ARCHITECTURE OF JAPAN

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 3
Prepared by: Arch. Serafin A. Ramento III, uap, rmp, AAFed
HISTORY

KOFUN PERIOD
 5th CE: Yamato Clan (Japan’s first
Royal Family) annexes Honshu
and Kyushu islands.
 300-700 CE: Pre-Buddhist Era
 Keyhole-shaped tombs (generally
100 meters long), known as Kofun,
were built by the elites
themselves; Hashikawa Tomb,
Nara is the longest at 280 meters.
 Haniwa: Funerary statue
HISTORY

NARA PERIOD
 8th CE: Various clans under an
Emperor; Northern Islands were last
to be included.
 Shintoism was then the native
religion.
 Kami: Sacred spirits (Buddha as the
“Great Kami”); Emperor deified as a
living Kami beginning in the 6th CE.
 The Kami are still venerated at more
than 100,000 Shinto shrines
throughout Japan.
EXAMPLES

NARA PERIOD
ISE JINGU (“shrine”):
• Japan’s most revered shrine.
• Repository of the Magatama: jewels
representing the soul spirit of the
body.
• For the last 1,500 years, the shrine is
re-built every 20 years (known as
Shikinen Sengu, “the transfer of the
god-body to a new shrine in a
special festival year”) based on the
previous one before it, using virgin
old-growth timber.
EXAMPLES

NARA PERIOD
ISE JINGU: Two primary structures:
• Naiku (“Inner Shrine”): dedicated
to Amaterasu Omikami (“Heaven-
Illuminating Great Kami”)
• Geku (“Outer Shrine”): dedicated
to Touke Okami (“Abundant Food
Great Kami”)
EXAMPLES

NARA PERIOD
ISE JINGU
Inner Shrine
 Pathway is lined with Torii (derived from the
Sanskrit Torana which means “gate”.
 Shoden: innermost shrine (measuring 15
meters by 10 meters) which can be
accessed by the Emperor only; the rest of
the Royal Family worships from outside.
 Contains three (3) structures (axial): the
Central shrine (Shoden), and behind it at
either side, the two (2) Treasuries.
 Shin-no-mihashira (Heart Pillar): left buried in
the Old Shrine Compound; Oiya: a small
shed built over the heart pillar to protect
from the elements.
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE

ARRIVAL OF BUDDHISM IN JAPAN

 Earliest temple: Monastery at Shitennoji (“Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings”,
593 CE); plan of which was derived from Korean Temple designs.
 Shichido Garan (“Seven-Hall Monastery”): Seven (7) Basic Elements:
• Pagoda (To)
• Main/Golden Hall (Kondo)
• Lecture Hall (Kodo)
• Bell Tower (Shoro/Shuro)
• Sutra Repository (Kyozo)
• Dormitory (Sobo)
• Dining Hall (Jikido)
EXAMPLES

HORYU-JI
 Built late 7th CE at Nara
 Reflected Japanese preference
of the Chinese over the Koreans
 Ji means “temple”.
 The five-story pagoda of the west
precinct is based on the three-
bay square module.
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE

PURE LAND BUDDHISM

 1000 CE: came to dominate Japan
 Originally developed in India, it was based on the concept that a devotee
could attain rebirth in a Sukhavati (“Equanimous or Pure Land”) of his or her
choice by the following a designated set of personal meditations.
 Pure Land Visualizations were usually depicted in paintings, sculptures, and
Mandala Diagrams.
 Pure Land Buddhism was promoted by women because of its association
with Lady Vaidehi, who was given the “Visualization Sutra” (sermon) by
Buddha.
EXAMPLES

BYODO-IN
 “Temple of Equanimity”; Byodo
means “equal”.
 A converted pre-existing villa by
Fujiwara no Yorimichi (990-1074), a
nobleman, in 1053.
 Phoenix Hall (Hoo-do): remnant of
the old temple; Hoo are mythical
phoenix-like birds, sculptures of
which top the roof of the hall.
 Taima Mandala: depicts Buddha
seated on a C-shaped platform on
a lake surrounded by Bodhisattvas.
EXAMPLES

SANJU-SANGEN-DO
 “Hall of 33 Bays”
 Built in Kyoto in 1164 by Taira no
Kiyomori, an important general.
 Displays a thousand (500 per row)
life-size statues of the thousand-
armed Kannon (A Bodhisattva
Goddess of Mercy).
 120-meters long (33 bays by 4
bays).
EXAMPLES

ITSUKUSHIMA SHRINE
 Built by Taira no Kiyomori on
Itsukushima in the Seto inland sea.
 Home to Ichikishima –Hime-no-
Mikoto (“The Kami Who Ensures
Safety at Sea”) and her two sisters.
 Dates back to 6th CE and serves as
an example of Shinto and Buddhist
Architecture.
 The beach shrine is connected by a
Kairo (a roofed semi-enclosed
corridor).
EXAMPLES

ITSUKUSHIMA SHRINE
Two sanctuaries:
 Honsha: the main shrine housing
female deities, facing the water
(East).
 Maro-do jinja: the shrine for male
deities, facing inland (West).
Each shrine has the ff:
 Haiden (a worship/oratory hall)
 Haraidono (a hall for purification
rites)
 Honden (a main hall)
TORII

 Re-interpretation of the Buddhist

Torana.
 Symbolizes the call to the god to
grant the worshipper’s prayers.
 “Bird perch”
HISTORY

MUROMACHI JAPAN
 Ashikaga Takauji (1305-58) becomes Shogun of Japan after forcing the
Emperor Godaigo (r. 1318-39) from the throne because of the latter’s refusal to
name the former as military commander despite an alliance that overthrew the
previous emperor.
 As shogun, Takauji reinstated Kyoto as the capital and reestablished links with
the Chinese Song dynasty, both decisions that changed the course of Japan.
 Song culture infused itself in Japanese society and introduced a blend of
elements that laid the foundation for a form of Buddhism known as Zen, the
Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese kanji for chan.
 Chan: a transformation of the Sanskrit dhyan, or meditation.
 The Zen monasteries were built in the traditional Karayo style.
EXAMPLES

KINKAKUJI
 “Golden Pavilion”
 A private estate where the Muromachi
shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408),
Takauji’s grandson, retired to after giving
up his government position to become a
monk.
 A three (3) – story pavilion that sits at the
edge of a carefully designed reflection
pond.
 Was intended by Yoshimitsu to cover the
pavilion with gold, hence the name, but
for most of its life remained in wood.
EXAMPLES

KINKAKUJI
 First floor: contained a public reception
room with a loggia along the water that
served as access point for pleasure
boats.
 Second floor: a place for private
discussion.
 Third floor: Yoshimitsu’s private refuge.
 In 1950, the pavilion was destroyed by a
mad arsonist.
 When it was reconstructed in 1955, its
upper two stories were gilded in gold to
honor Yoshimitsu’s original intentions.
EXAMPLES

GINKAKUJI
 “Silver Pavilion”
 Built as a retirement villa by Yoshimitsu’s grandson, the
shogun Yoshimasa, in 1482.
 The two (2) – story pavilion was intended to be covered
in silver by Yoshimasa, but the plan was never realized.
 Its fame lies in the additions made by Zen Buddhist
monks during the Edo period in the 17th century, the
palace having been turned over to Zen Buddhists after
its patron’s death.
 Since sand had to be stored on site to maintain the
gardens, the Zen monks decided to use it to build two
sculpted mounds next to the pond and in stark contrast
to it.
 One is low and carefully raked to form a plateau, and it
is called the Sea of Silver Sand, so named for its
appearance in moonlight.
 The other mound rises as a perfectly shaped, truncated
cone, arresting at first glance if only for its sheer size.
 The cone evokes the profile of Mt. Fuji, but may also
refer to the sacred mountain in the middle of a Buddhist
mandala.
 In a sense, Ginkakuji is more successful as a Zen garden
than Kinkakuji.
HISTORY

TOKUGAWA SHOGUNATE
 17th CE: Shogun commanders had
unified and pacified Japan.
 Continued patronization of Zen
Buddhism.
 Reconstructed the major shrines
and temples of Kyoto, such as
Nishihonganji, Choin-in, and
Kiyomizudera.
EXAMPLES

HIMEJI-JO
 The suffix Ji means “temple”.

 The suffix Jo means “castle”.

 Constructed by Hideyoshi (trusted lieutenant of then-

Shogun Oda Nobunaga and later to become Shogun
himself).

 Located 150 kilometers away from Kyoto.

 White walls, roofing covered with gray tiles embellished

with white plaster to protect it against the wind.

 Castle compound consists of the ff:

• Honmaru: Inner citadel

• Shinbashira: Heart pillars; mast-like, hold the structure

together.

 The Great Tenshu: the main tower, seven (7) floors high;
entire structure held together by two (2) massive pillars,
one of which, the east pillar, is made of Silver Fir.
HIMEJI-JO
NOTES

 In Japanese, the relationship between power and architecture is often

codified in language.
 Mon, or gateway, is part of the word kenmon, which describes a person of
authority. It literally means “power gate.”
 The word mikado (“honorable gate”) is used in reference to the emperor.
 A kinmon, or “prohibited gateway,” could only be used in the imperial
palace where access was restricted.
 By the 9th century, the building of gates had already been forbidden to
people of low rank.
EXAMPLES

NIKKO TOSHOGU
 Built by Iemitsu (1604-51), grandson of Shogun of
the Tokugawa Ieyasu (deified as a Tutelary Kami
or Living Spirit).
 A mausoleum and shrine built on the Gongen-
Zukuri Form:
• Daimyo: Feudal overlords
• Yomeimon: Gate of the Inner Shrine
 Only priests and the family members of the
Tokugawa can enter the shrine.
 3-Part Construction:
• Worship hall (Haiden), connected to the
• Main hall (Honden) by the Ishinoma (stone-
floored corridor).
 Chigi (forked finial)
 Katsuogi (billets)
EXAMPLES

NIJO-JO
 Built by the Tokugawa Ieyasu and
designed to symbolize authority
through a carefully orchestrated
syncopation of waiting rooms and
meeting halls.
 Re-designed from 1624-1626 by
Nakai Masatomo (Master
Carpenter for government
projects in Kyoto) in preparation
for Emperor Go Mizuno’s visit ( a
first by an emperor to a shogun’s
palace).
EXAMPLES

NIJO-JO
 500 meter by 400 meter site
surrounded by high stone walls with
a moat.
• Tozamurai: waiting rooms and
government offices
• Shikidai: secondary audience hall
• Ohiroma: main audience hall; three
(3) spaces organized in an L-shape
to build in visual hierarchy; Gendan
no ma (lower chamber), Jodan no
ma (upper chamber).
• Chigidana: staggered shelves.
EXAMPLES
KATSURA RIKYU
(KATSURA IMPERIAL VILLA)
 Considered by many modern architects as the
essence of Japanese architecture.

 Also known as Katsura Detached Palace.

 Built by nobleman Hichijonomiya Toshihito (1579-1629)

and his son Toshitada (1619-62).
EXAMPLES
KATSURA RIKYU
(KATSURA IMPERIAL VILLA)
 Ceremonial teahouse as underlying design; serving
and drinking tea had become the center lavish rituals
by the 17th CE; tea-drinking ceremony was
transformed by Sen no Rikyu (1522-91), a patron of
the Zen monks in Ginkakuji; his famous dictum: “one
moment, one meeting”.

 Three (3) Shoins (sections): old, middle, and new

shoins; the old was built by Prince Toshihito while the
middle and new Shoins were built Prince Toshitada
(Toshihito’s son).

 Seven (7) teahouses; main teahouse (Shokintei)

 Stroll garden as main feature: designed by Kobori

Enshu (1579-1647).
KATSURA
RIKYU
EXAMPLES

RYOANJI
 “The Temple of the Peaceful
Dragon”
 Created around 1480 in the
estate of Hosokawa Masamoto.
 Contains the most famous of
Japan’s dry gardens.
HISTORY

EDO, KYOTO’S ODOI, AND

SHIMABARA
 1603: establishment of Edo (now Tokyo) as the
ruling capital of the Tokugawa Shogunate to
distance themselves from Kyoto (capital of the
Imperial Family).

 Bakufu Code: hierarchical set of guidelines that

prescribed everyone’s designated place in the
social fabric (caste system):

• Rakuchu (urbanized world)

• Rakugai (outside world)

• Eta (the stained)

• Hinin (non-humans)

 Shimabara: single area of confinement for

prostitutes, 1640; Ageya (pleasure houses): catered
to clients with high tastes; eg. Sumiya (“Place of
Peace and Long Life”) the only surviving example.
HISTORY

EDO, KYOTO’S ODOI, AND

SHIMABARA
HISTORY

JAPAN: EDO PERIOD

 Tokugawa Shoguns closed the
country off against the outside
world; only a few Chinese and
occasional Europeans were allowed
into Nagasaki’s port.
 Emergence of the Kabuki theatre:
• Kanamaru-za: mature form of the
Kabuki theatre (17th CE) with
Kanamaru-za (1835) as the best
preserved.
• Sajiki: raised boxes for the elite
audiences to separate them from
commoners.
EXAMPLES

KABUKI THEATRE
PROPORTIONING SYSTEM
REFERENCES

 A Global History of Architecture

by Francis DK Ching, et.al, 2017
Ed.
 A Visual Dictionary of Architecture
by Francis DK Ching, 1995 Ed.