ARCHITECTURE OF JAPAN

PART 2

AZUCHI MOMOYAMA PERIOD

• During most of the 16th century, Japan suffered wars and political turmoil, and it
was divided among feudal lords who controlled the different provinces. Then, in
the last three decades of that century, most of the country was reunified and
order was restored; that was Azuchi-Momoyama period.

• The Azuchi-Momoyama period started around 1573 and lasted until

approximately 1600. Oda Nobunaga and his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi
fought to politically unify Japan under a single regime, bringing the feudal order
to an end. This era received its name from the two main fortresses and centers of
power at the time: the Azuchi castle, selected by Nobunaga as the seat of
government; and the Momoyama castle, a symbol of Hideyoshi’s power.

• The architecture during this era was heavily influenced by wars. Decades of
conflict started in the second half of the 15th century, thus promoting military
architecture. During that time, most of the feudal lords erected their own castles
as defensive structures and symbols of power.

• The Azuchi-Momoyama period was a continuation of that military architecture.

Therefore, constructions from this period were focused on castles and, to a
lesser extent, residential settings. The creation of religious temples was nearly
abandoned.
• While castles varied in their layout, it was standard to have a main compound, or
honmaru, surrounded by the second and third compounds (ninomaru and
sannomaru).

• The central keep was located in the honmaru, and the castle’s lord built gates
and towers at strategic points with a steep stone wall around the perimeter.

• A moat added a further layer of protection.

• Merchants gathered around the area to form a castle town, but there were no
walls around the whole settlement, as often seen in Europe.

• Some daimyo (feudal lord) built gardens near their castles.

 The Momoyama Castle, also known as Fushimi

• Each domain was allowed to have one castle. Each region had their own designers
and engineers for these castles, but most structures consisted of a central tower,
inner gardens and several fortified structures.

• The central tower was usually the tallest part of the castle and served as an
outpost and as a defensive structure. The regent of the castle and his generals
often used it for meetings and planning military tactics.

• The internal gardens were a symbol of power and wealth, so these areas were
often very elaborate. Tea ceremonies, formal reunions and other rituals usually
took place there.

• Generals, advisers and other important officials often lived inside the castle, so
specific strategic rooms and structures were heavily fortified to keep them safe in
the event of a siege.

• Castles were usually enclosed by thick and tall stone walls. Deep water ditches
surrounding the outer walls were common, making attacks to the castle more
difficult.
 Castle Decoration and Interiors

Golden Tea Room inside the Momoyama Castle

• Gold and other precious metals were used for decoration and as a symbol of
power, so the wealthier the region, the more ostentatiously decorated the castle.

• Sliding fusuma panels were commonly used for dividing interior areas. They
consisted of a rectangular wooden frame that slid over wooden rails. The frame
was often black-lacquered and had rice paper or cloth panels inside of it. Wealthy
families had the fusuma panels painted
 The Shoin-zukuri Houses

• The Shoin-zukuri was an architectonic style that developed for residential

constructions. It was innovative and introduced the use of square columns,
replacing the lumber pillars used before. Another innovation was covering the
floors completely in tatami, the traditional rice straw mats. Both elements became
characteristics of the traditional Japanese architecture.

• Shoin-zukuri is a style of Japanese residential architecture used in the mansions

of the military, temple guest halls, and Zen abbot’s quarters of the Azuchi-
Momoyama and Edo periods. It forms the basis of today’s traditional-style
Japanese house. Characteristics of the shoin-zukuri development were the
incorporation of square posts and floors completely covered with tatami. The
style takes its name from the shoin, a term that originally meant a study and
place for lectures on the sutra within a temple, but which later came to mean just
a drawing room or study.
Pottery

The upper classes and a growing merchant class

demanded pottery goods for daily use and also for the
tea ceremonies that were becoming increasingly
popular. There were two main types of pottery during
this period:

• The Shino wares were made out of fine white clay,

which was then glazed with white feldspar (a natural
mixture of minerals). Using iron glazes, the pieces
were decorated with motifs related to nature.

• The Raku wares consisted of utensils for the tea

ceremony. The pieces were entirely hand modeled, so
each piece was unique. The pieces were commonly
glazed in dark brown or cream colors. Also, the
technique used was unique and consisted of heating
and then quickly cooling the pieces. The abrupt change
of temperature created unique effects on the glaze
 Kinds of Japanese Castles

Nobunaga’s castle: Azuchi Castle

• As their role changed, Japan’s castles developed over the centuries from
yamajiro or “mountain castles”, through hirayamajiro – castles built on hills
surrounded by plains – to hirajiro, “flatland castles”.

• There is no clear dividing line between the different styles, but Nobunaga’s
Azuchi Castle can be considered an early hirayamajiro. It was destroyed in 1582,
just three years after its construction. Other notable examples are Himeji Castle,
Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture, and Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto
Prefecture.

• Hirajiro include such examples as Osaka Castle in Osaka Prefecture, Nagoya

Castle in Aichi Prefecture, and Matsumoto Castle in Nagano Prefecture. Of
these, Matsumoto Castle is particularly impressive. From outside, its central keep
that appears to have five stories, but there is an extra, concealed level inside.

• Castles near water features are also known as mizujiro, or “water castles”. They
used the sea, a lake, or river as a moat or for transportation. Some famous
“water castles” are Takamatsu Castle in Kagawa Prefecture, Imabari Castle in
Ehime Prefecture, and Nakatsu Castle in Ōita Prefecture.
 Himeji Castle in Hyōgo Prefecture
HIRAYAMAJIRO

Yamajiro
Takeda Castle (ruins) in Hyōgo Prefecture

Hirajiro
Osaka Castle (reconstructed) in Osaka Prefecture
 Matsumoto Castle in Nagano Prefecture
Hirajiro

Mizujiro
Imabari Castle (reconstructed) in Ehime Prefecture
 Nakatsu Castle (reconstructed) in Ōita Prefecture
Mizujiro

Azuchi Momoyama

• The art of the tea ceremony flourished during the Momoyama period and was
influenced by Zen principles of imperfection and transience.

• The Japanese tea ceremony developed as a transformative practice centered

around the aesthetic of wabi-sabi, a concept derived from Zen Buddhism that
emphasizes simplicity, humility, impermanence, and intense appreciation of the
immediate experience.
 Edo Period

• The Edo period or Tokugawa period is the period between 1603 and 1868 in the
history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate
and the country’s 300 regional daimyo.

• The period was characterized by economic growth, strict social order, isolationist
foreign policies, a stable population, “no more wars”, and popular enjoyment of
arts and culture.

• The shogunate was officially established in Edo on March 24, 1603, by

Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period came to an end with Meiji Restoration on May
3,1868, after the fall of Edo.

• Architectural developments reflected the major tendencies found in other aspects

of the visual arts. There were the quite differing perspectives provided by the
aristocratic revival and the bombastic display favored by the newly powerful.

• The mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, begun in 1636 and located in the

mountainous area of Nikkō, north of Edo, features an abundance of polychrome
decorative carving and exaggerated curving lines and is perhaps the
quintessence of the floridly decorated, ostentatious form.

• But much residential architecture also began to feature elaborate decorative

carvings on interior and exterior panels and joints.
Gate of Sunlight (Yomei-mon) of the carved, painted wood decorated with gold
leaf, 1636; at Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
 Edo Period

Katsura Imperial Villa

• The Katsura Imperial Villa, built between 1620 and 1624 on the southwestern
edge of Kyōto, is the most outstanding example of cohesive attempt to integrate
a mannered interpretation of Heian styles with the architectural innovations
spurred by the development of the tea ceremony.

• Carefully planned meandering paths lead to and from the central structures
through gardens dotted with small pavilion structures and tea huts offering
orchestrated and allusive views.
 Kenroku Garden

• In general, the Edo garden, which underwent various refinements throughout the
period, is bold and beautiful but more obviously crafted than the tea gardens of
the Muromachi period.

• Nature’s flaws have been disguised and the hand of the landscapers show
clearly.
Meiji Period (Taisho and Showa Period)

• Japan is a modern industrialized country, with

plenty of Western influences but still deeply
connected to its tradition. The process of
modernization and interaction with Western
powers started during Meiji Period, while the
British Empire was under Queen Victoria’s rule.
Before, Japan was still a very traditional nation.

• The Meiji Period was a time of innovation and

change in Japan. It started in 1868 and ended in
1912 and received its name from Emperor Meiji.
The previous isolation enforced by Japanese rulers suddenly changed with an
opening to European influences. That greatly changed Japan and helped it
evolve into a more cosmopolitan society. A general interest in foreign artwork,
architecture, and culture developed.

• Emperor Meiji, had a fascination with western culture

and since he ascended to power, a process of
westernization took over Japan. Overseas designers
and western ideas defined the architecture of this
period.

• The Meiji architecture was characterized by using

brick and stone as construction materials, instead of
the traditional wood. The intention was not only to
copy western structures but also to prevent fires.
Influenced by the industrial revolution, materials like
concrete, steel, and glass were also used for the first
time, although they were rare.

• Designs had gardens with fountains that served as decorative elements and also
showed some opulence, influenced by the neoclassic ideas of foreign
architecture. Porticos and arches were widely used. The constructive elements
were introduced by Thomas Waters, an Irish architect who implemented them on
several projects while he was working in Japan.
 • Many governments building like the Japan Mint in Osaka and the Rokumeikan
Hall, were designed following western styles, leaving behind the traditional
Japanese structures and standards. In Tokyo, the Ginza District was built as a
symbol of modern architecture. However, western-like buildings were very
expensive and became nearly abandoned because most Japanese people
couldn’t afford to live there.

• The Giyofu Movement

o The government encourage Western influences. In response, Japanese

craftsmen developed a new style, known as Giyofu or “pseudo-Western-
style architecture” outwardly resembled Western-style construction but
relied on traditional Japanese design techniques.
o Wood was used as the main material, but it was plastered on both sides,
creating the illusion of stone buildings. The Chinese octagonal tower was
incorporated into many designs, inspired by the bell towers from European
churches and the Chinese influences also present at that time.

The Japan Mint in Osaka The Rokumeikan Hall in Tokyo)

Rokumeikan
• The Rokummeikan (“Bangqueting”) was a large two-story building in Tokyo,
completed in 1883, which became a controversial symbol of Westernization in
the Meiji period. Commissioned for the housing of the foreign guests by the
Foreign Minister Inoue Kaoru, it was designed by British architect Josiah Conder,
a prominent Western adviser working in Japan.

• Although the Rokumeikan’s heyday was brief, it became famous for its parties
and balls, which introduced many high-ranking Japanese to Western manners for
the first time, and it is still a fixture in the cultural memory of Japan. It was,
however, largely used for the accommodation of guests of the government, and
 for meetings between Japanese who had already lived abroad, and its image as
a centre of dissipation is largely fictional.

• Meiji Porcelain

o Porcelain wasn’t just decorative but had also

a political meaning. It represented the first
major exhibition of Japanese’s crafts at the
Paris’ World Fair of 1867 and was seen as a
major opportunity to establish trade business
with the West.

o However, porcelain saw a decline during the

Meiji period. The refined and delicate
porcelain from the preceding Edo era was
often replaced by mass produced and less
detailed products. Porcelain remained a high-
valued item for decoration in Europe, but the poor quality eventually made
customers lose their interest.

• In early 1920’s, modernists and expressionists emerged and formed their own
groups. Kunio Maekawa and Junzo Sakakura joined Le Corbusier’s studio in
France, came back to Japan in early 1930’s, and designed several buildings.

• The influence of modernism is evident in many company and government

buildings, /in 1933, Bruno Taut, a prominent German architect and urban
planner, fled to Japan, and his positive opinion of Japanese architecture
(especially Katsura Imperial Villa) encouraged Japanese modernists.
Expressionism + Bauhaus Influence = International Style of Modernism

• Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting,

originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to
present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for
emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas.

• The most important influence on Bauhaus was modernism, a cultural movement

whose origins lay as early as the 1880s, and which had already made its
presence felt in Germany before the World War, despite the prevailing
conservatism. The design innovations commonly associated with Gropius and
the Bauhaus – the radically simplified forms, the rationality and functionality, and
the idea that mass production was reconcilable with the individual artistic spirit –
were already partly developed in Germany before the Bauhaus was founded.

• Frank Lloyd Wright

o The first was Frank Lloyd Wright who designed the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
(1913-1923) and the Yodoko guest House (1924), both of which used
locally quarried Oya stone.

o Wright had a number of Japanese apprentices under his tutelage, such as

Arata Endo, who constructed the Koshien Hotel in 1930.
• Antonin Raymond

o Antonin Raymond who worked for Wright on the Imperial Hotel before
leaving to set up his own practice in Tokyo.

o Although his early works like Tokyo Women’s Christian College show
Wright’s influence, he soon began to experiment with the use of in-situ
reinforced concrete, detailing it in way that recalled traditional Japanese
construction methods.
o Between 1933 and 1937 Bruno Taut stayed in Japan. His writing,
especially those on Katsura Imperial Villa reevaluated traditional Japanese
architecture whilst bringing it to a wider audience.

Tokyo Woman’s Christian University Reinanzaka House

Colonial Architecture

Japanese Architecture Influence on Taiwan

• After Japan occupied Taiwan, the realm of the built environment was
turned on its head. Many cities and towns were altered. Buildings were
turned modern.

• Baroque architecture and relief sculptures are typical Japanese

architecture styles.

• After Japan had to leave Taiwan (after WW2), old buildings were used for
new purposes
o Ex: The old city government building was turned to the National
Museum of Taiwan literature

• Architecture
o Since Taiwan was Japan’s first ever colony, the Japanese
immediately got to work putting great effort in to turning Taiwan in
the perfect model for how a colony should look.

o This is why there are a lot of architecture in Taiwan that has

Japanese influences although today Taiwan is a province of China.
Japanese Architecture Influence on Korea
• During the Japanese occupation in the Colonial Korea era from 1910 to
1945, there was an attempt by the colonial government of the Empire of
Japan to replace Korea architecture with Japanese architectural traditions.

• Significant structures of Korea Imperial palace compounds and their

traditional Korean gardens were demolished. Important landscape
elements were removed and sold or taken for use in Japan. Ancient
bunjae trees were taken for replanting as bonsai in Japan. Also, during
Japanese occupation, the construction of traditional Korean religious
buildings (Buddhust or Confucian) was discouraged, as well as
adaptations in Christian churches. Some Korean people resisted the
Japanese nationalist agenda by building the traditional Korean hanok
homes, such as the houses of Jeonju village.

• The colonial disregard for Korean architecture and its history left important
Korean landmarks neglected and unmaintained, and deterioration or
demolition of significant examples of architecture resulted. Some historic
buildings were also redecorated using Japanese ornamentation methods.
Koban – Police box Seoul City Hall

Seoul Station

Jinsen Shrine