Technological Institute of the Philippines

938 Aurora Blvd. Cubao, Quezon City

AR 333A / History of Architecture 3

JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE
Assignment No. 4

Maria Elaiza Ann R. Taguse

Ar. Lawrence Dolores II

Student

Instructor

AR31FA3

July 28, 2015

Section

Date

Table of Contents

References
Salvan, George

I. Influences

II. Architectural Character

III. Examples

IV. Terminology

V. Significance of the Study

10

Fletcher, Banister

Ching, Francis D.K.

Ching, Francis D.K.

INFLUENCES

GEOGRAPHICAL

GEOLOGICAL

CLIMATIC

Eastern coast of Asia

Rugged hill country

Cold Airstream, Warm Moist Air

HISTORICAL
Purely local until 1543

RELIGIOUS

SOCIAL
Tea Drinking

Taoism, Shintoism, Buddhism

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

Largely derived from China, but at all times main-

tained its own special characteristic of lightness and
delicacy
Refinement in Japanese architecture, combined with
minutes in carving and decoration are particularly
noticeable in timber construction

Roofs

Form a striking contrast with practice in the Middle

east and India, where flat terrace roofs predominate
Characterized by their exquisite curvature
They are supported upon a succession of simple or
compound brackets
The upper part of the roof is terminated by a gable
placed vertically above the end walls, known as an
Irimoya gable

The lower part of the main roof is carried round the

ends of the building in a hipped form

Roof Coverings

Thatch, Shingles, or Tiles

Thatched roofs often have a prominent ridge of tiles
with an exaggerated cresting, or the ridge may be of
stout bamboos, tied with blackened rope and terminated with finials
Tiled Roofs Have flattish and roll tiles alternately,
while cover tiles, often of decorative form are used to
mask joints at the eaves. Ridges and hips are made up
of layers of tiles set in mortar, finished wit large
moulded tile capping and crestings. A lower roof
known as HISASHI is sometimes projected below
the eaves of the main roof. Hollowed bamboos are
used to form roof gutters and pipes. Gable ends often
have cusped barge-boards with pendants

Curved brackets (Kumo-Hijiki) adorn the underside

of the overhanging eaves

Most houses are constructed of wood-framing with

wood or stout paper infilling, which in an earthquake
shock is much safer than stone or brick construction
Temple walling is a strictly trabeated arrangement of
timber posts and rails dividing surfaces into regular
oblong spaces, filled in with plaster, boarding, or
carved and painted panels
Light is introduced principally through doorways. A
system of cornicebracketing in both simple and
complex forms is a very characteristic feature of Japanese buildings
Immediately above the pillars or columns is a highly
Columns
decorated frieze, and above this, the bracketing consists of a series of projecting wooden corbels supporting horizontal members and rafters with decorated
Followed the Chinese form, conspicuous in Japanese
faces, thus allowing the roof to overhang the wall,
temples and in facades to places and gateways
often as much as 2.4 m
Intercolumniation is regulated by the standard of
Buildings are stilted upon stone piles to a height
measurement known as the KEN which is divided
which would ensure timber being above ground water
into twenty parts, termed minutes, and each minute
during the rainy season
being again divided into a further twenty two parts or
The underside of beams are frequently cambered to
seconds of space
avoid any impression of sagging, while piers and colColumns when square are paneled and when round or
umns are given a refined entasis and frequently an
octagonal are reeded and often richly lacquered
inward inclination to mitigate the effects of earthEven when plain, columns are objects of beauty as
quake
timber was split by wedges and smoothed with a
spear-shaped plane known as Yariganna which left a
Windows
beautiful finish
Window openings are filled with timber trellis and
provided with wooden shutters externally, and paperusually rice paper-in light sashes, internally, in all
cases, exterior walling is extremely thin

Mouldings

Japanese work shows the absence of mouldings as

wall surfaces are admired for their own intrinsic beauty

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
Native Japanese Architecture

Yayoi Dwellings

Post with footboard,

on top a board wall

Varieties of post foot-boards

Izumo Shrineone of the most primitive and holy of the

Shinto designs; shares with the Yayoi house model the
beetling gables, gable-end entrance (contrasting with the
Chinese main-faade entry) and the peculiar round timbers
balanced on the ridge. The crossing and projection of the
gable rafters is a feature no less primitive, consecrated in the
design. The shrines as they exist today are poems of carpentry.
The subsequent solution of Shinto temple design combined
these initial forms with style adopted from the Chinese

Buildings on a 3rd or 4th

century mirror; storehouse,
priests house, farmhouse,
rulers house

EXAMPLES
Temples

Pagoda

Square plan, mostly

five-storeyed and about
45 meters in height

The first gate

to the Toshogu
Shrine, Tochgi
Perfecture,
Japan 1636

TORII

TEA HOUSE

PAGODA

O-TORII

Tea Houses

In
construction,
they
are
virtually
suspended around
a
central
timber,
thus
providing a measure of stability
against earthquake shocks

Shinto
Templesdistinguished
from buddhist by
the characteristic
"Torii" or gateways
formed by upright posts supporting
two or more horizontal beams, under which, it was
considered, worshippers must pass for prayers to
be effectual

The ground storey contains images and shrines,

while the upper storeys serve as belvederes
there are wide projecting roofs to each storey
and the subtle curvature distinguishes them
from Chinese examples

Palace

PALACE

A
simple
type, consisting
of a principal
hall, joined by
corridors
to
three
separate
pavilions for the family of the

ISE SHRINE

South
gateway of third
fence of Naiku,
the inner shrine.
Near
Ise-City,
Japan, 3rd century AD

Emperor

From the 16th century, palaces were protected

by walls of masonry, often formed with a batter,
concave on the external face, and with tilted
quoin stones, to resist earthquake shocks moat
invariably encircled the walls

Developed
in the kamakura
period
as
a
result
of
the
aesthetic
doctrine of Zen
Buddhism
which
permeated Japanese thought
and resulted in the tea ceremony garden
cultivation and flower arrangement
Represents a most exclusive Japanese social
institution, and was the resort of the most
sophisticated and fashionable world
Maintained solely for the for the cult of the teadrinking
ceremony,
associated
with
contemplation and appreciation of the arts
Typically and stylistically indigenous, they are
normally small in scale, the size regulated by
mats, often down to angle-mat room, barely 1.8
m x 1m and always with the recess or Tokonoma
Architecturally, the greatest care is lavished on
these tea room proper, while no detail of
lighting, ventilation or decoration is neglected
The entry for guests is always curved so as to
conceal the entrance until you get there and is
usually approached by stepping stones through a
pleasure garden with tastefully arranged flower
beds
Decorative
stone
lanterns
and
skillfully
landscaped trees, shrubs, and watercourses
contrive to form a lively setting, and to
effectively cut off the entrance from immediate
view
The separation of the chaniwa is intended to
create a feeling of detachment from all things
wordly

EXAMPLES
Houses

BONSAI

Entered through a vestibule and have a verandah,

engawa, living, dining, and guest rooms, with a
recess for flowers and art treasures
There are rooms for hosts and hostess, but not
bedrooms in the usual sense, no distinction being
made between living and sleeping apartments
because all bedding, the threefold mattress and
thick quilt called futon are stored in closets during
the day
Rooms are regulated in size by floor mats or
Tatami used as flooring coverings, and measuring
one ken about 1.8 m by a half-ken
A typical middle-class dwelling, except where a
central court is introduced, is planned as a simple
rectangle
Usually one storey high, with entrance, ante
rooms, living rooms, kitchen (with scullery) .
Called daidokoro with a big fireplace over which t
hang a pot. Store rooms and gardens--a
separseparate small fire-resisting structure, known
as a go down is built for storage of valuables
Walling is formed by light timber vertical posts and
horizontal members covered with weather boarding

Interior partitions are formed with light movable

timber frames, with an infilling of stout
translucent paper, 18 m in height. The friezes
above being plastered or wood lined. These
screens can be slid aside-maximum flexibility in
planning being a characteristic of Japanese
dwellings,
while
the
external
(verandah)
partitions can be similarly rearranged, or
removed to permit the entire house to be open
to the garden
Two main reception rooms form a suite the
second a step higher than the first and having
two alcoves (recess) or tokonomas, a special
feature of trditional Japanese houses, used to
display a flower arrangement or a selected art
treasure. PPlaced on a platform where above, a
scroll is hung. The Tokonoma is a place for
meditation and art. When the family entertains,
the honored guest is placed just in front of the
tokonoma, with his or her back to it, so that the
guest, the scroll and the ikebana make a
charming and harmoniois picture. Since the
tokonoma does not occupy the entire width of a
wall, another recess next to itis occupied by
decorative shelves and cabinets (tana)

An almost
perfect
reflection
of
Japanese
culture

Two to three feet tall, and

epitomizes the beauty of nature

A tree can easily be 100 or 200 years old

Bath Houses
BATH HOUSE

Closely
resembles
the large private house,
but
it
is
invariably
planned round a central
courtyard

In large examples,
upper
floors
are
provided with connecting
galleries

Appreciation of the importance of

personal hygiene is strongly marked in
the
Japanese character

In a family, the same hot water is used by

everyone, the oldest member going in first.
Utmost consideration is always observed

TERMINOLOGY
Trabeated

Ma

Tatami

The
beam
forms
constructive feature

A Japanese termvariously
translated as a gap, interval,
or pause in time and space
referring
to
an
aesthetic
principle
reflecting
Zen
Buddhist spatial ideas: time
and space are indivisible

Japanese mats used as floor

coverings

the

Camber
Slight rise or upward curve of
an
otherwise
horizontal
surface

Loggia
An arcaded or roofed gallery
built into or projecting from the
side of a building particularly
one over looking an open court

Entasis
A swelling or curving outwards
along the outline of a columns
haft designed to counteract the
optical illusion which give a
shaft bounded by street lines
the appearance of curving
inside

Mon
Power Gate

The
architecture
of
the
civilization that emerged on
the Japanese archipelago off
the east coast of Asia,
characterized by a synthesis of
seminal ideas from China and
native conditions producing a
distinctive style characterized
by lightness, delicacy, and
refinement

Hisashi

Kami

A lower roof

The
sacred
spirits
of
Shintoism, which can take the
form of things and concepts
important to life, such as wind,
rain, mountains, trees, rivers,
and fertility

Futon

Of or pertaining to the period in

Japan
785-1185
CE,
characterized
by
the
modification and naturalization
of ideas and institutions that
were earlier introduced from
China.
During
this
time,
indigenous
feudalism
superseded
Chinese-based
social order and Japanese
architecture
developed
in
isolation from China

Describes a person of authority

Japanese Architecture

Zen
Heian

Kenmon

A
Japanese
school
of
Mahayana
Buddhism
that
emphasizes
experiential
wisdom,
meditation,
and
intuition in the attainment of
enlightenment; in Mandarin
Chinese, Chn, derived from
the Sanskrit word dhyana

Ramma
Pierced
ventilating
under the cornices

friezes

Beddingthreefold
with thick quilt

Xanadu
A place of idyllic beauty and
contentment: Samuel Taylor
Coleridges
modification
of
Xandu, modern Shangtu and
the site of Kublai Khans
summer
residence
in
southeastern Mongolia

mattress

Daidokoro
Kitchen (with scullery)

Nara
A period in Japanese history,
710-794 CE, characterized by
the adoption of Chinese culture
and
form
of
government;
named after the first permanent
capital and chief Buddhist
center in ancient Japan

Tokonoma

Belvederes

A recess or alcove used to

display a flower arrangement
or a selected art treasure

An open roofed gallery in an

upper storey built for giving a
view of the scenery

TERMINOLOGY
Kodo

Genkan

Kakemono

Assembly or lecture hall

Indispensable entrance room

or foyer with floor of concrete
or cement or pebbles set in
cement

A
vertical
hanging
scroll
containing either text or a
painting,
intended
to
be
viewed on a wall and rolled
when not in use

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Performed in small structures
and
constructed
to
have
harmony, reverence, purity,
and silence

Kotatsu
Sunken square

Chasitsu

Kinmon
Prohibited Gateway

Mikado
Honorable Gate

Ofuro

Tokobashira
A post marking the front of
the partition between the
tokonoma and
the
tana,
sometimes of exquisite wood
of particular grain and shape

Ken
A linear unit for regulating
column spacing in traditional
Japanese construction, equal to
6 shaku (5.97ft or 1.818m) in
the inaka-ma method, and in
the kyo-ma method, initially set
at 6 1/2 shaku (6.5ft or
1.970m), but later varying
according to room width as
determined by tatami units

Shoji

Curved brackets which adorn

the
underside
of
the
overhanging eaves

Verandah
An extension of the floor on
one or more sides of a
Japanese-style house, usually
facing a a garden and serving
as a passageway or sitting
space

One of a series of sliding

translucent panels used in
Japanese architecture between
the exterior and the interior, or
between two interior spaces,
consisting of a light wooden
framework covered on one side
with rice paper; the lower
section is occasionally filled by a
thin wooden panel

Fuchi

Torii

Zashiki

Shoin-Zukuri

Thin reed cover

Gateways formed by upright

posts supporting two or more
horizontal beams

Reception room: the main

room in a traditional Japanese
house, used for receiving and
entertaining
guests.
Its
importance is evident in the
presence of a tokonoma, tana,
and shoin

A ceremonial style of Japanese

residential architecture in the
Kamakura period, deriving its
name from the characteristic
shoin or study-bay and marked
by a hierarchical arrangement
of public and private rooms

Tea room proper

Chanoyu
Tea ceremony

Omote
Surface

Heri
Edge

Budsudan

Bath

Kumo-Hijiki

Toko

Engawa

Floor

Buddhist altar

Chanoma
Family room

Hakoniwa
Box Garden

Hibachi

Chaniwa

Traditional charcoal brazier

Pleasure garden

Shoin
Tana
In
Japanese
residential
architecture, a recess with
built-in
shelving,
usually
adjoining a tokonoma

An elevated bay or projected

window with a raised sill serving
as a desk for writing or reading,
usually placed at a right angle
to
the
tokonoma
in
the
reception room of a shoinzukuri style residence

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It was interesting to study an architecture style that basically mimics another

because of a major influence. It paid curiosity how Japanese architecture can look
like Chinese architecture yet distinctively be itself. Though I couldnt compare it to a

...architecture
will always be an
image after
something else...

student cheating on an exam, cheating on anothers intelligence, because I know Japanese people, themselves, are intuitive.
After the research, I have figured that architecture will always be an image after something
else, no matter how big or small the influence is. The challenge would be to know which is permissible to adopt to another location and how to create distinction or own character. This can go on if I
forward it to the question, Is there really a Filipino Architecture?