History of Architecture 3

Afghanistan, Nepal and Tibet Architecture

Geographical

● Land of towering mountains

● The narrow valleys of the Khyber river
was the only communication routes with
India situated in the NW of Indo-Pakistan
sub-continent

Climate

● Four seasons: spring, summer, autumn,

and winter
● The largest part of the country has a dry
continental climate with hot summers and
cold winters

Architectural Character

● Bamiyan Valley is in the central part of

Afghanistan.
● Statues are prototypes of colossal image
● Monasteries and temples is important, for
cult which later appeared in China and
its relationship to Persia and Central Asia
Japan
● Huge group of statue is carved out of
● Structural Technique
sandstone cliff faces.
● Body and head rough hewn from the rock
● Features and drapery modeled in mud
mixed with straw, with lime plaster
finished pained and gilded
● Rock cut sanctuaries and assembly halls-
reflect building types once existing in
Gandhara influenced by
Graeco-Roman-Sassanian styles

● The interior honey combed with
sanctuaries and assembly halls
extending for nearly 2km
● With painted niche, with vast Buddha
statue, hewn from the rock
● The features modeled in mud mixed
with straw with a lime plaster finish
painted glided
Nepal
Geographical
● Mainly composed of high mountains
● Sparsely inhabited, except in a small area
in the center, the valley of Nepall
Three Physiographic Division
1. Mountains- great Himalayas Range
2. Hills
3. Plains
Three Main Cities:
-Kathmandu
-Bhaktapur or Bhadgaon
-Patan or Lalitpur
Crossroads of ancient civilization of Asia
● Kathmandu- named after a structure in
Durbar Square called “Kaasthamandap”
or “wood + covered shelter”
Climate
● Ranges from sub-tropical in the lowlands
to Arctic higher altitudes
● Nepal’s climate can be divided into four
distinct regions and four seasons
Geological
● Wood used as columns, beams, rafters
and doors construction, windows and
stairs
● Metals used on religious and door facing,
latiice-works, door latches
● Natural Stone
● Bricks and Tiles
Religion

● Hinduism predominate religion with

86.5% of the population
● Buddhism Tibetan Tantric; next largest
religion of 7.8%
● Islam 3.5% of their population

Architectural Character

● Drawn from both India and China

● Stupas/Chorten temples, picturesque
townships and intricate native
craftmanship characterized their
architectural heritage
● Sikhara and Pagoda are two of the
temple survive
● Chorten Tibetan Buddhist shrine or Newar Architecture
monument; a receptacle for the remains
of a holy person; oldest monuments Towns- indigenous style of architecture used by
the Newari people in the Kathmandu valley

● Style used in buildings ranging from

stupas and chaitya monastery buildings to
courtyard structures and distinctive
houses
● Typical formal feature is the monumental
pillar supporting a metal superstructure
adorned with mystical symbols, group of
divinities and portrait statuary of royalties
● Brick work and unique style of wood
carving rarely seen outside Nepal

Durbar Square

● Generic name used to describe plazas

opposite old royal palaces in Nepal
● Means Royal Sqaures
● Consists of temples open courts, water
fountains, etc.
● Important site for Buddhist and Hindu
rituals, holy ceremonies, royal events and
kingly coronations
 ● Doors and windows have instricate lattice
screen
● Houses in rural parts of Nepal are made
up of stones and clay

Landmark

Swayambhunath Stupa

● Become an important center of

● Typical formal feature is the monumental
pillar supporting a metal superstructure
adorned with mystical symbols, group of
divinities and portrait statuary of royalties
Buddhism
● Narrowing towards the tope are
crowned by parasol (umbrella)
● The four sides of the square base of
the harmika, are painted with pairs of
mystic “ all-seeing eyes”
● Said to have been built by King
Ashoka, considered to be the most
ancient stupas of Nepal

● Buildings are of 3-storey

● Trabeated system of construction

● Conical spire in 13 diminishing

tiers symbolizing the13 Buddhist
heaven with umbrella apex
 ● Square base which has a large
pair of human eyes – symbolizes
the “All Seeing One”

Tibet Architecture

Is the highest country in the world, lying in the

heart of Himalayas

Geographical

Climate

● Unique features brought about by its

● Also called “Monkey Temple’ adaptation to the cold
● 365 steps stairway to Swayambhunath ● Continental climate with very hot summer
Stupa and extremely cold winter

Geological

● Stone
● Clay
● Wood

Historical and Social

● Tibet’s cultural history has been a direct

reflection of the development of the faith
● Theocratic government, in which the chief
abbot became ruler of Tibet
● The Grand or Dalai Lama

Boudnath Stupa

● Largest stupa in Nepal

● Resembling the finial of Swayambhunath
● Located on the ancient trade route from
Tibet which enters the valley
● Tibetan merchants have rested and
offered prayers at Boudha Stupa for many
centuries

Architectural Character
● Buildings are generally made from locally
available construction materials, and are
often embellished with symbols of Tibetan
Buddhism
● The most desirable building sites are on
elevated land facing south
● Flat roofs are used in most parts of the
central and western which experiences
rainfall
● Eastern Tibetan plateau where summer
rains are heavier, sloping roofs, covered
either in slate, shingles or ceramic tile
Stupa (Chortens)
● Reliquaries and symbols
● Chortens can vary from roundish walls in
Kham to squarish, four-sided walls in
Ladakh
● Tall and impressive stone towers many
over a century old
Secular Structures
● Private homes
● Multi-Family Dwellings
● Shops
Traditional Kham Architecture

● Seen in most dwellings

● Previously heavily logged

● Walls that are constructed of stone or

rammed earth may be up to a meter thick
at the base
● In large structures such as temples and
manor homes, walls slope inward to
create an illusion of greater height
● China’s cultural revolution resulted in the
deterioration or loss of Buddhist
monasteries

Religious Structures

Temples

● Used for religious ceremonies and

worship
● Come in a great variety of styles,
generally reflecting local architecture
traditions
 ● The prevalence of earthquakes in the
near and middle eastern countries
resulted in the employment of some
long-established, specialized structural
techniques

Climatic

● The greater part of the Moslem world lies

within a grip of some form of “continental”
climate, with extremes of temperature and
modest rainfall.
● Much of the territory historically
dominated by Islam tends to be fertile by
virtue of irrigation rather than direct
rainfall
● Excessive sunshine has produced a
tendency towards wide eaves and
sheltering arcades
● Windows openings are minimized, and
rainwater disposal neglected
● Cooling effect of structures with very
heavy walls and high rooms has been
widely exploited

Social

● Public life was reserved for men. They

perform the significant public duties and
controlled all public affairs.
● Women played a secondary role. A
woman’s place was in the private part of
Islamic Architecture
the household- the HAREM
Geographical
Harem- sacred inviolable place; refers to
● The Moslem faith flourished principally in domestic places that are reserved for the
the countries of Southern Asia and North women of the house in a Muslim family.
Africa
● Islamic states made provision for the
● Spread of Islam has been frequently
existence within them of self-contained
associated with military conquest, racial
groups of different religions.
movements, and with the consequent
● Separate communities were “peoples of
displacement of established populations
the book”- Jews and Christians-whose
● Resulting important architecture has very
belief were based on the revelations and
largely been associated with religious
teachings contributory to Islam
civic complexes
● Government was normally direct, the law
Geological was based on the teachings of the
Prophet, interpreted by a
● Brick making and pise (rammed earth) theologically-trained judiciary
walling was almost universal in the
alluvial plains Religion
● Marble was generally available as an
● Islam- the last of the 3 great religions of
article of trade. Building stones occur in
the Middle East
variety.
● “only one God and Mohammed is his
● There was a long tradition of ceramic
prophet’
production, use of gypsum plasters, glass
● The precepts of Islam applies equally to
manufacture and the various forms of
all behavior and all buildings
metalwork needed for building
● Moslem thought is codified in three works;
● Timber was of limited type and quality in
Koran- is regarded as revelation through
many areas it was scares
the medium of the prophet Mohammed
 Hadith- is a collection of his sayings or
injunctions
Law is extracted from the prophet’s
instructions, from tradition and example

Architectural Character

● The Mosque as the distinct building type

● Masonry domes and tunnel vaults
● Round and Horseshoe Arches
● Rich surface decorations incorporating
calligraphy and floral motifs in a
geometric framework because of the ban
on human and animal representations

Mozarabic Style

-a style of Spanish Architecture produced from the

9th-15th century by Christians under Moorsih
influence

Common Interpretations of Islamic ● Characterized by the horseshoe arch and

Architecture other Moorish features

● The concept of Allah’s infinite power seen

in building designs with repeating themes
● Human and animal forms are rarely
depicted in decorative art as Allah’s work
is matchless
● Calligraphy- used to enhance the interior
of a building by providing quaotations
from the Qur’an
● The Islamic architecture focuses on the
beauty of the interior than exterior spaces
● Use of impressive forms such as large
domes, towering minarets and large
courtyards are intended to convey power

Islamic Architecture Style

Moorish Architecture

-the Islamic Architecture of the North Africa and

especially of the regions of Spain under Moorish
domination
Moor- a member of the Muslim people of the
Northwest Africa who invaded Spain in the 8 th and
occupied it until 1942
● Characterized by the building of large
mosques and elaborate fortress-palaces
Mudejar Architecture
-a style of Spanish Architecture produced from the
13th-16th century by Mudejars and Christians
working within the Muslim traditions.
Mudejar- a Muslim permitted to remain in Spain
after the Christian reconquest, especially during
the 8th-13th century

● Characterized by a fusion of
Romanesque and Gothic with Islamic
elements

Seljuk Architecture
-the Islamic Architecture of several Turkish
dynasties that ruled over centra and western
Asia from the 11th-13th century, much
influenced by Persian Architecture
Ottoman Architecture
-the Islamic Architecture of the ottoman
empire from the 14th century, much influenced
by Byzantine Architecture
Mughal Architecture
-the Indo-Islamic Architecture of the Mogul
Dynasty(1526-1857) typified by monumental
palaces and mosques with highly detailed
decorative work.
Landmarks
Holiest Places in Islam
a.The Kaaba at Mecca, Saudi Arabia
● Cubic shrine in Mecca, the center of
Islamic worship and the holiest place in
Islam
b.The Dome of the Rock at Jerusalem
● Built by the Caliph Abd al Malik and
completed in 691 AD. The building
encloses a huge rock located at its center
from which the Prophet Muhammed
ascended to heaven at the end of his
night journey.
c.Burial Place of Muhammad at Medina
● Burial place of Muhammad and the
Prophte’s Mosque in the city to which
Muhammad and the early Muslims fled as
they escaped the dangers in Mecca
 Great Mosque of Samarra at Iraq (Mosque
of Al Mutawakkil)

● Was one of the largest mosques in

the world, famous for the
cone-shaped tower, minaret-Malwiya
Tower

Mosques

● A mosque is the most important Islamic

building.
● A sacred building used by Muslims for
prayer Mosque of Sulatan Ahmed at Turkey
● The word “mosque” is Arabic for a place
of “prostration” or bowing down to Allah (The Blue Mosque-with 6 minarets)
● Besides being a place of prayer, the
mosque was also used as a “community
center” for a combination of reasons: a
school, for political and social meetings, a
place for judging cases, and other
functions in the Islamic community

Chinli Chiosk at Istanbul, Turkey (Ottoman

Islamic)

Mosque of Sultan Hassan at Egypt

● A collegiate mosque, cruciform in

plan

Great Mosque of Damascus at Syria

(Umayyad)

Suleymaniye Mosque at Turkey

● Ottoman imperial mosque; largest

mosque in Istanbul
 Mosques

The Selimiye at Edrine, Turkey

● Ottoman imperial mosque

Mihrab

● A niche in the wall which points the

worshipers toward Mecca

IBN Tulun Mosque

● The largest mosque in Cairo in terms

of land area
Minbar

● A pulpit or a place from which a

religious leader(an “imam”) speaks to
the people. It looks something like a
staircase

‘
 ● Domes are common in many mosques in
the Middle East and Turkey
Inner Courtyard ● They are often decorated on the outside
and inside with beautiful tiles in geometric
● This encourages meditation
designs.
● One enters the mosque through an
● Domes give a building a spiritual feeling
entrance, goes through a
in that they bring one’s attention from the
walkway(often with pillars or arches)
ground level (the world of man) to the
and enters the courtyard which is a
heavens (the world of God)
quiet, open-air place that is
separated from the outside world.

Minarets

● Towers of a mosque
● From the minaret, a person (a
“muezzin”) calls people to pray five
times a day

Types of Minaret

Ablution Fountain
● Fountain in front of the Umayyad Mosque,
Syria
● Before prayers, the faithful cleaned their
faces, hands, feet and rinsed their mouths
● Cleansing was an act that was both
symbolic and literal to prepare oneself to
meet with God in prayer
Arches

● Arches varied in mosques

● Some were round, pointed, and
horseshoe shaped and held up
on thin pillars

Domes
 Additional from other pdf

Medina
● Burial place of Muhammad and the
Prophet’s Mosque in the city to which
Muhammad and the early Muslims fled as
they escaped the dangers in Mecca

The Citadel – Cairo, Egypt

● The Citadel (great fortress) was built by

Saladin in 1176.(Saladin was the leader
who fought against Richard the Lion-heart
of England in a crusade.) In 1218 the
Citadel was the residence(home) of
Sulatan al-Kamil (nephew of Saladin).
Today the citadel is a tourist attraction
Mosques and visitors can see its mosques, several
museums, palace an military garrisons.
● A mosque is the most important Islamic
building. It is a sacred building used by The Alhambra, Spain
Muslims for prayer. The word ‘mosque” is
(Moorish Islamic-Palace of Nasrid Dynasty)
Arabic for “a place of prostration” pr
bowing down to Allah. Besides being a
place of prayer, the mosque was also
used as a “community center” for a
combination of reasons: a school, for
political and social meetings, a place for
judging cases, and other functions in the
Islamic community.

Umayyad Palaces

● The first dynasty of wealthy Muslim rulers

was the Umayyads whose capital was
Damascus, Syria. After about 90 years of
● The Alhambra became the dynasty’s royal
rule, they were overthrown by the
city. The word Alhambra comes from the
Abassids who moved their capital to
Arabic “al-Hamra” which means Red
Baghdad, Iraq
Palace. Within the walls of the Alhambra
 were a mosque, baths, houses, gardens
and a royal burial plcae. Except for the
outer walls, the citadel and two large
architectural units, little remains of the
original construction. The Alhambra was
redesigned in the last half of the 14th
century by Muhammad.

Topkapi Palace in Turkey (Ottoman Empire)

● Topkapi Palace and the Suleymaniye

from the Ottoman Turkish period was a
complex built for Suleyman the
Magnificent (the emperor) during the 15th
century. Below is a photograph Topkapi

Palace, built in Istanbul, Turkey. The

rooms on the left are the “harem”, the
women’s section of the palace. It was
supervised by eunuchs, males who had
been castrated and served as guards of
the palace.

● The Gardens and Founatins are a symbol

for “Paradise’ or Heaven. A garden is
(Al-Janna) is usually four rectangles with
fruit trees arranged in rows parallel to a
watercourse. The symbolic value of the
formal Islamic garden was as an earthly
anticipation of paradise. ● The Suleymaniye complex covers 60,000
sqm and includes seven colleges, a
Madinat Al-Zahira hospital and asylum, a hammam (bath or
fountain for washin) two residences, a
hostel for visitors, kitchens, tombs,
fountains, wrestling grounds, shops, a
piazza and a mosque within its courtyard.

Palace In Kilwa
 ● Trade expanded down the coast of East
Africa, and Islam was carried by these
early traders. Arab merchants and coast
people intermarried and formed a new
society, and even a new language called
“Swahili”. Below is a drawing of a palace
built about 1250 in Kilwa, an important
trading center. From here merchants got
ostrich feathers, ivory, gold and slaves. Its
rulers were African- Muslims whose
ancestors included Arab traders.

Forts and Castles ● it was used as a “crusaders’ castle”, but

originally built by Arabs. It had been
A Time of War attacked and was greatly damaged by the
two Mongol invasions, in 1269 and 1400
● Warfare was frequent in Medieval times. (under Tamerain)
Islam was spread through conquests of
neighboring empires and eventually Desert Castles of Jordan
Islamic Empires gained control of
territories from Spain to India.Muslim
kingdoms fought other Muslim kingdoms.
There was warfare with Byzantine
Christians and later with Christian
crusaders as well.

Built for Defense

● Castles and forts were essential for

protection.
● Castles and forts were built out of local
materials, such as stone in Syria and
baked brick in Iraq.
● They had to be strong enough to
withstand sieges (attack) from many ● Some of these “desert castles” do not
enemies. have any defensive structures. The early
● Castles had to house many soldiers, so Arab rulers’ built or took over these
there were barracks (sleeping quarters), castles because they loved the desert.
kitchen and dining halls and stables for ● These castles were surrounded by
horses. artificial oases with fruit, vegetables and
● All castles would also have a mosque. animals for hunting.
● Other theories suggest that the leaders
Strategies for Attacking a Castle and their families came to desert to avoid
epidemics which plagued the big cities, or
● Strategies of attack would be to get over,
to maintain links with Bedouin nomads,
through and under the walls.
their relatives and the basis of their
● Attackers would use a battering ram to try
power.
to break down the doors, or tunneling
equipment to cover them while digging Crak De Chevaliers, Jordan
under the walls.

Citadel (Fortress) of Aleppo, Syria

 ● Built by Arabs in the late 11 th century, but
it was taken over by Christian crusaders
and expanded. It was used by the
crusaders for 127 years, then recaptured
by the mamluks from Egypt.
● This castle is one of the largest of its kind
and is well preserved. Enough supplies
were stored to last a 3,000 man army for
up to five years.
● Crac des Chevaliers is also known as the
Qala’ at-Hosn or “Castle of the
Knights”.
Bam, Iran
● Its long wall has 28 towers. Inside the
citadel there are lots of buildings: stables,
a public bath, a prison, military barracks,
two mosques, a caravanserai and more,
all molded out of the same red clay.
● The highest point is the outlook tower.
The Citadel of Cairo
● In 1176, Salah ad-Din fortified the high
area to protect it against attacks by the
Crusaders.
● In 1218 Sultan al-Kamil, Salah ad-Din’s
nephew moved his residence to the
Citadel, and it was the seat of
government of Egypt until the mid-19th
century
Alcazaba in Malaga, Spain (Andalusia)
● Built in 1057 with its delicate gardens
enclosed in strong walls.
Homes
How and why did homes differ
● Homes varied in size and elegance
(wealth, style) according to the wealth of
the owner, and of course upon the local
architectural traditions and local materials
that were available
Basic Design

● The typical Muslim house was built on a
standard pattern: a rectangular house
built around a central courtyard with
high windowless walls on the outside
with a single low door. The interior
space was important, not the outside.
● As family size increased, more rooms
were built on the lot’s unused land. Once
the land around the courtyard has been
covered, expansion took place in a
vertical direction.
● Part of the house is separated for
females. The men’s reception(or guest)
room tends to be located next to the
entrance lobby of the house so that
visitors do not meet with the females or
violate the harem (the women’s part of the
house)
Decorations and Furnishings
● The interior of wealthier homes were
decorated with geometric designs and
calligraphy in wood carvings and tiles.
Rugs usually covered the floors of the
living areas. Rooms were often furnished
with low couches with cushions and low
tables.
Caravanserai (“Caravan Inns”)
● Muslim civilation always has been
mobile(moving). Both the Arabs and the
conquerors from central Asia were
originally nomadic and inherited a
tradition of travel.
● Large armies were constantly on the
move. Students and scholars undertook
long journeys to sit at the feet of famous
masters.
● The wealth of cities depended upon the
trade. And finally, the faith of Islam
required of the faithful the most powerful
of all reasons for travel pilgrimage.
Why were caravanserai built?
● Travellers needed places of rest and
shelter as they travelled between the
widely spaced cities and towns. This led
to the construction of caravanserais (or
khans). They were often built by the rulers
to encourage trade which they taxed.
● The main function of a caravanserai was
to receive travellers and merchandise.
These caravanserai consists of
courtyards to take care of animals, rooms
to lodge the travellers and storage areas
for their goods.
What was inside a caravanserai?
● There is a central courtyard where
animals are watered and fed, storage
areas below, and apartments above for
travellers. There was always a mosque
and bathhouse in the caravanserai, too.
● Caravans generally stayed only one or
two nights before continuing their
journeys.
Why did rulers build caravanserai?
● Caravanserai were built about one day’s
travel apart, about 30-40 miles away. It
was along routes like these that
caravanserai were built by powerful rulers
who wanted to encourage trade.
 Bath Houses Taj Mahal

Why were bath houses important? What

happened there?

● Bath houses were not merely places

where believers could fulfill the Islamic
ideal of cleanliness. They were also
places in which to socialize and gossip.
Some bath houses from the midlle Ages
are still in use today.
● Bath houses (called “hamam” in Turkey)
had both cold and hot water baths. Most
bath houses were public, but some were
private. In every place there would be a
bath house. Public bath houses were
● Crown of the Palace
always separated between men and
● Was built in Agra, India, for Mumtaz
women, either with separate facilities, or
Mahal, the favorite wife of Shah Jahan.
by time of day. Few people were wealthy
Considered the greatest masterpiece of
enough to have a bath-house in their
Indo-Islamic architecture, it was
homes, so public houses were part of
constructed during the years 1632-1648.
every community.
It is a mausoleum (a burial place, or
What did people wear? tomb) for the wife of the Shah

● People were covered either with a Saadi’s Tomb in Shiraz, Iran

wrap-around towel or with below-the knee
pants like “underwear’ for modesty was
part of the Islamic ideal.

Tombs and Memorial ● Saadi was a popular Persian poet who

lived about 1207-1291. His most famous
Green Dome The burial place of the Prophet work is “The Rose Garden” or “Gulistan”
Muhammad
Mausoleum in Bukhara

● Uzbekistan was finished in 943 for a

Samanid leader.
 Mausoleum of Olijeitu in Sultaniya ● is a popular choice for material because it
adjusts well to earthquakes and works
well with season changes (cool in
summer, warm in winter)

Architectural Character

● Lightness, Delicacy and Refinement

Japanese Periods

Jomon

● First settlers of Japan the Jomon people

● In Iran built in the 14th century. He was
sultan from 1304-1315
Tomb of a Woman in Isfahan, Iran
named for the cord markings that
decorated the surfaces of their clay
vessels, were nomadic hunter-gatherers
● They built simple houses of wood and
thatch set into shallow earthen pits to
provide warmth from the soil and crafted
pottery storage vessels and clay figurines
called dogu.

Dogu

● Interesting woman who was involved in

political power struggles and was
executed by her husband about 1375.
● It was her brother-in-law who made this Yayoi
monument.
● Yayoi people named for the distinct in
Japanese Architecture Tokyo where remnants of their
settlements first were found.
● In prehistoric times, this land mass was
● These people arriving in Japan brought
connected to the cntinet and the Sea of
their knowledge of wetland rice
Japan was a large lake upon which some
cultivation, the manufacture of copper
of the earliest cultures flourished.
weapons and bronze bells (dotaku) and
● Architecture in Japan was influenced by
wheel-thrown, kilnfired ceramics.
Chinese architecture, although the
differences between the two are many.
● Chinese architecture was based on a
lifestyle that included the use of chairs,
while in Japan people customarily sat on
the floor

Climate

● Since most of Japan has long, hot

summers, the houses reflect that by being
somewhat raised so that air can move all
around. Dotaku

Wood

Kofun Period
● Third stage in Japanese pre history
(means ‘old mounds”) represents a
modification of Yayoi culture, attributable
either to internal developments or
external force.
● Diverse group of people formed political
alliances and coalesced into a nation.
Typical artifacts are bronze mirrors-
symbols of political alliances and clay
sculptures called haniwa, erected outside
tombs
● They are called Kofun and are tombs built
between 250-538 AD
● The biggest tomb Daisen Kofun is 486
meters long and is surrounded by 3
moats. It was built in 16 years using a
huge workforce of 2000 workers per day,
totaling almost 7 million people.
Asuka Period
● Introduction into Japan of Buddhism
● Kami is the Japanese word for the spirits,
natural forces, or essence in the Shinto
faith- God or Diety) worship the idea of
permanent shrines and gave to Shinto
architecture much of its present
vocabulary.
Nara Period
● Heiji-kyo (former name of Nara) as the
first permanent capital of State of Japan
● The city soon became an important
centre of Buddhist worship in Japan
Buddhist and Shinto Architecture
Buddhist Temple in Japan
Horyuji Temple
● The oldest surviving wooden buildings in
the world found in southwest of Nara.
● It was first built in the early 7th century as
the private temple of crown Prince
Shotoku, it consits of 41 independent
buildings; the most important ones, the
main worship hall, or Kon-do (Golden
hall) and the five-storey pagoda) stand in
the cnetre of an open area surrounded by
a roofed cloister
● Was built in 607 under the influence of
Buddhism, and was registered in 1993 as
a UNESCO World Heritage property.
 of the emperor as a descendant of the
Sun- Goddess, Amaterasu
● The general blueprint of a Shinto shrine is
a buddhist origin
● Before Busshism, shrines were just
temporary structures erected to a
particular purpose
● Buddhism brought to Japan the idea of
permanent shrines and much of Shinto
architecture’s vocabulary
● The presence of verandas, stone lantern
and elaborate gates is an example of this
influence

Todaiji Temple

● Is a Buddhist temple complex located in

the city of Nara, Japan.
● Its great Buddha hall (Daibutsuden) the
largest wooden building in the world,
houses the world’s largest bronze statue
of yhe Buddha vairocana, known in
Japanese simply as Daibutsu
● The temple also serves as the Japanese
headquarters of the Kegon school of
Buddhism

Daibutsu: Buddha Vairocana

1. Tori – Shinto gate

● The torii is a gate which marks the
entrance to a sacred area, usually but not
necessarily a shrine
● A shrine may have any number of torii
(Fushimi, Inari Taisha has thousands)
made of wood, stone, metal, concrete or
any other material
● They can be found in different places
within a shrine’s precincts to signify and
increased level of holiness

● Butsu- a representation of Buddha

● Daibutsu- a larage representation of
Buddha

Shinto Architecture

Shinto

● The indigenous religion of Japan, marked

by a cultic devotion to deities of natural
forces, ancestor worship and veneration
2. Stone Stairs
3. Sando- the approach to the shrine or
pathway
● The sando is the road approaching either
a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple
● Its point of origin is usually straddled in
the first case by a Shinto torii, in the
second by a Buddhist sanmon, gates
which mark the beginning of the shrine’s
or temple territory
● There can also be stone lanterns and
other decorations at any point along its 6.Kagura-den building dedicated to Noh or
course. There can be more than one the sacred kagura dance
sando, in which case the main one is
called omote-sando, or front sando, ura
sando or rear sando, etc

● 7.Shamusho- the shrine’s administrative

office

4. Chozuya or Temizuya
● Fountain to cleanse one’s hands and face
● Before eantering the shrine, visitors are
supposed to wash their hands and
mouths at a fountain built to the purpose 8.Ema -wooden pllaques bearing prayers or
called temizuya or chozuya wishes

9.Sessa / Massha – small auxiliary shrines

Sessha ( auxiliary shrine) and massha

5. Toro -decorative stone lanterns
● Toro can be classified in two maintypes,
the tsuri-doro lit. hanging lamp, which
usually hang from the eaves of a roof,
and the dai doro lit. platform lamp used in
gardens and along the approach (sando)
of a shrine or temple
(branch shrine) also called eda- miya (branch
shrines) are small or miniature shrines having
a deep historical relationship with a more
important shrine or with the kami it enshrines,
and fall under that shrine’s jurisdiction
● the two terms used to have different
meaning, but must be today considered
synonymn. For this reason, this kind of
shrine is now sometimes called
setsumatsusha

10. Komainu the so-called “lion dogs”

guardians of the shrine
● the two “lions” in front of a shrine are in
effect warden dogs called komainu
(Korean dogs)
● They were so called because they were
thought to have been brought to Japan
from China via Korea, and their name
derives from “Koma” the Japanese term
for the Korean kingdom of Koguryo
● They are almost indentical, but one has
the mouth open, the other closed. This is
a very common pattern in statue pairs at
both temples and shrines,and has an
important symbolic meaning. The open
mouth is a pronouncing the first letter of
the Sanskrit alphabet (“a) the closed one
the last (“um”) representing the beginning
and the end of all things.
● The one with the open mouth is called 12.Tamagaki – fence surrounding the honden
shishi the other komainu, a name that in
time came to be used fro both animals.

13. Honden- main hall, enshrining the kmai. On

the roof of the haiden and honden are visible chigi
(forked roof finials) and katsuogi (short horizontal
logs) both common shrine ornamentations

● The honden, also called shinden is the

most scared building of shrin, intended
11.Haiden – oratory purely for the use of the enshrined kami.
The kami, in itself incorporeal, is usually
● The haiden is the hall of worship or
represented physically by a mirror or
oratory of the shrine
sometimes by a statue. The building is
● It is generally placed in front of the
normally in the rear of the shrine and
shrine’s main sanctuary(honden) and
closed to the general public
oftenbuilt on a larger scale than the
latter
● The haiden is often conncetd to the
honden by a heiden or a hall of
offerings
● The heiden is the part of a shrine
used to house offerings and normally
cosists of a section linking the
honden and the haiden. It can also
be called chuden or in other ways,
and its position can sometimes vary.
In spite of its name nowadays it is
used mostly for rituals.

Other Elements
A hokora or hokura is a very small Shinto shrine
either found on the precincts of a larger shrine and
dedicated to folk kami, or on a street side,
enshrining kami not under the jurisdiction of any
large shrine
Dosojin, minor kami protecting travelers from evil
spirits, an for example enshrined in a hokora
Japanese Architecture
● A synthesis of seminal ideas from China
and native conditions producing a
distinctive style characterized by:
Lightness
Delicacy
Refinement
Most Common Style of Shinto Shrines
● Shrine buildings can have many different
basic layouts, usually named either after
a famous shrine’s honden (e.g
hiyoshi-zukuri
● suffix zukuri means “structure”
● The honden’s roof is always gabled, and
some styles also have a veranda-like
aisle called hisashi (a 1-ken wide corridor
surrounding one or more sides of the core
of a shrine or temple)
● Hirairi or hirairi-zukuri
a style of construction in which the
building has its main entrance on the side
which runs parallel to the roof’s ridge (non
gabled-side). The shinmei-zukuri,
nagare-zukuri, hachiman-zukuri and
hie-zukuri belong to this type
● Tsumairi or Tsumairi-zukuri
A style of construction in which the
building has its main entrance on the side
which runs perpendicular to the roof’s
ridge (gabled side). The taisha-zukuri,
sumiyoshi-zukuri and kasuga-zukuri
belong to this type
1.Shinmei-Zukuri
A style of Shinto shrine embodying the origibal
style of Japanese building, before the introduction
of Buddhism
Characterized by:
● A small unpainted rectangular structures
raised above ground level on a posts
inserted directly into the earth
● A railed veranda surrounds the structure
at floor level
● A freestanding post at each gable end
supports the ridge
 ● The badge boards extend outward from
thickly thatched roof, forming CHIGI at
each end.

Features of a Shrine

2.Nagare-Zukuri

A style of Shinto shrine, based on the Ise Heian Period

prototype, but with the front slope of the roof
extending to form a canopy over the entrance stair,
this space eventually developed into a prayer room
for worshippers.
Ise Grand Shrine is the holiest of Shinto Shrines
● The priest Kukai (best known by his
posthumous title Kobo Daishi) he
introduced the Vajrayana Buddhism in
806.
● Japanese Buddhist architecture also
adopted the stupa in its Chinese form of
pagoda
● Temples erected for this new sect were
built in the mountain.

3.Kasuga-Zukuri

A style of Shinto shrine, characterized by a hipped

roof extending from the main roof, over a centrally
placed entrance stair at one gable end.
 ● In the Fujiwara Period, Pure Land
Buddhism, which offered easy salvation
through belief in AMIDA (the Buddha of
the Western Paradise)
Ho-o-do of the Byodo-in Temple
Ho-o-do (Phoenix hall)
is the exemplar of Fujiwara Amida halls
It consists of a main rectangular structure flanked
by two L-shaped wing corridors and a tail corridor,
set at the edge of a large artificial pond. Inside, a
single golden image of Amida (circa 1053) is
installed on a high platform.
Kamakura and Muromachi Period
Muromachi Period
● During this period, Japanese architecture
made technological advances that
somewhat diverged from and Chinese
counterparts.
● (Daibutsu-Style and Zen-Style) In
response t native requirements such as
earthquake resistance and shelter against
heavy rainfall and the summer heat and
sun, the master carpenters of this time
responded with a unique type of
Tea House
architecture.
● The original Kamakura structure was
rebuilt shortly after the end of the same
Kamakura style and clearly illustrates the
expertise of the Kamakura builders.
● Japanese political power was dominated
by the armed Samurai, such as Seiwa
Genji
● many samurai houses are a mixture of
shinden zukuri (refers to the style of
domestic architecture developed for
palatial aristocratic mansions built in
heian-kyo
● Remarkable event in Muromachi period,
another major development of the period
was the tea ceremony and the tea house
in which it was held
● The purpose of the ceremony is to spend
time with friends who enjoy arts, and
cleanse the mind of the concerns of daily
life.
● Zen was the basic philosophy
● Zen means mediation, individual
experience of enlightenment(satori)
● rustic style of the rural cottage was
adopted for the tea house, emphasizing
such natural materials as bark covered
 materials as bark covered logs and
woven straw.
● tea house can refer to a structure
designed for holding Japanese tea
ceremonies
● Chashitsu where the tea ceremony takes
place, it was created for aesthetic and
intellectual fulfillment
● tea house can also refer to place of
entertainment with geisha.. These are
called ochaya
● Ichiriki Ochaya notable ochaya in Japan
Azuchi-Momoyama Period
● During Azuchi-Momoyama Period Japan
underwent a process of unification after a
long period of civil war.
● Fusuma and Byobu became highly
decorated with paintings and often an
interior room with shelving and
alcove(tokonoma) were used to display
art work
● Castle a defensive structure built to
house a feudal lord and his soldiers in
times of trouble
● Shoin a reception hall and a private study
area designed to reflect the relationships
of lord and vassal within a feudal society.
Castle
Himeji Castle
● built in its present form 1609, popularly
known as White Heron Castle or White
Egret Castle with its gracefully curving
roofs and its complex of three subsidiary
towers around the main tenshu (or keep)
is considered to be one of the most
beautiful structures of the Momoyama
period
Shoin
● Ohiroma (most formal room in the castle
as for meetings) of Nijo castle in Kyoto is
one of the classic examples of the Shoin,
with its tokonoma (alcove), shoin window
and clearly differentiated areas for the
Tokugawa lords and their vassals
Edo Period
● Tokgawa Shogunate took the city of Edo
as their capital
● They built imposing fortress around which
buildings of the state administration and
residences for the provincial daimyos
were constructed
● Machiya typically occupied deep, narrow
plots abutting the street. Tiles rather than
thatch were used on the roof and
exposed timbers were often plastered in
an effort to protect the building against fire
● Edo suffered badly from fire devastating
● the government built stone embankments
in atleast two locations along rivers in the
city
● Over time these were torn down and
replaced with dozo storehouses that were
used both as fire breaks and to store
goods unloaded from the canals
 ● Dozo were built with a structural frame
made of timber coated with a number of
layers of earthen plaster on the walls,
door and roof
● the clean lines of architecture in Edo is
influenced the sukiya style of residential
architecture. Their architecture has simple
lines and uses wood in its natural state

Meiji, Taisho and Early Showa Periods

● Japan began a rapid process of

Westernization which led to the need for
new building types such as schools,
banks and hotels.