every other
temple pagoda on the trip, it was unfortunately
closed to the public and could only be
experienced from the outside.
Lotus plants outside the main
The Kndo, or Main Hall, smells wonderfuldry
complex
and woody, with a light breeze drifting in
between wall boards. The huge open room, tall
columns, and detailed ceiling latticework make entering the hall a calming
experience. The carved Buddha and attendants inside look majestic but
approachable; the room matches them in scale.
Inside the Kd, or Lecture Hall, rows of columns separate an outer corridor from a
higher-ceilinged inner area that fills much of the hall. Twenty-one Esoteric
Buddhist statues sit on a raised stage in this middle area. A vertical wooden
boundary extends a meter or two down from the ceiling between the interior
columns, marking the interior as sacred and important but letting the corridor areas
feel like places in their own right. Less intricate detailing and bright orange paint
make the sense of open space far less dramatic than in the Kndo.
The Kndo (foreground) and Kdo
(background)
15
Ibid
10
Zwerger, Klaus. Wood and Wood Joints: Building Traditions of Europe and Japan. Basel: Birkhauser, 2000.
11
Ibid
16
Temples II
Byodo-in
Date: Phoenix Hall, 1053
Location: Uji, Kyoto Prefecture
Pure Land Buddhism first gained popularity among the nobility. Rich families began to convert their villas into Pure Land
temples and gardens to make Amidas image continually accessible.12 One such temple,
Byodo-in, was constructed by the powerful Fujiwara clan for this purpose. The most
famous building in the complex, and the only to survive fires in the 14th century, is the
Hdo, or Phoenix Hall. The Hall contains a large cypress statue of Amida, surrounded
by paintings of the Western Paradise and by 52 carved Boddhisattvas floating on clouds.
The bright, sumptuous colors that originally covered the now faded structural members
were designed to evoke the Paradise as well. In plan, the hall is designed to resemble a
phoenix, with corridors extending from the main room representing wings and a tail.
Roof detail
12
Kazuo Nishi and Kazua Hozumi. What Is Japanese Architecture? Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1985
17
From the outside, the Hdo has a huge, dominating presence. It instantly taught me, on my first day outside Tokyo, how
utterly different it feels to see an ancient building than to see a recent reconstruction of an ancient building. More than
simply conveying great age, its weathered wood, faded paint, and open corridors make it look fierce and tough. I could
picture it surviving as all the buildings around it burned down, a mythical beast looking out stolidly from behind its pond
and bracing itself for the future.
Inside the hall, Amida fills the room, glowing golden. Jocho, a master carver, built the Buddha from several pieces of
wood, covering joints with cloth and lacquer to make it look like a single form. As I stood just inside the door in the midst
of a swarm of visitors, Amidas expression first looked impassive, as if he might grant us salvation but did not care much
either way; after several minutes of gazing up at him, he seemed to smile slightly. The room feels deeply focused on
contemplating the Buddha. He is too big for the room, too big to walk in the door, and the space around him appears
small from the inside. It gives the impression that the hall was built around him as he meditated calmly.
The Phoenix Hall, seen from across the pond, where members of the Fujiwara clan sat to contemplate Amida Buddha
18
19
Kodai-ji
Date: 1605
Location: Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
A thatched moon-viewing pavilion rests calmly above the pond in Kodaijis stroll
garden. Further uphill, the Garyoro, or Reclining Dragon Corridor, curves
dramatically down a steep slope. Gold-plated lacquer-work decorates structural
elements in the sanctuary enshrining Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Kita-noMandokoro, Hideyoshis wife, who founded the temple after his death. Careful
joints and details fill the more recently reconstructed main hall, including an
intricate wooden ceiling lattice and open walls on three sides to allow visitors to
contemplate the garden.
Two tea houses reportedly designed by Sen-no-Rikyu, the master of tea
ceremony art and architecture, stand on top of a steep hill above the rest of the
temple. The tea houses, Kasa-tei and Shigure-tei, were moved to Kodaiji from
Kyotos Fushimi castle in the 17th century. Rikyu prepared and served tea in
small tea houses designed to enhance appreciation of the pure, natural elements
of tea ceremony. In both of Kodaijis tea houses, well-crafted details and
sections open to the outdoors give the relatively small spaces a feeling of calm.
Kasa-tei features a steep roof with a beautiful bamboo ceiling said to resemble a
traditional Japanese sun umbrella. The combination of its raised floor, steep,
overhanging roof, and angled shutters direct an occupants view down the steep
hillside. Sitting inside, high above the temple but also solidly connected to the
ground, must feel simultaneously liberating and comforting.
Kasa-tei
20
Nishi Honganji
Date: 1591, Goeido (Founders Hall) rebuilt 1636 and Amidado (Hall of Amida Buddha) rebuilt
1760
Location: Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
The head temple of the Jodo Shinshu
Buddhist tradition, Nishi Honganji dazzles
with opulence. The glamour builds slowly
as you walk in the large front gate. An
elaborate golden lantern glows in front of
the dark wood. Delicately carved wooden
panels and metalwork decorate the gates
surfaces. Outside the two large halls,
curved beams, intricate connections, and
gold-plated lacquer-work offer a taste of
what will follow. A raised walkway connects
the Founders Hall and the Hall of Amida
Buddha. Structural members end in carved
flowers and elephant heads.
Kuro-mon Gate
21
22
Elements: Gardens
Japanese gardens taught me the value of exploring without regret. Paths fork, change directions, and curve back into
themselves continuously, making systematic exploration impossible. Walking along meandering stepping stones, you find
yourself choosing between a path that curls uphill towards a tea house and one that leads down to a stone bridge over a
pond. Exploring the edge of a stream means missing an ancient pine tree. An attempt to cover every path in a large stroll
garden would both make a person crazy and ruin the experience from the start.
Instead, the intricate gardens are best wandered quietly, impulsively, and with a willingness to experience the gardens
beauty as it unfolds. Designed for long term contemplation, these gardens have much to show visitors willing to walk
slowly, focus on the path at hand, and stop from time to time to examine the moss or a rock in a stream. They capture a
more tightly wound version of nature than nature itself would ever create, perhaps a bonsai version of nature. Intricate
details layer on top of each other. Symmetry is aggressively avoided. Stone paths never provide steps that make it clear
where you should put your feet. The gardens tame the natural world into something more detailed, without the natural
moments of open space: a clearing around a tree, an empty pond, or a meadow filled with dry grass.
The combination of intricacy and divergent paths fills garden exploration with a heightened sense of discovery. If you pay
enough attention you stumble upon unexpected details. A tree branch dips down to touch the path. The water from a
spring turns pebbles red as it trickles toward a pond. A heron alights on a rock. Garden architecture complements these
experiences, letting the unexpected sight of a gracefully curved rafter or a tiny shrine or a window that frames tree
branches feel like a rare discovery.
23
Villas
Rich families often invested vast resources in designing and constructing elaborate villas, both for private use and for
business. Upper class Japanese families tended to value high quality architecture and had the means to make lofty
architectural concepts a reality. They also built structures to last. As a result, their villas serve as some of the bestpreserved and most fully realized examples of past architectural eras.
24
Ibid
25
Lovely details fill the spaces. In one tea house, although the roof beam is supported at its ends, a curved branch stretches
to the middle of the beam as if providing structural support, giving the impression of lightness. Another room is designed
so that windows on adjacent walls present two completely different views, one of water and one of land. At the end of a
path that extends into the pond, a large pine tree deliberately blocks the view, preventing visitors from seeing the entire
villa; the tree ensures that people will discover the views gradually as they explore.
The tea houses have open walls, and feel more like places to stop and contemplate the garden than buildings separate
from it. Construction detailsthatched roofs, wooden joints, and stone bridgescombine with the detail of the surrounding
garden to make nearly everything appear intricately layered. In the midst of this beauty, the windows and doors of the
buildings frame views of their own, providing an additional layer of experience.
26
Elements: Wood
Wood and related productspaper, straw, and bamboohave pervaded Japanese
architecture since ancient times. While stones and similar materials played a dominant
role in architecture throughout much of the world, in Japan they served largely as
foundations. The importance of wood accounts for the frequency of destruction as well
as the feasibility of repeated rebuilding projects. Wood grows, ages, burns, and grows
again. Tatami mats are replaced at regular intervals. Shji screens do not last forever.
The presence of the wooden products themselves matters deeply as well. Rooms feel
warm and light even without windows. The details of tatami mats, trellises, and shji
screens add a calming layer of texture to traditional buildings.
Wood favors certain structural forms and construction techniques over others. The
simplest wooden buildings have column and beam structural systems, which serve as the dominant system in traditional
Japanese architecture. The lack of load-bearing walls associated with these structures allows for great openness and
adaptability of space, with moveable shji screens and wall panels in turn dividing and opening rooms.14 Wood does not
lend itself to arches or circles; buildings tend to follow rectangular forms, both in plan and elevation. Rectangular tatami
mats and shji screens complement this tendency, adding a sense of coherence to Japanese rooms. As a material,
woods adaptability encourages the intricately notched joints and tight connections that fill Japanese buildings as well as
the carvings and lattices that adorn them.
Cross-bracing is notably almost entirely absent from traditional Japanese architecture. Instead, columns and beams act
as elaborate moment frames, carrying lateral loads solely through rotational stiffness in notched wooden joints. The
resulting flexibility of the structures reduces forces and accelerations in the buildings during earthquakes.
The natural shapes and sizes of wooden materials have a large impact on Japanese
construction as well. Mighty trees become columns which run the entire height of castles,
pagodas, and halls, holding the structures together during
earthquakes. Beams that naturally curve upwards
accommodate vertical deflections and provide architectural
flourish. Buildings often incorporate uncut, meandering
branches into their structure, adding a welcome irregularity
and connection to nature to otherwise orderly structural
systems. Bamboo and straw add intricate detail that would
not emerge naturally in stone buildings.
14
Nowhere did I feel the presence of wood more deeply than in Japanese castles. Wood fills
the buildingscolumns, beams, floorboards, trim, wedges, panelsoiled and dark and smooth.
Rough-cut beams complement carefully notched window trim. Columns reach mightily
between floors. The memory of trees is kept alive in the larger members, which retain much
of their original shape and structure. The size and pervasiveness of the wood that fills castles
makes their rooms warm and sturdy and soft in a way that stone castles could never achieve.
This style of architecture will probably never happen again, but it is wonderful to experience.
Ibid
27
Castles
Castles existed in Japan at least as early as the 8th century, and wartime structures were constructed even earlier.15 Site
conditions evolved over time. Initially, castles were built on mountaintops for defense, but trade considerations eventually
led feudal lords to construct castles in open areas, either on a hill above a plain or on the plain itself.
Shogunal control declined rapidly in the 15th century as provincial families fought each other and became increasingly
powerful. Civil wars swept the country from the mid-15th to 16th century. Daimyo, or local feudal lords, ruled over their
own territories without outside control. They also built castles, which spread across Japan during this time; close to 100
significant castles were built between 1596 and 1615 alone.16
The three ambitious men credited with unifying Japan ruled successively during this period. Oda Nobunaga, famous for
his ruthlessness, took over Kyoto in 1568, installed a shogun as a figurehead, and ruled behind the scenes, expanding his
realm of power for the next several years.17 After his death in 1582 one of his generals, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, successfully
maneuvered to rule behind an infant shogun. Hideyoshi continued to increase central control through battles and
alliances until his death in 1598 18. After a power struggle, he was succeeded as behind-the-scenes-ruler by one of his
advisors, Tokugawa Ieyasu, whose family ruled Japan for the next two and a half centuries. In 1615, the year before he
died, Ieyasu introduced laws prohibiting new castle construction,19 allowing only one castle per domain (requiring the
destruction of others),20 and requiring shogunal approval for castle repairs.21 This effectively halted castle construction
outside the capital.
Matsumoto castle
15
Ibid
16
17
Henshall, Kenneth G. A History of Japan. New York; St. Martins Press, Inc., 1999.
18
Ibid
19
Ibid
20
Kazuo Nishi and Kazua Hozumi. What Is Japanese Architecture? Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1985.
21
Henshall, Kenneth G. A History of Japan. New York; St. Martins Press, Inc., 1999.
28
Himeji-jo
Date: 1609
Location: Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture
Himeji, known as Shirasagi or White Egret Castle for its white plaster walls, is often referred to as the most magnificent or
most elegant of the surviving Japanese castles. Four elaborate towers, a maze of gates and corridors, and elaborate
ornamentation argue the point. A visitor could easily spend days exploring the winding paths, gazing out windows,
running a hand along the smoothed wooden windowsills, and ducking into dark corners. I found myself wanting to stay for
months.
Fortresses have existed on the sitean important travel route during the medieval erasince the 14th century, and
Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a castle there in 1581. After assuming power, Tokugawa Ieyasu installed his son to rule there,
partly to weaken Hideyoshis sons connections to rulers in western Japan; Ieyasus son destroyed the existing castle and
reused its materials in Himeji-jos construction from 1601-1609.
29
Foundation detail
A gun hole
31
Inside the main donjon: large window ledges provide shooting platforms as well as
hiding places below
In the main Donjon, steep, thick staircases led us from the dark, wide lower levels to increasingly broad views of the
smaller towers and the surrounding landscape. Stone-dropping holes and hiding places for soldiers fill the wall spaces
between sturdy columns; open interiors provide room for people and goods. The tower has few interior walls, and each
level acts largely as a giant open room. I could picture armies and ammunition packed into the lower levels, but it felt
comforting despite the image. Huge, dark wood surrounded me, feeling warm and smooth under my feet.
32
Matsumoto-jo
Date: c. 1596
Location: Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture
Only twelve original castles survive in Japan today. The oldest, Maruoka-jo, was
constructed in Fukui Prefecture in 1576. The second oldest, Matsumoto-jo, dates
to circa 1596 and stands in a flat plain with a view of the Japan Alps.23 A three
story tower, two story turret, and moon-viewing pavilion connect to the five story
main donjon, all sharing one stone foundation.24
Matsumoto-jo is built using distinctly older construction methods than those of later
castles. Small, closely spaced columns, infrequent windows, and irregular,
exposed roof beams suggest a more practical, less showy approach to castle
construction. Columns show the dappled marks of adzes rather than smoothly
finished surfaces. The stone foundation has a shallower slant than later castles.
The exterior features flourishes clearly designed to impress, but the interior feels
straightforward and functional. Perhaps because the castle stands on a plain
rather than a hill, upon reaching the top you find yourself exactly as high as you
expected to be.
Matsumoto-jo
An adze-marked column
23
Kazuo Nishi and Kazua Hozumi. What Is Japanese Architecture? Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1985.
24
Ibid
33
Matsue-jo
Date: 1611
Location: Matsue, Shimane Prefecture
Entering at the base and winding up through several wide, dark, largely windowless castle
floors made emerging from the staircase into Matsue-jos top floor an exhilarating
experience. Newcomers grinned, blinked, and called out in surprise. Big open windows
line the sides, and the relatively small floor area makes it impossible to ever feel far from
a window. Sunlight and a breeze filled the space. It was startling to realize how far
above everything we had come, and how bright and beautiful the world was. Matsue-jo
felt like the ultimate tower, carrying us from the solid ground below to an open room far
above a hill that itself rises far above the
surrounding city.
Below, the castle felt warm and wood-filled and
dark, with an appealing combination of rough-cut
and smoothly finished components. Extensive
use of metal ties set Matsue-jo apart from
Himeji-jo and Matsumoto-jo. Many large interior
columns were built from several smaller columns
tied together with metal brackets and straps, a
creative approach to obtaining members large
enough for castle construction.
Matsue-jo behind a castle wall
A curved beam in a lower story
34
35
Residential Architecture
Aside from rich families villas, little traditional residential architecture remains in Japan. Middle class and poor families
houses were not intended to last many centuries, and the vast majority has been destroyed over the years. A few
preserved districts and houses, however, offer glimpses of the daily life of merchants, samurai, and farmers.
36
Sanmachi district
Date: Late 16th-17th century
Location: Takayama, Gifu Prefecture
The preserved Sanmachi district provides a glimpse of what
the castle town of Takayama must have felt like 400 years
ago. Water flows through stone drainage channels along
each side of the streets, covered at times by small walkways
and bridges. Buildings are similar in formdark wood, long
storefronts, shji screens, bamboo shades, and wooden
latticesbut unique in detail. Members of the flourishing
merchant class, officially ranked lower than daimyo, samurai,
and government officials, were prohibited from having two
story storefronts in order to prevent them from looking down
on higher ranked citizens.25 Overhangs that extend above the
first story and above an open roof area, however, give the
buildings the illusion of having two stories. Morning glories
climb the trellises, their purple flowers and green leaves
contrasting beautifully with the dark wood.
Wooden storefronts and stone drainage channels
Tall single stories with an extra overhang at mid-level let merchants show off their wealth without breaking a
law prohibiting them from building two story structures
25
Kakunodate
38
Roof interior
Farmhouse
39
In Gifu Prefecture, certain families had large, steep-roofed attics above firststory living quarters to accommodate silkworm production. This style of roof is
known as the gassho-zukuri, or hands-in-prayer, style, as it resembles the steep
peak of hands held together during prayer. Inside the roof area, huge half-round
braces span diagonally across the roof trusses from the outer corners to the
center of the ridgeline. Rope and thick vines tie members tightly together at all
connections. Since the big members are constructed from tree trunks, they
taper towards the top of the roof, nicely echoing the structural demand. Unlike
many of the dark living areas, these huge roof spaces feel airy and refreshing
despite having windows only at the ends.
Most houses have thick thatched roofs, cut off cleanly at the lower edge, but
some Gifu Prefecture houses have shingled roofs. Shingles are piled rather
than nailed onto the roofs in layers, overlapping from above. Wooden slats tied
to roof beams lie on top of the shingles, and large stones sit untied on top of the
upper slats for protection against the wind. From a structural engineering
perspective this raises obvious earthquake-related concerns: either the stones
will fall off dangerously during an earthquake or they will increase the seismic
demand on the rest of the structure.
A gassho-zukuri house from Gifu Prefecture
Roof detail
Interior, with hearth and cooking pot at left
40
26
Kazuo Nishi and Kazua Hozumi. What Is Japanese Architecture? Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1985.
41
42
43
The architecture complements the fun and the educational themes. Six steelframed, glass-plated pyramids rise out of the roof, letting in light and drawing
visitors attention upwards. A sand-filled, circular exterior area greets visitors
through a glass wall as they enter the museum. The pyramids, which struck
me as potentially silly in advance, work well, albeit mostly symbolically. They
straightforwardly evoke the Egyptian pyramids, massive limestone structures
rising out of the desert. Instead of forming pyramids of rock, sand has been
reformatted into glass for the Sand Museums pyramids. They still serve as
an example of structure rising out of constituent materials in the surrounding
landscape.
The ancient pyramids are a perfect
symbol for humanitys massive,
lasting imprint on a landscape
profoundly more massive and
lasting. Over the course of time,
they will eventually return to sand,
and theoretically into glass as well.
44
Exterior
Floor detail
After a walk across a wide, flat pool of gently flowing water, entering the museum involves
entering three successive box-shaped spaces, all of which are visible from the outside. From
the outside the building looks open and airy, with the outermost box an open roof that extends
over the entrance area, supported by slender
columns. Under this roof, the front door leads into a
light-filled, open atrium. A final entryway leads to
the galleries, which are kept extremely dark in order
to preserve the treasures. The overall design
makes the galleries and the treasures they contain
feel protected and far from the outside world. High
ceilings and extensive open space in the galleries
add to the feeling of sacredness. The experience is
that of finding a wide underground cave after
tunneling through the earth for some time; a silence
and dark stillness covers everything.
Inside the atrium
Looking out from the atrium
27
Henshall, Kenneth G. A History of Japan. New York; St. Martins Press, Inc., 1999.
45
An open courtyard
between galleries
28
An interior corridor
http://www.kanazawa21.jp/data_list.php?g=35&d=1&lng=e
46
47
48
Modern
Japans vibrant modern architecture scene incorporates world famous architects, investment in innovation, and
widespread collaboration between architects, engineers, and contractors. The highly seismic environment also makes
Japan one of the most interesting places in the world to study earthquake engineering, both in academia and in practice.
Japanese cities revealed a variety of modern architectural styles and an exciting array of innovative structures.
49
The greater vision never took hold, largely due to the impracticality and expense of building towers
and transporting apartments across the city. Recently, residents dissatisfied with living conditions in
the capsules voted to tear down the building and replace it with a modern apartment complex,
setting off disputes with those who favor its preservation.
Visiting the towers after seeing numerous
pictures and descriptions, the capsules still
shocked me. Even in a highly compact
View from the west, with
society, they seem aggressively small. In
pictures they look almost rounded and soft, highway
but in reality they are sharp little boxes.
Grunge abounds. Drip marks stain the capsules and
newspapers cover several windows. The immediate
environment does not help; a highway slashes in front of the
building, making access confusing and giving certain capsules
views of nothing but passing cars. I cannot imagine living there.
Detail
29
www.kisho.co.jp
50
Towers
51
The building looks fairly ugly from far away and about the same
as any other skyscraper from close by. I had hoped the
observation level would make it all worthwhile, justifying the
expense of tying two towers together by presenting a thrilling
experience that a single tower could not provide. The ringshaped observation floor allows visitors to look out at the city
and inside at the ground between the two towers, which
seemed potentially exciting. The visit more or less shattered
my hopes.
A dramatic elevator and escalator ride gave the experience a nice introduction, and I would
never turn down a dramatic view of Osaka at sunset, with buildings reaching out to distant green
hillsides and an array of bridges spanning a river. If anything, however, it felt worse to be
suspended between two towers than on top of a single tower. No one looked inwards,
largely because not much could be seen there: escalators and treetops and the streets
off to the side, but nothing at ground level directly below. To the outside, a square
platform and four corner towers, presumably structural, blocked the view somewhat.
Escalator
52
Tazawa-ko Station
Architect: Shigeru Ban
Date: 1997
Location: Tazawa-ko, Akita Prefecture
30
http://www.shigerubanarchitects.com/
31
ibid
From the first glance, the station glows warmly with wood. Laminated
beams span the open building and extend out over an entry plaza.
Plywood covers the ceiling. Structural members are exposed without
flourish, but oiled and warm. Pre-cast concrete columns and a glass
faade frame a dramatic view of nearby mountains on the town side of
the station.
Upon closer inspection, the station fulfilled my expectations for Shigeru
Bans scrappy, practical, structural approach to architectural problems.
His simple, no-frills design conveys a sense of structure and also
works architecturally. Using precast concrete columns saved time and
money, keeping the construction time to a required seven months.30
The beams are pin-connected to the columns and constructed from a
steel plate sandwiched between two laminated lumber sections.31
Lumber is spliced two or three times over the course of each side. The
steel carries a large portion of the moment imposed by the roof, and
the laminated lumber sections provide stiffness and prevent buckling.
Inset wooden circles cover bolt holes and add to the projects aesthetic
success. Exposed bolted connections between the faade and the
concrete columns contribute as well.
53
A narrow but warm building stretched across the boundary between the town
and the train tracks, the train station serves as a lovely transition area. Large
windows and an open interior connect the two sides visually, while the
extensive use of wood creates a definite sense of place. People wait for trains
inside the lobby, gazing at the mountains as sun falls into the station through
the glass faade. Walking through the station towards the town, the clean
lines and bright wood wake you up and encourage you to take a deep breath
and appreciate the pretty mountain town you are about to enter.
Interior
54
Kyoto Station
Architect: Hiroshi Hara
Date: 1997
Location: Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
Walking through this expansive, futuristic station, grumbling to myself
about how buildings with flashy exposed structures never let visitors
close enough to the structure to interact with it in an interesting way, I
discovered the Skyway, a suspended path that guides visitors under
the peak of the steel-framed roof. It quickly put an end to my
complaints. Walking right next to a roof system after watching it soar
far above you a few minutes before is a wonderful experience. Views
of the city alternate with views along rows of framing elements, which
look delightfully high tech.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of visitors simply want to catch a train or find a restaurant, and do not experience the
building in this way. Many appreciate the long, showy escalator ride, but the building looms too far above people walking
on the lower levels to make an impact beyond that of any huge glass and steel structure. The overall scaleKyoto Station
is the second largest train station in Japan, after Nagoya Stationdiffers too dramatically from the scale of the interesting
parts to completely succeed. An overall sense of grace is missing that the well-developed details cannot provide.
55
Prada
Architect: Herzog and de Meuron
Date: 2003
Location: Tokyo
Emerging from the subway station onto glitzy
Omotesando Avenue, a visitor is swept up
into a crowd of well-dressed shoppers. Away
from the main bustle and down the avenue,
the Prada building soon catches the eye. A
strange tilted plaza draws people off the
street almost through the force of gravity, the
building sparkles in the sunlight, and people
inside wait to provide drinks and attentive
service to serious shoppers.
The buildings structural system has achieved
a rare level of publicity and glamour. An
exposed, rational structurea diamond grid of
steel tubescovers the irregularly-shaped building, combining with diamond-shaped glass
panels to present an extremely flashy exterior. Glass panels are varyingly flat, concave, or
convex, reflecting the sky like jewels. The glass makes the idea of a building with all flat
panels sound profoundly boring. While the gravity system in particular is not the simplest
available, the absence of vertical members and the use of curved glass transform the
building from a simplealbeit very high-endcommercial space into something remarkable.
32
http://architectook.net/prada-tokyo
56
Tods Omotesando
Architect: Toyo Ito
Date: 2004
Location:Tokyo
Up Omotesando Avenue and towards Yoyogi Park from the Prada building, swarms
of shoppers grow denser while stores are equally expensive and trendy. Bright
signs and high-end storefront displays compete for attention as crowds stroll under
rows of graceful Zelkova trees. Near intersections, sidewalks are packed full of
people waiting for the traffic lights to change.
Tods Omotesandos blocky, narrow storefront stands out against these
surroundings. Concrete branches inspired by the avenues trees snake diagonally
across its narrow faade, leaving inset windows to fill the remaining space. The
building looks like an art project or a fantasy that could never become reality, a box
with straps pulled across it and the gaps between them cut out and turned into
windows. Happily, the concrete in the faade acts as a highly irregular but
successful structural system, leaving the interior largely open. The concrete limbs
become narrower towards the top of the building, nicely echoing structural demands.
Facade detail
Back wall
57
Facade detail
33
34
http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/diortokyo/index.html
58
Mikimoto Ginza 2
Architect: Toyo Ito
Date: 2005
Location: Tokyo
Mikimoto Ginza 2 stands out by looking different. In the middle of the jumbled chaos of
Tokyos Ginza district, it cannot compete in size, motion, sheen, or drama, but it certainly
manages to catch the eye nonetheless. From a block or two away, the first glimpse is
delightful, making it appear almost silly compared to the serious buildings around it.
Irregularly-shaped windows cover the smooth faade like champagne bubbles. Tourists
stop and point.
Inside, the building successfully presents an exclusive, glamorous tone to such an extent
that it is easy to feel sharply out of place. The column-free interior features natural light
and bubble-shaped views of the outside world. The enticing round windows draw visitors
to the outer walls to watch people walk by on the street below.
View up a wall
35
36
ibid
37
ibid
59
Tadao Ando
Tadao Ando, one of the most internationally acclaimed Japanese architects, does not seem to fit in well with the other high
profile architects in Japan. In an interview, he mentions his lack of formal schooling and the hegemony of the countrys
two main architecture schoolsWaseda University and Tokyo Universityas a main reason for this lack of fit. Other
architects imply that he is a bit of a showoff.38
His unconventional background certainly stands out in a profession with a typically straightforward career path. He
worked as a carpenter and a boxer, among other things, and never attended college. Instead, he travelled extensively
throughout the world in the 1960s, studying buildings in person and reading architecture books, before setting up a design
practice in Japan.
His work undoubtedly has an element of showiness. His architecture tends to attract attention and strut about a little,
making people notice its impact rather than affecting them subtly. His buildings are often dramatic, flashy, and very much
his own style.
The appeal of Andos work comes from the combination of his experience-based design roots and this tendency towards
flashiness. He uses his designs to proclaim big ideas. He brings a strong vision to each project, both in terms of the
overall designa dark church with a cross of light covering the front wall, or a temple that worshippers enter through the
middle of a wide pondand the way people experience itturning a corner to find a broad concrete wall, or feeling the
ceiling disappear overhead. He designs as an artist rather than as a philosopher or theorist, and his willingness to indulge
the overall vision and to make the experience work makes his buildings deeply engaging. They affect you, directing your
view, moving you from place to place, presenting strange situations, surprising and delighting you. The result is showy,
but wonderful to experience.
Compared to the United States, Japan boasts an impressive density of modern architecture that impacts people
powerfully. In Andos work, this tendency becomes even more pronounced. Visiting several of his buildings offered me a
key lesson in what architecture can accomplish, if it dares.
38
Knabe, Christopher and Joerg Rainer Noennig, Shaking the Foundations: Japanese Architects in Dialogue. Munich; Prestel Verlag, 1999.
60
At first, the building feels warm and comforting despite the intense
simplicity. The concrete glows softly; light from the side window moves
slowly across the pews. As I stayed for some time, mostly alone, the
austerity began to feel more intense, the lines of light and structure too
sharp. Visiting the chapel when filled with people and song sounds
wonderful, but spending long hours there alone would be a strange
experience.
Letter to the visitors from Noboru Karukome, Minister of Ibaraki Kasugaoka Church
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The cross at the front has an entirely different effect than I had expected from pictures, in
which it looks bright against a very dark background. In person, it glows beautifully, but
the rest of the room has enough light to show up in full detail as well. Worshippers can
also see things through the windowtree branches and a few telephone lines. As a result,
the cross does not overwhelm but rather offers a warm focal point. The cross works
because despite being technically complexthe side walls and roof must support the
upper sections of the concrete wall without help from belowit looks simple, just two lines
of empty space in the smooth wall. It matches the calm room and draws attention without
dominating completely.
The Sunday School echoes the chapels rectangular form, but its plywood benches and
desks, cedar floorboards, and cross appear light, both compared to the chapel and to its
own concrete walls, which almost seem to fade away as a result. It feels warm inside, but
hard also, a place for kids to sit still and think or talk but not to squirm. The wood and the
light that enters along the back wall cannot quite soften the sharp, high-ceilinged form
enough to make it feel comfortable. The building and the thought of being a small child
inside it made me wish for tatami mats and floor cushions
to ameliorate the sense of rigid open space.
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Water Temple
Architect: Tadao Ando
Date: 1991
Location: Awaji-shima, Hyogo Prefecture
Uphill from the islands main bus route,
past rice paddies and through a
cemetery, a path leads towards a smooth
concrete wall with gray gravel sloping up
to it. An open door cut out at the far end
reveals a second wall, which turns the
path right to curve softly between the high
walls until opening up in front of a wide,
circular pool, raised off the ground, full of
lilies gently swaying in the rippling water.
Reaching the pool offers visitors a
moment to pause and contemplate the
fields, the clouds passing overhead, the
sounds of water and birds and cars far
down the hillside. The world feels clear
and fresh. The path then leads back
along the side of the pool and, magically,
down into its center, between the two
halves of the pool and into the dark
temple below.
Counterclockwise from upper left: Entry sequence, from concrete wall with gravel to the staircase leading through the pool and into the temple
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This lovely entry sequence calms and cleanses. The architecture guides visitors gently further and further from the bustle
of the world below, creating a sense of distance and separateness that resembles reaching the top of a breezy, grasscovered hillside.
Inside, soft orange light fills the room. A square grid of columns, beams, and latticework extends across the circular
temple area, surrounded by a wall and a circular corridor. Two tatami mats fill each grid space, separated by wooden floor
boards. Vertical siding overlaps around both the inside and outside of the curved wall. Windows in the corridors inner
and outer walls light the temple area from behind, and all wood is painted bright orange, making subtle light changes
impact the interior powerfully. As I left the temple and walked around the corridor towards the back windows, orange light
hit the concrete wall ahead, drawing me around the gentle curve.
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The garden also surrounds visitors with water, which slides down
walls in great sheets and ripples slowly across broad ponds. The
breeze across the pools is refreshing and cool. The sound of
waterfalls dominates the space and damps out sounds from
outside, making the garden feel like a world entirely apart from
Kyotos bustle. The smell of water on hot concrete fills the air.
Water detail
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Sayamaike Museum
Architect: Tadao Ando
Date: 2001
Location: Osakasayama, Osaka Prefecture
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Naoshima
The gap wraps around two walls, showing up light or dark according to location
(Photo by Telestar, courtesy of Creative Commons, http://www.flickr.com/photos/
telstar/)
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The museum permanently houses artwork by Walter de Maria, Claude Monet, and James Turrell in galleries designed
specifically for this purpose. A wide staircase, white walls and a high ceiling give the Walter de Maria gallery an expansive
tone, a stylized movie version of the ascent to heaven. A polished stone sphere stands in the center of the staircase,
reflecting the sky from a large rectangular skylight back to you at all times as you explore. Additional light enters softy
around the edges of the large floating white ceiling, which ends a few feet from the walls.
A strange, amorphous entry room leads to the Claude Monet gallery. A white ceiling and walls, white floor tiles, white
grout, and dim, diffuse light dull your senses somewhat, making the white gallery itself look bright. Sunlight enters around
the edges of another hanging ceiling, filling the white, underground room with an impressive amount of light. The
paintings glow on the bright walls with the only color in either of the two rooms.
James Turrell is perhaps the perfect artist to collaborate with Ando in designing the final rooms, as his work fits seamlessly
into Andos focus on bringing light underground. Turrells skyspaceone of a series of projects worldwide that lets visitors
sit on benches and stare at the sky through a depthless hole in the ceilingcompletes the fantastic experience of visiting
the museum. Through the ceiling, the sky looked like a painting and glowed brightly enough to hurt during my afternoon
visit, making people wince and cover their eyes. Tiny wisps of clouds drifted across its surface, and the shade of bright
blue changed ever so slightly as time passed.
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Additional Buildings
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Shrines
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Izumo Taisha
Date: unknown, probably before 8th century
Location: Izumo, Shimane Prefecture
Roof detail
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Sensoji
Date: 7th century, some buildings date to c. 1649, many were rebuilt out of reinforced concrete in 1960
Location: Tokyo
Main gate
Roof detail
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Kasuga Shrine
Date: 8th century, rebuilt later
Location: Nara, Nara Prefecture
Front gate
Outer corridor
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Meiji Jingu
Date: 1920
Location: Tokyo
Door detail
Temples
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Yakushi-ji
Date: 730, rebuilt later
Location: Nara, Nara Prefecture
Corridor roof
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Kiyomizudera
Date: 8th century, rebuilt later
Location: Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
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Daitoku-ji
Date: 14th century
Location: Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
Window detail
Koto-in interior
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Villas
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Main building
A small shrine
Behind the main building
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Residential
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84
Museums
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Ukiyo-e Museum
Architect: Kazuo Shinohara
Date: 1982
Location: Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture
87
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Entry walkway
Atrium ceiling
Connection detail
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Modern
90
91
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National Gymnasium
Architect: Kenzo Tange
Date: 1964
Location: Tokyo
Pylon
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Asahi Brewery
Architect: Phillippe Starck
Date: 1989
Location: Tokyo
95
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Wall detail
Wall detail
Entrance
Front wall
Front wall
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Tadao Ando
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Museum of Literature
Architect: Tadao Ando
Date: 1991
Location: Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture
South building
North building stairwell
Minami-dera
Architect: Tadao Ando
Date: 1999
Location: Naoshima, Kagawa Prefecture
Bathroom ceiling
Bathroom
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Entrance
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Entrance
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The Zen Temple Ryoan-jis rock garden, perhaps the most famous in the world, probably dates to the late
15th century. Five of the gardens fifteen rocks are drawn above. The garden is designed so that it is
impossible to see all fifteen rocks at the same time.
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