MA Space-Time

in Japan (1'17'1)

Space-Time in Japan-MA

Arata lsozaki

In Japanese, the concepts ot space and time have been simuttaneously expressed by the word MA. MA, defined by twanami's Dictionary of Ancient Terms as "the natural distance between two or more things existing in a continuity" or "the space delineated by posts and screens (roornst" or "the natural pause or interval between two or more phenomena occuring continuously," gives rise to both spatial and temporal formulations. Thus the word MA does

not describe the West's recognition of time and space as different serializations. Rather, in Japan, both time and space have been measured in terms

of intervals. T oday's usage of the

word MA extends to almost all

aspects of Japanese life-for MA is recognized as their foundation. Therefore architecture, fine arts, music, and drama are all known as "the art of MA."

This coincidental conceptualization of time and space is perhaps the most important element that distinguishes Japan's artistiC expression from that of the West, Furthermore, this concept is strangely contemporary. as it COincides with present day theories that equate space and time.

Man's perception of space has developed as a result of his dividing the environment into areas or spaces. And the manner of this dividing is necessarily related to the views of nature and the cosmos that prevail at any particular time in history. For the ancient Japanese, perhaps the perception of space arose from an effort to visualize and formali<:e the divinities (karni) that were thought to permeate the entire cosmos. The movements of

A

B

MA divides the world.

Originally the word hashi referred not only to a bridge but also to an edge, chopsticks, steps, etc. The word hashi did not mean a specific thing but rather implied the bridging of MA (space between two objects). An edge represented the lim~ of one world, assuming the existence of another world beyond. Anything that

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MA is a way of shualing the place where kami descend.

When worshippers wished to summon karni to earth they prepared a holy place, himOrOgi, by setting four poles in the earth to mark the comers of a square or rectangle. At the center of the space stood a column where karni dwelt, yorishiro, and a rope (shimenawa) tied around the four posts enclosed this space, Just as this earliest means of defining space in Japan influenced trad~ional methods of composing arcMectural spaces,

so, too, the wMe sand and natural stones that were sometimes placed

in the holy space to symbolize the numinous forces led to the creation 01 dry gardens, kare-sansui, In these unique gardens sand is used to represent the "water" that surrounds "islands" of rock.

Himorogi

I the sun, which was seen as a prototype of the ken», determined temporal and spatial divisions such as night and day, light and dark, the divine world and the underworld, Thus the ancient Japanese discovered traces of this celestial direction everywhere in their natural environment Specific

mountains, boulders, and trees were revered as symbols of the divine

kerr». In the form of minute spiritual elements, kami were believed to inhabit these objects, Kamis method of occupation was oostulated, and sanctified sites, usually empty spaces, were marked, sometimes by four posts or by a simple rope, Here Kami was expected to descend, The acts of preparing such spaces and waiting for the descent of kami had great

infl uence on the later development of the visualization of space,

crossed, fiiled, or projected into the chasm of MA (space between two edges) was designated hashj, The "edges" bridged might include, for example, the secular world and heavenly world; the upper level and the lower level; the plate and the mouth (there is a homophone nest» in the Japanese language that means chop. sticks, an instrument that bridges the MA between the plate and rnooth).

Ascending a bridge to reach the gods on high, marking boundaries by stretching ropes, embarking on the ship of the dead for the paradise beyond the seas, all these are hashi-the bridging of MA

Hashi

Space was believed to be fundamentally void, Even solid objects were thought to contain voids capable of receiving thekami that descend at certain moments to fill such spaces with the spiritual force (ki) of the soul (kami), The representation of this moment of occupation became the subject of many artistic endeavors, Thus, space was perceived as identical with the events or phenomena occuring in it; that is space was recognized only in its relation to time-flow,

The unique spatial perception of the Japanese has created a particularized sense of daily lite, as well as forms of artistic expression that differ fundamentally from those of Western civilization, While in the West the space-time concept gave rise to absolutely fixed images of a homogenous and infinite continuum, as presented by Descartes, in Japan space and time were never fully separated but were conceived as correlative and omnipresent In a chaotic. mixed condition, space could not be perceived independently of the elernent of time, likewise, time was not abstracted as a regulated, homogenous flow, but rather was believed to exist only in relation to movements or spaces, What follow are actual examples that illustrate the differenc'e between Western and Japanese conceptions,

Yami

MA is maintained by absolute darkness,

The ancient Japanese belreved that spirits called kem! permeated the entire cosmos, They were conscious of the movements of the sun, wruch divided time and space, The sun created day and night. and lite on earth as well as the world of darkness. vso». The spirits dwell in the world of shadows, the kingdom of the dead: they appeared on earth at specific times, then disappeared again into darkness,

At festivals, in the dark of night, the palanquin (mikoshj) that enshrines the kami, symbolized by a mirror, is brought forth into the village in a torchlight procession, When Buddhism was Introduced from China some of the Shinto practices of summoning the kami from darkness were adopted by the new religion, In Esoferrc Buddhism. for example, the guardian deity Fudc-Myoo (Acata) was believed to appear from darkness behind the altar called goma-dan (honma)

Rituals performed to invite the spirits to earth later developed Into public ceremonies that, still later, were torrnallzed in such sophislicated arts as the Noh drama and the Kabuk], Thus, in the traditional Japanese theater, an actor's entrance on stage represents the appearance of kami from the underworld,

MA is a way of srtuating the place where kem: descend.

When worshippers wished to summon kami to earth they prepared a holy place, himorogi, by selting four pole~ in the earth to mark the comers of a square or rectangle. At the center of the space stood a column where kami dwelled, yorishiro, and a rope (shimenawa) tied around the four posts enclosed this space. Just as this earliest means of defining space in Japan influenced traditional methods of composing architectural spaces,

so, too, the white sand and natural stones that were sometimes placed

in the holy space to symbolize the numinous forces led to the creation of dry gardens, kere-sensui. In Ihese unique gardens sand is used to represent the "water" that surrounds "islands" of rock.

The kami were worshipped as the most important of spirits because at their great sanctity. The form of the spirit was held to be global and both spirit and global shape were called tama in Japan. It was believed that spirits could enter into, inhabit, and depart from objects or bodies, and because rounded stones were thought to house spirits, such stones were often used for magical rites or as sacred decorations. They often were dedicated to images of the travelers' guardian deity ptaced along the roads, and in some cases the statue itself was simply replaced by stones that symbolized the deity. The motif of the rounded shape and the global patterns that recur throughout the history of Japanese art may also be regarded as symbols of the spirits.

RISSA

White sand shaped into a cone was among the symbols used to mark a place where thekami descended. Such cones (ossa) were always located before the porch In the gardens of noble families and they were also placed in the inner courts of Shinto shrines Later this form was incorporated as an important, abstract element of co-nposmon in sand and rock gardens (kare-sansui). Most of the methods and elements of spatial composition employed in Japan originated in the ancient ceremony of sum mornnq the kami. In such ceremonies, objects thai served as symbols were used in their natural state and the mark of a hand was rarely added.

SHINKYO

To invite the kami divinities freely floating above, branches of the sakaki tree (Cleyera ochnacea) were set in an upright position and a round mirror (shinkyo) was suspended from them. In ancient times the sun was the prototype for the most powerful kami. Because a mirror reflects both the sun's light and visions projected from another world, while at the same time it may appear to be an entrance to the world ot the other side, it was

regarded as a symbol of the kerr»

and, in time, was installed as an

object of worship in Shinto shrines.

Himorogi

The HI of HIMOROGI means the activityoftama (soul). MORO refers to morl (forest), and the whole word means" the place where kami descends."

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21 HIMOROGI

Kekkai: The enclosure marking the

Conceptually, himorogi is an altar. The altar, set in a specific place, roofed and surrounded by fences, became a shrine, Originally, however, the altar was a temporary structure, set in place wherever and whenever ceremonies were performed and dismantled when they were over. The prototype has been preserved even in such a movable, simplehimorogi as this. To sanctify the rope (shimenawa) that marked the himorogi's boundaries, white paper strips cut in a pat· tern representing the brilliance of the sun (gohei) were suspended from it. This enclosure, the sacred zone, was called (kekkai). Branches of sakaki were most often used for theyorishiro column at the center. The kami descended through the yorishiro to the himorogi, and left after a' certain time.

sacred precinct.

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Gohei: talisman against evil.

Sakaki' a type of evergreen tree

believed to have been sacred to the gods since ancient times.

Shimenawa: Straw cords surrounding the sacred precinct.

MA divides the world.

Originally the word hash! referred not only to a bridge but also to an edge, chopsticks, steps, etc. The word hash! did not mean a specific thing but rather implied the bridging of MA (space between two objects). An edge represented the limit of one world, assuming the existence of another world beyond. Anything that crossed, filled, or projected into the chasm Of MA (space between two edges) was designated hash!. The "edges" bridged might include, for example, the secular world and heavenly world; the upper level and the lower level; the plate and the mouth (there is a homophone hash! in the Japanese language that means chopsticks, an instrument that bridges the MA between the plate and mouth).

Ascending a bridge to reach the gods on high, marking boundaries by stretchinq ropes, embarking on the ship of the dead for the paradise beyond the seas, all these are hash!-the bridging of MA.

Sculptor: Shiro Kuramata

EN

The bamboo platform for moon viewing was also called hashi as it bridged the inner world of the room and the outer world Of the garden,

The porch, sheltered by the overhanging eaves of the building, opens into the garden and belongs to both garden and room. It serves as a transition and a link.

HASHI

A bridge is called hashi because it connects one side of the river to the other side. Becausehashi is rarely visible in nature, it is often used as a structural element in garden design. Thus the bridge not only crosses a river, and serves as an ornament in a garden, but assumes the added symboliC significance of connecting two divided worlds.

FUDARA- TOKAI

A legend tells of many Buddhist priests sett ng sail 0 n coffin-shaped ships from a sacred place called Kumano, the jutting tip of the Kii Peninsula, In quest of becoming liVing Buddhas. These ventures were called Fudara-tokai, after the temple situated in this sacred place. Kumano was thought to be the southern edge, nest». of Japan. The other world-the world of kami-was assumed to exist somewhere beyond the ocean. Since Japan's Middle Ages, when Buddhism (imported early in the sixth century from China) was introduced to the indigenous Shinto faith, ideas of Buddha and kami have interacted. In the Fudara-toka! we see just this amalgamation. The notion of men facing death to achieve the state of Sokushin-butsu (a priest becoming a Buddha while still on earth) was based on Japanized Esoteric Buddhist doctnne; the coffin-like Ship that carried these holy men on their legendary voyages was depicted with tori! on its sides-the symbol of kekkai, the enclosure marking the sacred precinct in Shinto doctrine. The coffin

shi p was also descnbed as cocoonshaped in ancient times. The cocoon had the added significance of sym bolizing the void where metamorphosis is generated.

Hashi

HASHI means both edge and bridge, and in ancient times rt meant a ladder.

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CNgi. forked finials of the barqeboards

Katsuogl, sVmbollc welgnts along tl'le ridge of me rool

RECONSTRUCTED VERSION OF THE IZUMO TAISHA SHRINE

A bridge. built from the earth to the realm of the divine, rose from a platform, According to the drawing, based on ancient documents. the staircase was one hundred meters long. This bridge-staircase symbolizes the link between heaven and earth, gods and men,

Length of Hashi (bridge-ladder): 1 cho (ca. 340 ft,)

Shin-no-mi-hashira. sacred pole at the heart of the shrine

YAMI

MA is maintained by absolute darkness.

The ancient Japanese believed that spirits caUed kam! permeated the entire cosmos. They were conscious of the movements of the sun. which divided time and space. The sun created day and night. and life on earth as weU 'as the world of darkness, yami. The spirits dwelt in the world of shadows. the kingdom of the dead: they appeared on earth at specific times. then disappeared again into darkness.

At festivals. in the darx of night. the palanquin (mikoshi) that enshrines the kemi. symbolized by a mirror. is brought forth into the village in a torchlight procession. When Buddhism was introduced from China some of the Shinto practices of summoning the ken» from darkness were adopted by the new religion. In Esoteric Buddhism. for example. the guardian deity Fudo-Myoo (Acala) was believed to appear from darkness behind the altar calledgoma-dan (honma).

Rrtuals performed to invite the spirits to earth later developed into public ceremonies that, still later. were formalized in such sophisticated arts as the Noh drama and the Kabuki. Thus. in the traditional Japanese theater, an actor's entrance on stage represents the appearance of kami from the underworld.

Adaptation of Noh stage. Display of costumes.

Monastic robes by Issey Miyake: figures by Simon Yotsuya and the Nanasai Kogei Group.

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Yami

YO, the root of the word YAMI, means the nether world or night From YAMI was generated the verb yamu (to cease).

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YOGO-ZU

It is a contradiction to speak of the iconography of the kami as these spirits were formless. The painting shows a mysterious situation. the descent of the ken», incamating in the figure of a Shinto priest (depicted from the back). A faint shadow. implying the presence of thekam! is seen above. The large figure of the priest speakS of mystery, greatness, sanctity: the incarnation of the kami. The figure of the priest will disappear in the next instant.

OMIZU-TORI

Japanese festivals (marSU(i) were ceremonies for summoning the spirits Chinese magical rites (speU-casting). introduced into Japan with Buddhism and Taoism. were combined with the Japanese form of speU-casting to pro' duce a unique rijuai

The Omizu-tori rite. performed at the Todai-ji temple in Nara in February of each year. preserves this ancient form of magic ritual. The rite commences with the appearance of the shadow of a Buddhist priest on a gauze curtain. Then immense torches are paraded. carried repeatedly by the priests through the corridors of Nigatsu-do.

DESCENT OF THE KAMI FROM A MOUNTAIN

The festival of UJI-gaml (the guardian deity of the community) celebrates the kemi« descent from theshintai-san (sacred mountain) and entrance into the village at a specific time each year.

Obiects associated With the kem: usually shinkyo (sacred mirrors). are paraded through Ihe streets in a mikoshi (palanquin) and taken finally to the shrine of Ihe community or family. usually situated on the fringe of the village.

As a rule, buildmqs in Japanese villages are distributed in a linear fashion. making it difficult to dislinguish any center. Because the shrine serves only as a temporary haven for the «em. living in the shimai-san. the land surrounding the shrine is not set aside from cultivation.

STRUCTURE OFTHE NOH STAGE The structure of the stage for the Noh drama directly reflects the Japanese conception of the universe.

At the back of the stage. a wooden wall called kagami-ira (mirror wall) harbors the divinity, kami; an aged pine tree painted on this wall symbolizes the residence of the kami. The stage represents the world of the present, and backstage the world of the dead. Thekagami-no-ma (ma of mirror) is placed just at the stage entrance. To demonstrate the transference of the spirit from the world

of the dead to the actor about to

step onto the stage, the Noh actor ritually accepts the spirit at this kagami-no·ma.

Kagaml·118. rrnrror wall oecoraieo w,11'\ an aged pine tree

eou« stage

OtherWorld

Hash;

The bridge connecting the stage to backstage symobtizes the space between the world of the present (stage) and the world of the dead (backstage). In Noh drama, the slow nego· tiation at the bridge-like passage represents the descent of the spirit to earth.

ThiS World

Clock

Up to 1 DO years ago, sunrise and sunset measured time in daily life in Japan, The interval between sunrise and sunset was divided into six equal parts, which differed in length according to the length of the day and night at the particular time of year"

In the sixteenth century Westerndesig-ted clocks were brought to Japan, but ultimately they were modified, by the addition of supplementary mechanisms, to accommodate the Japanese system of sunrise-sunset time measurement. This circumstance testifies to the absence of any idea of "absolute time" in Japan. In Westeni thought, time is absolute, flowing uninterruptedly from the past to the future. The Japanese never had such a concept.

Music

MUSical structure also reflects this absence of "absolute time." In the West the conductor of an orchestra directs the progress and development 01 the music and thus acts as a proxy for the metronome. Each player is obliged to follow the beat determined by the conductor, which requires that the music develop along one absolutely authorized line.

In contrast, the traditional Japanese musical ensemble plays without a conductor and the music is modified by the interactions 01 the players. Each player possesses an intuitive rhythm which produces a certain spontaneity of comocstncn. Thus, Japanese music does not follow "absolute nme"-represented by the metronome. The subtle, differentiated time-pattems offered by the individual players create omnipresent currents of music.

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Architecture

Methods of formal dispoSition in architecture and urban spaces in Japan have been greatly influenced by China since the sixth century. In China. Taoism designated the North Star, Polaris. as the celestial pole forming an axis between heaven and earth. Thus a paradigm based on an axis toward the north was formulated. In seventh-century Japan, as in

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MA is the structural unit for living space.

Originally the concept of MA expressed the distance between two points. Laler MA grew to mean a space surrounded by walls on four sides-a room. This etymological evolution suggests that originallY living spaces in Japan may have been wallless, empty zones defined by four posts.

Toward the end of the sixteenth century, in a reaction against the established style of domestic building for the warrior class, tea-rooms modeled after the simple huts of laborers were added. All the elements of this room were assembled to suit the taste of the tea master, who was itS design-

er. Articles used and displayed in it were collected from all over the world and arranged as he directed. This accumulation of components of different styles made up a new world, a microcosmos. The process of combining a variety of "foreign" elements was much like the method used at this time in creating new poems made up of quotations from classical texts, as in thewaka (31 syllables) and haiku (17 syllables.)

Suki

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MA is the way 01 senSing the moment of movement.

Originally the word utsuroi meant the exact moment when the karni spirit entered into and occupied a vacant space. (For example the Japanese at one time believed that round stones were hollow and were occupied by karnij. later it came to signify the moment when the shadow of the spirit emerged from the void. This sense of

I

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China, temples and urban structures were Situated symmetrically along the north-soulh axis. (The central axis has often been emphasized in Europe since the Neoclassic period.)

This symmetrical arrangement was eventually assimilated and transformed by the Japanese. An example of this is the placement of buildings and shrines that comprise Esoteric Buddhist temples. Although all faced in the same direction, they were accommodated to the natural geographical undulations of mountainous sites by Situating them along deflected axes. This same mode of accommodation can be seen in the design of palaces developed after Japan's Middle Ages, where several buildings are joined along a diagonal shilt instead of being placed one behind the other. (This arrangement, called ganko, takes its name from the flight pattern of wild geese, gan, where the birds form a stepped-back V behind their leader.) Each house preserves frontality. These frontal planes are stepped back, following the shill of axes, creating layers of planes. Here the Japanese space-time concept regulates the perception of space. Such spatial organization escapes from "absolute time and space."

Garden

The conspicuous absence of dominant axes in the composition of Japanese gardens precludes the creation of panoramic views. Views are alternately seen and hidden, for the space of the garden is divided into independent scenes so that the visitor may enjoy the changing prospect while following a path.

This type of garden differs completely from a garden such as that of Versailles, where a dominant axis penetrates artificial, geometric pattems. The Japanese garden lacks a focal point, a "throne" set at the center of the axis. Rather, the garden emphasizes natural metaphors and microcosms and is designed for wandering.

Stage

In the construction of stages a distinct difference between the Wesl and Japan persists. For example, in the

kam"s sudden appearance . ....,h,ch is anchored deep in the Japanese soul, gave birth to the idea of utsuroi. the moment when nature is transformed, the passage from one state to another.

The fading of life, the wi~ing of flowers, the flickering movements of the soul, the shadows cast on water and earth are phenomena that have deeply impressed the Japanese. This view of nature is reflected in architectural space where flat, movable planes, so thin as to be transparent. are placed one in front of another, controlling the transmission of light and Ii nes of vision and producing an ambiguous, indefinite space. In such a space, the flickering of shadows and the transience of shifting planes allude to the changing world of nature, MA is the expectant sti !Iness of the moment attending this kind of change.

Utsuroi

Utsushimi

MA is a place where life is lived.

Here a photographer presents different types of housing from various sections of Japan: a superstar's extravagant living room, a deserted hut in a mining area, a traditional farm house,

a sophisticated geisha house, a straw-thatched dwelling in a humid southern climate, a mud house in a northern district. This photographic record shows us how life is lived in each of these houses.

The rooms shown in lhese dwellings are all called MA. The number of lalami that cover the IIoor of a room specify its size: a 6-mat room, an 8- mal room, elc. The actual tife-style in these MA varies according to climate, social class. intellectual level, and individual taste. MA-the space where people live-becomes attractive to us only when it bears traces of the life it sheners.

Suki

MA is the structural unit for living space.

Onginally the concept of MA expressed the distance between two

. points. Later MA grew to mean a

II space surrounded by walls on four

sldes-a room. This etymological

I· evolution suggests that originally living

II spaces In Japan may have been wall'\ less. empty zones defined by four

I posts.

I Toward the end of the sixteenth cen·1 tury. in a reaction against the estab-

\' lished style of domestic building for the warrior class, tea-rooms modeled 'I, after the simple huts of laborers were II added. All the elements o.t thiS room

!I were assembled to SUIt the taste of

the tea master. who was rts design'I er. Articles used and displayed In it

I were collected from all over the world I· and arranged as he directed This

I, ac.cumulation of components of dif-

ferent styles made up a new world. a I microcosmos. The process of com-

I bining a variety of "foreign" elements

I was much like the method used at this ,I time In creating new poems made up I. of quotations from classical texts. as

II in the waka (31 .sYliableS) and haiku (17 syllables.)

,I Model of the Telgyokuken tea house:

i, half scale. Carpenter: Sotoji Nakamura

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SO-AN

In the latter part of the sixteenth century, the tea masters of sad a (the tea cult) added a room just large enough for a tea ceremony to abbots' quarters and samurai palaces. The room was modeled after the soan (thatched roof cottage). While the shoin-zukuri (palace style) building was based on an authentic concept of archrtecture and constructed according to strict regulations. with systems of connecting rooms. each defined by four posts. the soan-tea-room. composed of rough. poor materials. seemed almost counter-architectural. The design of the tea-room was completely unsuited to the conduct of daily life and therefore. architecturally. the so-an was destructive and unbalanced.

The strong impact of this radical influence on the history of architecture in Japan finally caused the formal system of the shoin-zukuri to evolve into a more adaptive and freer form, the

TANA

A primary objective of the tea ceremony was the exhibition of carefully arranged objects owned by the master. Displayed in the roso (alcove) and on the lana (shelf) of the tea house and theshoin (study). the tea utensils were arranged according to the taste of the tea master to create an artistic balance. Because his taste was so highly regarded in these matters. the tea master designed each arrangement to compliment the prelerences of those guests who were invited to a particular tea ceremony. Vessels used in the tea ceremony were not only of Japanese origin. but also were imported from China. Europe. and Korea. Ways of displaying these utensils were studied, and one such plan is shown above.

KA TSUAA-DANA

I n recent times. an alcove for the exhibition of art. called lokonoma or lana. was created within domestic spaces. The alcove became the most important place in the house and, in the cornposition and design of this space. an i nfi nity of variations evolved from a minimum of compoSitional elements.

. The su of SUKI means aperture. but in the Edo period it had many connotations, tram SUKJ (like) tofuryu (chic)

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OKOSHI -EZU (paper model of the Ro, hearth Naka-bash.ra, cen\ral post
Teigyokuken tea-house),
Traditional Japanese architectural
space is characterized by the lack of
fixed walls and the use of movable,
light-weight partitions. Space is
created by these freely combined Nijiri-guchi, an extremely small
facets. entrance for guests, with a sliding
The space of a tea-house, however, door
varies conceptually. The four sur- ~
roundings walls, constructed and

fixed, in effect isolate the tea-house r----- - - __________
from other rooms, making it a secret
room of sorts. Small windows cut in "<'1"\ 1"""'\\
the wall, through which natural light
can enter, create a unique microcos- ~
mos. The tea-room, as opposed to ~
//""'/ ~=- . -- ... ..... f .... -
other traditional rooms, is the Japan- j-
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ese space closest in character to the 1--- . . _- ... _ .
true three-dimensional space of the
West. Nevertheless, the architectural ".- ,- ........ -., ... --,~ r\
specifications express the volume in / h " ______ ..... _ L, II
two-dimensional facets. In the model
these facets-floors, walls, ceil- E += IT ~
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ings, etc., each of which is separately
drawn on paper-are joined in the I
completed obect, Such okoshi-ezu I
demonstrate that even the tea-house
with its fixed walls was conceived not , ,....1 P=

as a three-dimensional volume but II I EJ ,
rather as a combination of two-dimen- II -,
sional facets based on MA


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2jo-daime, 2 (atami mats and a , Uchi-tsubo, patilin a garaen sur-
daime (three-quarter mat) / rounded by bUild, ngs
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Toko-bashira, alcove post I "'a,anCl-nClnt:. hanging sword rack
"Jnuuu, HC, alcove •

UTSUROI

MA is the way of sensing the moment of movement. Ongmally the word utsott» meant the exact moment when the kami spirit entered into and occupied a vacant space. (For example the Japanese at one time believed that round stones were hollow and were occupied by kami). Later it came to signify the moment when the shadow of the spirit emerged from the void. ThiS sense of kaml's sudden appearance. which IS anchored deep in the Japanese soul. gave birth to the idea of atsoroi. the moment when nature is transformed. the passage from one state to another.

; The fading of life, the wilting of flowers. the flickering movements of the soul. the shadows cast on water and earth are phenomena that have deeply impressed the Japanese. This view of nature is reflected in architectural space where flat. movable planes. so thin as to be transparent. are placed one in front of another. controlling the transmission of light and lines of vision and producinq an ambiguous. indefinite space. In such a space. the flickering of shadows and the transience of shifting planes allude to the changing world of nature. MA is the expectant stillness of the moment attending this kind of change.

"Study of Homology." Sculptor: Aiko Miyawaki.

Utsuroi

UTSUROI comes from UTSUROHI:

UTSU (vacuum) and hi (activity) of the soul. From this word is generated ursuru (change).

~1'"CZ1 E

I L

Throughout the history of Japanese art the Image of akigusa (autumnal grasses) has been an important subject, symbolizing the changing seasons. Because autumn foreshadows the extinction of life. autumnal scenes capture the very moment of time's pa$Slng

Here the design. exquisitely rendered in two dimensions, serves as a sur· face, or plane. for the artist's poem. Depth is suggested solely by overlaying the images and the calligraphy. These formal means of composition are perfectlY suited to the presentation of such a scene as the moon appearing to emerge from the grass.

INTERIOR VIEW OF SHOIN Architectural floor plans are called ma-dori (acquiring MA). This word makes explicit the fact that architectural spaces in Japan were believed to include MA.

After the Middle Ages. tatami

(straw mats measuring 1.8 x 0.9 meters) were used as floor coverings of rooms. The dimensions of the assembled tatami. in effec1, determined the shape of the room. Four posts were established in the comers of a room; Sliding doors (sho/ipaper-lattice doors) and papercovered Sliding panels (fusuma) encosed the space. The use of the four posts to demarcate space reveals the influence of the similar demarcalion of sacred space in the creation of the himorogi.

In Japanese architecture, thick walls were deemed an undesirable means of dividing space. By the use of movable planes (as thin as possible and at times even transparent) space. light. and lines of vision can be manipulated. Kakine (garden fences). en (verandas),sudare (rattan blinds). shifomi (top-hinged windows). shoji (paper sliding doors). kicho (screens). etc. contribute to this ambiguous space.

Japanese painting is marked by the absence of depth (perspective) in its representations. This spatial attitude is extended to architecture. A composition comprised 01 several buildings can never be appreciated from a stationary Viewpoint Only by moving through the space. with each building gradually corrunq into sight. can the plan be understood.

The arrangement shown here. called ganko takes its name from the flight pattern of wild geese (gan). where the birds form a stepped-back V behind their leader: their wings. seen from the front 01 the formation. appear to overlap

TAGASODE-ZU BYOBU Kikko-tsunagi, tortoise-shell grid

(screen depicting kimono)

Byobu, a folding screen, was

invented to divide a large, open room

temporarily. Ornamentalbyobu were

sometimes decorated with designs

painted against a background of gold

foil, Placed ina dark corner of a room,

the brilliance of the glittering composi-

tion was eye-catching. The change of

view effected by a screen is often the

subject of pictorial comment in

Japanese paintings and prints. Here

the subject of the screen is itself a

screen-kimono hanging on a byobu.

The kimono patterns express the

change of seasons.

--" .. -

Kjku, chrysanthemum

Ghyo. butleMlles

Katana'guruam, ha~ wheels

, .,. \~

I

,

.', ~ \. \

Ogi-chirashi, scattered fans

'- Ast», reeds

HBnabishi, floral

Kama, wild ducks

UTSUSHIMI

MA is a place where life is lived. Here a photographer presents dif-

I ferent types of housing from various sections of Japan: a superstar's extravagant living room. a deserted hut in a mining area, a traditional farm house,

a sophisticated geisha house, a straw-thatched dwelling in a humid southern climate, a mud house in a northern district, This photographic record shOWS US how life is lived in each of these houses,

The rooms shown in these dwellings ,are all called MA The number of 'tatami that cover the floor of a room 'specify its size: a s-mar room, an 8- room, etc. The actual life-style in MA varies according to climate, I class, Intellectual level, and

I taste. MA-the space people live-becomes attracto us only when it bears traces of life it shelters.

Photographs by Shinoyama Kishin Utsus' h·. ml from Meaning of the House, 1975.

KU RAZ/ISHI Kl

The word kura (storage) was originally used to describe a hollow space. As grains were usually stored in such hojow places, in time the word came to mean "storage," The kami were thought to descend into empty places, therefore kura also was used to signify the god's seat. This etymological relationship explains why lse and lzurno, ancient shrines, resembled the storage houses of their time.

Traditional town houses and rural homes made of wood were highly inflammable. Only storage houses were made of fireproof material: clay was used as cement and bamboo took the place of the steel rods used today.

These storage houses were badly ventilated and unfit for habitation. In the northern section of Japan, however, these places were used for living and tatami mats were spread over the floor. Many alterations have been made in these structures since they were first used as dwellings.

KAMADO

The kemsoo (cooking stove) is among the objects found in a traditional house that have inspired certain beliefs and rituals. Particular irnportance was attached to the kemeao, because it was the source of food and associated wi1h the female concept Fire control was always a problem and a ritual was customarily held to appease Kojn, the god of the kitchen. In each of the four seasons several offerings were made to Kojin.

The UTSU of UTSUSHIMI means void, but was later extended to mean "prOjection." MI means body. As a whole, the word expresses "the physical which is projected into reality."

~1i-r;' F

TOKONOMA This photograph shows a tokonoma in the home of a young pop singer, who has risen like a meteor to become one of Japans superstars He recently purchased a large house whiCh contains this traditional tokonoma and shelves. Originally this space was designed to provide a place where small ornaments, such as a hanging scroll, might be displayed according to the precepts Of MA. Traditionally, the tokonoma's contents were chosen to express the ambience of each season. The superstar's lokonoma, however, is occupied by objects that are apparently expensive but valueleSS-kitsch, far removed from traditional artistic arrangements. Here the way of life in a traditional house is completely lost This house reveals that the Japanese have not yet attained a contemporary mode of living suitable to new space -MA, as they have been primarily engaged in the production of goods.

MA can accept any amount ot confusion.

I

Buddhist altar

Kamado.

stove

PLACEMENT OF BUDDHA AND THE GODS IN TRADITIONAL DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE

The traditional private house was a microcosmos. Buddha and the gods related to daily life were worshipped and displayed. Their placement depended on their roles.

Kami-dana (household altar); gods of family or village

Butsudan (Buddhist altar); ancestral spirits

Sui/in; the god of the well

Kojin: the god of the kitchen

These gods and the Buddha are sometimes represented by miniature figures or by gofu. talismans that figure in incantations.

Iron. sunken hearth

Daikoku-bashira. central pillar

Mizu-game. water Jug

.. --- ----------- - -- ----

, , ,

. "

/'

, ,

r ;

" I //

r ,

Do-ma. earthen floor

Western theater a deep stage furthers the illusion of perspective. while a proscenium arch. placed high above and perpendicular to it. frames a large. rectangular opening. The Kabuki stage in Japan. on the contrary. is low and wide. corresponding to the handscroll which unfolds horizontally. The stage is extremely shallow and settings are two-dimensional. Whereas Western opera uses perspective techniques in stage design. as well as concretely deep space. the Japanese Kabuki depends on the use of superimposed. two-dimensional. stage "flats" to create the illusion of depth within a shallow space.

Picton'alM

The difference between Western and Japanese stage structures directly reflects the difference in ways of representing space in the pictorial arts. In most Japanese paintings. prints. and decorative arts. all elements are rendered as two-dimensional and the illusion of depth is furthered by superimposing one form on another. (Thus. in a landscape. a two-dimensional figure in the foreground will be perceived as being closer to the viewer than a similarly rendered tree behind him.) Perspecuve, discovered at the beginning of the Renaissance in Europe, has not been accepted in Japan and the perception of space as something infinitely diviSible and homogeneous has not developed. Even landscapes and other three-dimensional scenes are apprehended as lacking depth and exist on a single plane in the picture.

Image

Not only in architectural organization. but also in the composition ot images, the symmetrical. geometric composition is transformed into a freer. more fluid design through the process of Japanese assimilation. The mandala. for example. displayed a strict. geometrical framework when it was first introduced to Japan from India via China. Through Japanization, the geometry of the mandala was dissolved and in these paintings its symbols carne to be dispersed among natural settings. At the same time,

G

MA is filled with signs of the ephemeral.

Sabi is the state of the body after the spirit has departed. In Japan, in the Middle Ages. the beauty of fading colors, of objects patinated by the passage of time. of a stage of transfiguration that precedes destruction. was called sabi. This concept permeated all forms of artistic expression.

At the root of this idea lies a sense of the dissolution of all things. Thus all phenomena may be regarded as existing at a temporary stage in this approach to extinction. Visible ob,ects gradually fade into shadows of themselves. The living human being is transformed by time into the corpse and, finally. the lIeshless skeleton. This birth-destruction cycle, repeated endlessly. is the basis of Japanese eschatology. Aware of the inevitable conclusion. lacking all hope of escape from this tate. man has but one choice-to live from moment to moment.

H

MA is an alignment 01 signs.

MA is an empty place where various phenomena appear, pass by, and disappear. " teems with signs that exist in an infinite variety of freely ordered arrangements. At a certain moment, signs become cliches-when the alignment of the signs or the pattems of their arrangements become fixed. Examples are such traditional groupings as the three auspicious plants (pine, bamboo. and plum); the triad of heaven. earth, and man; and the three gradations of fomJaIity in calligraphy ( shin-formal, 9yo-relaxed

Sabi

16

I

Susabi

~~,-

\ "I·t

~

-...... .... :.&.1...-

In this exhibition, which introduces the concept of MA, we have adopted the following nine sub-themes: Himorogi, Hsst», Yami, Suki, Utsuroi, Utsushimi, SaN, Susabi and Michiyuki. Each of these themes is assigned one section (or room) where various forms of artistic expression are displayed in order to reveal the manifold character of MA. These sections demonstrate the impact of MA on every phase of life in .Japan. The exhibrtion ranges from the sacred domain represented in Himorogi and Yami, to profane concerns in Utsushimi, to aesmenc consciousness in Suki and Sabi, to aspects of daily life in Susabi and Michiyuki. to the spatial concepts of Hest», to the temporal notions of Utsus».

great care was given to depicting the moment of emergence of those signs (for example. the figure Of Buddha) from the background of the picture. The Japanese earnestly attempted to grasp and fix the emergence, the flowing, the movement along time into space. Here again we find a mode of thinking that merges rather than differentiates space and time. The interpretation of time and space dominates the Japanese aesthetiC.

and so -informal). These visual cliches. vulgarized, became "kitsch." Now a new "kitsch" is beginning to appear in the centers of Japan's cities where, more and more, the density of population demands Simple and practical signs. As traditional "kitsch" becomes inadequate. it is replaced by a flood of new conventional signs.

According to Western notions. space is three-dimensional and a fourdimensional world results from the addition 01 the time element to the spatial dimensions. In Japanese thought, however. space is composed of strictly two-dimensional facets. Depth is created by a combination of two-dimensional facets. Time-scales (flows) measure the spaces between these facets. In other words, in Japan four-dimensional space is visualized as the result of combining two twodimensional facets and two timemeasurements. The basic reason for the use of the word MA to express both time and space seems to be that the Japanese have understood space as an element formed by the interaction of facets and time.

Our purpose is to promote a better understanding of Japanese culture, in which the single word MA plays such a key role.

I MA coordinates mova'm~~ttr;~-;r=;e place to another.

When one moves through a space. the space is divided invisibly by one's movements and breathing. The stepping stones leading to a tea house determine the way one should walk. The spaces between stonesMA-regulate the walker's rhythm. In larger gardens. designed for leisurely

strolling (kaiyu-shiki gardens). the ... __

recommended route of passage is ,_ _

marked by several points where one

may pause to enjoy scenic vistas. 11 Thus, even this garden space is an j intricate fabriC of visual points that dic-

tate movement. In the past, the road

connecting Kyoto and Edo (present

day Tokyo), the Tokaido. was punc-

tuated by fifty-three stops. These way-

stations. resting places for the

travelers who walked along the

T okaido, were placed so that each stop marked a point from which to view some special feature of the landscape.

Michiyuki. a highly important concept. was dramatized in Kabuki plays as a process of going from one place to another, in which space is considered as a time-How perceived through the

characters' experience.

Mich'iyuki

I

GAKI-ZOSHI

It was believed that all visible, physical phenomena undergo incessant transformation. Here, a group of starving ghosts, incarnations of grotesque spirits, invade the home of a noble family, In Japan the aesthetic of coexistence and interaction of poverty and noble wealth, of grotesqueness and elegance, has calmly been accepted as a reality of life.

KUZOSHI EMAKI

This scroll served the didactic purposes of Buddhist doctrine and emphasized the inevitability of extinction. Each of nine stages of the decomposition of a beautiful woman's corpse is endowed with special significance. The lesson stresses that even the woman's great beauty did not exempt her from the cosmic cycle of metempsychosis.

The worldly beauty who served as model for the painting was known to be Onno-no-Kamachi, a legendary figure, most beautiful and noblest of her age. This moving and highly detailed depiction of the transformation suggests that even catastrophe may become the subject of sympathetic art.

THE CITY IN THE FUTURE

The devastation of Hiroshima by the atomic bomb foretells the possible instantaneous rum of even the largest cities.

The pathos evoked by the Vision of beauty destined lor extinction, realized in the Middle Ages through the fate of the human corpse, may be felt as we contemplate our present civilization. The emotional thought that even the massive buildings of our century may not escape a destiny of destruction and extinction sometimes provides the basis for poets' visions.

'The city of the future IS the ruin of the city of the present. -Arata lsozaki

SABI

MA is filled wi1h signs of the ephemeral.

SaN is the state of the body after the spirit has departed. tn Japan, in the Middle Ages, the beauty of fading colors. of objects patinated by the passage of time, of a stage of transfiguration that precedes destruction, was called sabi. This concept permeated all forms of artistic expression.

At the root of this idea lies a sense of the dissolution of all things. Thus all phenomena may be regarded as existing at a temporary stage in this approach to extinction. Visible objects gradually fade into shadows of themselves. The living human being IS transformed by time into the corpse and, finally, the fleshless skeleton. This birth-destruction cycle, repeated endlessly, is the basis of Japanese eschatology. Aware of the inevitable conclusion, lacking all hope of escape from this fate, man has but one choice-to live from moment to moment.

"Space'" Sculptor: Jiro Takamatu. Fabricated by Takashimaya Co .. Ltd.

:;- I."

Sabi

SABI. known for its importance in haiku, refers to the tips of things and also to the precise moment when something moves. Hi means the activity of the soul. Thus SABI expresses the feeling of one who recognizes lama (a spirit) moving towards the tip of something. SABI also came to mean rust

45

STONE GARDEN OF THE TEMPLE Tsuiji, clay wall with tiled roof

RYOAN-JI

Traditionally, such akare-sansui garden was situated in front of the en

(ver anda) of the abbot's quarter. The garden was intended to be viewed only from the veranda or the interior space and from a seated or kneeling position. Metaphorically, it appears as a huge, volumetric composition comprising an outdoor space. Contemplation of the garden serves as an aid to meditation.

The white sand and the arrangement of rocks are usually interpreted as islands (rocks) in an ocean (sand). Underlying the aesthetic use of natural objects is the use of these obiects in the earliest Shinto shrines, where the stone was a sacred object and the white sand the field of the holy site.

veranda

,.,.~

~

"~~."

_. ~.-,

Placement 01 stones in 5 groups

Amu-octu, stone-filled

Nore-en, open veranda

SUSABI

MA is an alignment of signs.

MA is an empty place where various phenomena appear, pass by. and disappear. It teems with signs that exist in an infinite variety of freely ordered arrangements. At a certain moment, signs become CliChes-wh~n the alignment of the signs or the patterns of their arrangements become fixed. Examples are such traditional groupings as the three auspicious plants (pine, bamboo, and plum): the triad of heaven, earth, and man: and the three gradations of formality in calligraphy ( shin-formal, gyo-relaxed and so-informal), These visual cliches, vulgarized, became "kitsch." Now a new "kitsch" is beginning to appear in the centers of Japan's cities where. more and more. the density of population demands simple and practical signs. As traditional "kitsch" becomes inadequate, it is replaced by a flood of new conventional signs.

"Kitsch" in Japan.

From a series of photographs by Shuji Yamada titled "The Village. Japan." 1976.

SUSABI means "to play." Originally, it referred to the playing of games by thekami. From SU (elementary) and SABI (see previOUS definition).

.-- .. - .. - ... ----.-.~--~. ------1--~----~-----.L..-------··------ __ ___11

TOKYO-VILLAGE

A bird's-eye view of Tokyo reveals a city composed entirely of atom-sized architectural units. Siles are divided into small lots and in each tiny lot the largest possible house is built. It is. therefore. almost impossible to attain the relationship of garden to building that existed in old Japan. In Tokyo. the metropolis, MA (space) is now merely being eaten up or filled up.

DIVINE MESSAGE

At Shinto shrines a cheap fortunetelling system, omikvji, was devised to give a divine message to followers. Now vending machines have been installed and. after depositing a coin. the follower is confronted by his fortune, printed on Japanese paper. If the fortune is favorable. ~ is kept. If. however, Ihe fortune is not favorable. the paper is twisted about a twig of a tree in the shrine's precinct. The kami will cancel the unfavorable fortunes. Such machines are miniature copies of Shinto shrines.

Each Shinto sect has its own architectural style. which establishes the design of all its accoutrements: the buildings of branch shrines. the omikvji box. thekami-dana (altar) in a private house. This style is the "trademark" of the sect.

TOWN

Buildings. occupying every cul-de-sac of Tokyo. reiterate their impact with vulgar displays of decoration. Much as in Nikko. the city space is filled with decorative burlesque.

In Japan today. styles are imported from all over the world. Even these importations are destined to be further compromised. Propelled by economic and communicative expansiveness. traditional Japanese forms are incessantly removed from their context and debased

An example of this IS the transformation that thechidori gable (characteristic of the Japanese castle) undergoes when used on the facade of a massage parlor. The gable, symbol of the ruling class. crosses class lines to advertise the presence of kimono-dressed hostesses.

49

Ranma. transom frie~e

Dei-korvo, curved beam

NIKKO: KARAMON GATE Hame-ita . tympanum

The architecture of Nikko. derided as

kitsch by Bruno Taut when compared

to lse and Katsura, features Chinese

decorative systems adapted to

Japanese sentiments.

Traditional Japanese shrines and houses have comparatively restrained and simple decorations: the propor-

tions of the architectural components are of primary importance. In Nikko, however, the MA 01 the components is completely filled with allegorical. colored sculpture and elaborate decorations.

Taihei-zuka. vase-shaped strot

Ibara-taruki, thorn-shaped rafter

architrave

Tokio. capital of column

MICHIYUKI

MA coordinates movement from one place to another.

When one moves through a space. the space is divided invisibly by one's movements and breathing. The stepping stones leading to a tea house determine the way one should walk. The spaces between stonesMA-regulate the walker's rhythm. In larger gardens, designed for leisurely strolling (kaiyu-shiki gardens), the recommended route of passage is marked by several points where one may pause to enjoy scenic vistas. Thus, even this garden space is an intricate fabric of visual points that dictate movement. In the past. the road connecting Kyoto and Edo (present day Tokyo), the Tokaido, was punctuated by fifty-three stops. These waystations. resting places for the travelers who walked along the Tokaldo, were placed so that each stop marked a point from which to view some special feature of the landscape.

Michiyuki, a highly important concept, was dramatized in Kabuki plays as a process of going from one place to another, in which space is considered as a time-flow perceived through the characters' experience.

Uchi-tsubo. emrance of the Teigyokuken tea-house, in thesukiya style. Carpenter: Sotoji Nakamura

The 53 stations of the Tokaido Road: prints by Hiroshige and others.

Scene from a Kabuki play. with the actor Tamasaburo Bando.

\\-~--.-_-- ...... -~ .. - .. __ ..

TORIBE-YAMA SHINJU MICHtYUKI (Lovers' SuiCide Journey)

In the Kabuki theater. the hanamichi, a narrow, bridge-like promenade, passes through the audience to the stage. Important characters enter via this passage. revealing themselves to the audience. The actor's entrance and exit were matters of great significance in Kabuki and ultimately gave rise to a unique mode of acting designed specifically for the hanamichi. The expcsitlon of man's journey through time is basic to the Kabuki drama and is often interpreted by characters who travel from one place to another. One such story presented young lovers who, unable to realize their love in this world, swore eternal love in life after death. In the shinju (suicide) drama. the scene of the lovers' suicide journey (michiyuki) is endowed with special significance.

Michiyuki

The word MICHIYUKI is a combination of two words: MICHl (way) and YUKI (go).

;.f;1...~

I

In this large garden designed for leisurely strolling (kaiyu-shiki garden) a prescribed route of passage is created. Following the path, one experiences variations of scenery. Although the garden covers many acres, the design functions as a network of linear and volumetric experiences.

ROJI-NIWA (garden path)

A narrow path in an extremely small garden leads 10 the tea house

Guests. directed by stepping stones to their destination. are admitted to the tea house through the niJiri-guchi. an extremely small entrance with a sliding door.

These stepping stones usually echo footprints made by the tea-master, indUCing the guest to follow the master's rhythm.

-L........... .. ·.--·----~-----..l......---_· ~_l_ __l ____jl