architecture of China, Japan, and Korea

introductory notes

1
jab, 2020
At first glance, the architecture of China, Korea, and
Japan seems to be similar with each other. They may
look the same. They may share the same features.
However, just as their are similarities, there are also
differences. Some of those similarities and differences
were presented in this set of introductory notes.

2
 Perhaps one of the most important geographical factor affecting the architecture of
these countries is their location near the Pacific Ring of Fire.

The Ring of Fire is a

string of volcanoes
and sites of seismic
activity, or earthquakes,
around the edges of
the Pacific Ocean.
Roughly 90% of all
earthquakes occur
along the Ring of Fire,
and the ring is dotted
with 75% of all active
volcanoes on Earth.

source: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/plate-tectonics-ring-fire/ 3
 Another
important
factor
contributing to
their
architectural
gems is
Buddhism.
The map
shows the
spread of
Buddhism
from India.

source: https://www.ancient.eu/image/1059/the-spread-of-buddhism/ 4
Buddhism is considered a hierarchical
religion with authority in monasteries,
monks, nuns, lay people, and pilgrims).
Buddhism is neither a polytheistic or
monotheistic religion instead it is
nontheistic. It is also universalizing “Nontheistic” means not
having or involving a
meaning anyone can join the religion at
belief in a god or gods.
anytime.

Buddhism spread by hierarchical diffusion

through the Magadha Empire and “Hierachical Diffusion” happens
when a cultural trend is spread
relocation diffusion by trading merchants.
from one segment of society to
Currently it is especially prominent in another, in a pattern
countries in east Asia such as China and
southeast Asia.
“Relocation Diffusion” means the
source: spread of an idea through
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=1b4
dc0a2340741eebb69ecb38b55e21d
physical movement of people
from one place to another.

5
 However, prior to the
introduction of Buddhism to
China, Japan and Korea,
there were existing
religious beliefs and
philosphical ideas
respectively in these
countries

Buddhism found its way to

co-exist with these existing
religions and philosophies
as evident in their
architecture.

The existing religions and

philosophical ideas per
country is presented in the
next page.

6
 Confucianism - Presents the concepts of “heaven” and “way”. Wherein
heaven represented a celestial power connected with the will of mighty
ancestors and “way” constituted a natural path for humanity. Both were
crucial for achieving harmony in the earthly realm.
China
Daoism/ Taoism - Taoism is mainly concerned with the spiritual elements
of life, including the nature of the universe. The guiding principle of
Taoism is roughly translated as “the Way,” which is a harmonious natural
order that arises between humans and the world, and that Taoists should
strive to achieve.
Shintoism - "Shinto gods" are called kami. They are sacred spirits which
Japan take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain,
mountains, trees, rivers and fertility.
Shamanism - includes the worship of thousands of spirits and demons
that are believed to dwell in every object in the natural world,including
Korea rocks, trees, mountains and streams as well as celestial bodies

Confucianism (from China)

source: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2056.html
source: https://asiasociety.org/chinese-religions-and-philosophies
source: https://asiasociety.org/education/historical-and-modern-religions-korea 7
Chinese architecture remained
remarkably constant throughout
t h e h i s t o r y o f t h e c o u n t r y.
Beginning in the Yellow ear th
region, the same types of
materials and structure w ere Intricate painted ceiling of a pavilion
employed for centuries. Wood
was always preferred rather than
stone, and the roof material of
choice was glazed ceramic tiles.
The most typical building, at least
for larger structures for the elite or
public use such as temples, halls,
and gate towers, was built on a
raised platform made of
compacted earth and faced with Forbidden City, Beijing.
brick or stone. (notice that it was raised on a platform)
source: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/architecture/
8
source: https://www.ancient.eu/Chinese_Architecture/
Walled compounds, r ai s ed
pavilions, wooden columns and
panelling, yellow glazed roof tiles,
landscaped gardens, and a careful
application of town planning and
use of space are all notable
features of the archi tectu re o f
ancient China, with many of them
still playing an important part in
modern architecture across East
Asia.
source:
https://www.ancient.eu/Chinese_Architecture/

Chinese buildings used bright

colours with vermilion paint applied
to pillars and balustrades, yellow
for glazed roof tiles, and green
paint for decorative parts such as
the brackets under the eaves.
source:
https://www.ancient.eu/Chinese_Architecture/
9
 image source: https://www.quora.com/How-are-traditional-Chinese-architectural-styles-and-elements-
adopted-in-modern-Chinese-architecture

The most common building type had regularly spaced timber posts
which were strengthened by horizontal cross-beams. In order to better
protect the building from earthquake damage, very few nails were used,
and joins between wooden parts were made to interlock using mortises
and tenons which gave a greater flexibility.
source:
https://www.ancient.eu/Chinese_Architecture/ 10
image source: https://www.theepochtimes.com/chinese- image source:
architecture-miniature-cosmos_1529839.html https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/202169470750869110/

To distribute the weight of the roof on the supporting wooden posts and allow the
roof to spread beyond the area of the building itself, the dougong was created
which is a bracket joining the top of the post and horizontal roof beam. It is likely that
the design of roofs which projected beyond the walls of the building - a feature so
typical of Asian architecture - was first intended to protect the wooden columns and
their bases from deterioration by exposure to rain.
source: https://www.ancient.eu/Chinese_Architecture/
11
Architectural Feng Shui is the soul of China’s ancient architectural theories. It
enjoys a high status in China’s architecture history.
One of the important Feng Shui principles used in architecture is ‘leaning
against mountains and facing waters’. This has been widely used at either a
large or small scale.

The Forbidden City, Beijing

image source:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Forbidden-City

FengShui stresses symmetr y in architecture. Many ancient Chinese

constructions, including cities, palaces, residences, and tombs, are bilaterally
symmetrical. The Forbidden City, the world’s best-preserved imperial palace
was built in a bilaterally symmetrical way.
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source: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/architecture/culture/fengshui.htm
Curves a re a l s o p re f e r re d d u r i n g
construction activities for it symbolizes
vitality in FengShui. In China, many
bridges are built with arches; corridors
are winding, man-made rivers are
sinuous.

It is favorable to plant trees around

buildings. In ancient times, villagers
planted large stretches of FengShui
woods outside the village. They thought
those woods could protect them and
were closely related to the rise and fall image source: http://www.chinatravelpage.com/chinese-
garden-a-winding-path-to-places-of-interest
of the village’s prosperity.

In real life, it is difficult to select a site or construct a building with perfect FengShui.
Then, the principle of modifying FengShui is applied. The above mentioned
planting of trees around buildings is a method of modifying the FengShui. Other
modification practices applied to architecture include digging wells if there is not
enough water, digging canals if water flow is blocked. -that's why landscaping is
important to them.
13
source: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/architecture/culture/fengshui.htm
Chinese gardens aren’t just thrown
together. Instead, they’re deliberately
designed and visitors should walk
through them in the particular order that
the garden was laid out

Just about ever y C hi nese g ard en

contains architecture, like a building or
pavilion; decorative rocks and a rock
garden; plants, trees and flowers; and
w ater el em ents , l i k e p ond s . M o s t
Chinese gardens are enclosed by a
wall and some have winding paths.

source:
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/archit
ecture/features-garden.htm
14
 CHINA: Buddhist Temples
Buddhism was introduced into China
mainly during Eastern Han Dynasty via
the South China Sea and Wester n
Region. The Buddhist temple was
adapted to Chinese tastes when it
arrived in China.
source:
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/archite
cture/styles/chinese-buddhist-temples.htm
Xiangguo Temple, Kaifeng

White Horse Temple, Luoyang Guiyuan Temple, Wuhan

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 CHINA: Buddhist Pagodas

The most tangible evidence of

influence on Chinese architecture
from India is the pagoda building.
Derived from the stupa building,
Chinese architects made the pagoda
structure much more grandiose and
added many more stories, often up
to twelve. However, the towers were
for show only and the different stories
were not meant for actual use, hence
the reduction in size for each
successive story and the absence of
any access to them. The often added
balustrades on each floor were only
part of the illusion that each floor was
accessible.
source: https://www.ancient.eu/Chinese_Architecture/ Timber pagoda of the Fogong Temple, 1056, Song
dynasty; at Yingxian, Shanxi province, China.
16
source: https://www.britannica.com/technology/pagoda
 The pagoda of the Tianning Temple, Beijing. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda of Xi'an in
China, built in the 7th century, made of
source:
brick.
https://www.ancient.eu/Chinese_Architecture/
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagoda

Pagodas were made from wood around a central wooden column, and only later
were stone and bricks used, although wood made a comeback when it was
realised a greater height was possible using that material.
source: https://www.ancient.eu/Chinese_Architecture/ 17
 CHINA: Palace Architecture

Taihe Palace

The Imperial Palace Museum is the largest, best-kept wooden architectural

complexes in the world. Taihe Palace (or Throne Room) is 35.05m in height,63m
from east to west and 35m from south to north. Its 9:5 length-width ratio symbolizes
the imperial throne. The highest level of traditional Chinese architecture, it was the
place where the most important events like the new emperor ascending the throne
were held.
source: https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-guide/ancient-chinese-wooden-architecture.htm 18
 CHINA: Gateway

Pailou at the China Martial Arts Hall, Decorated paifang at the Summer Palace in Beijing
Jinshitan, Dalian

A Paifang, also known as a pailou, is a traditional style of Chinese architectural

arch or gateway structure. Evolved from the Indian subcontinent's torana through
the introduction of Buddhism to China, it has developed many styles and has
been introduced to other East Asian countries, such as Korea, Japan, and
Vietnam.
19
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paifang
 Japanese architecture, the built
structures of Japan and their context.
A pervasive characteristic of
Japanese architecture—and, indeed,
of all the visual arts of Japan—is an
understanding of the natural world as
a source of spiritual insight and an
instructive mirror of human emotion.
source:
https://www.britannica.com/art/Japanese-
architecture

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Union with the natural is an element
of Japanese architecture.
Architecture seemed to conform to
nature. The symmetry of Chinese-
style temple plans gave way to
asymmetrical layouts that followed
the specific contours of hilly and
mountainous topography. The
borders existing between
structures and the natural world
were deliberately obscure.
Elements such as long verandas
and multiple sliding panels offered
constant vistas on nature—
although the nature was often
carefully arranged and fabricated
rather than wild and real.
source:
https://www.britannica.com/art/Japanese- Horyuji Temple Layout
architecture 21
 JAPAN: Shinto Shrines
Among the earliest Shinto
shrine architecture styles are
the Shinmei style as
represented by the Ise
Shrines whose halls resemble
ancient storehouses, and the
Taisha style as represented
by the Izumo Shrine whose
buildings resemble ancient
residences. Izumo Shrine Main Hall (Honden)

The arrival of Buddhism in the

6th century brought along
strong architectural
influences from the mainland.
Kasuga Shrine and Usa
Shrine are among two early
shrine construction
prototypes.
source: https://www.japan
guide.com/e/e2111.html Usa Shrine (Upper Shrine) 22
 JAPAN: Buddhist Temples and Pagodas

Temples came along with

the import of Buddhism
from China around the 6th
century. At first, temples
resembled those in China
closely in features, such as
having wide courtyards and
symmetrical layouts. Some
of the oldest surviving Horyuji Temple
temple buildings exhibiting
these features can be
found in Nara, in particular
at Horyuji, Todaiji, Yakushiji
and Kofukuji. Asukadera,
located about 25 kilometers
south of Nara City, is
considered the oldest
Buddhist institution in
Japan
source: https://www.japan
guide.com/e/e2111.html Todaiji
23
 Yakushiji

Asukadera's Main Hall

24
source: https://www.japan guide.com/e/e2111.html
 One of the main The long, heavy
features of japanese wooden pole is freely
pagodas is the suspended at the top,
massive, heavy hanging from the
hanging pillar in the upper part of the
center. This is the real pagoda. The weight
secret of wooden of the pole "exerts a
pagodas. The compressive
hanging "heart pillar" prestress" on the
is like the spine of the entire structure,
pagoda: Not only increasing the
does it balance off the bending resistance,
forces of earthquakes, while undergoing
it also is a powerful "pendular vibrations"
symbol of how your to avoid damage...
spiritual center, your (From Vibration And
core, should allow Shock Handbook by
you to stay calm and C W de Silva)
not be moved by all
kinds of influences or
events.

source: http://martinjapan.blogspot.com/2009/11/hideaki-tokunaga-live-at-yakushi-ji.html 25
 Torii, symbolic gateway marking the
entrance to the sacred precincts of a
Shintō shrine in Japan. The torii,
which has many variations,
characteristically consists of two
cylindrical vertical posts topped by a
crosswise rectangular beam
extending beyond the posts on
either side and a second crosswise
beam a short distance below the first. Torii at Itsuku Island, Japan
Some authorities relate the torii to the
Indian gateway arch, the torana,
which reached Japan with the
spread of Buddhism. Others connect
the torii with traditional gates in
Manchuria and elsewhere in China.
The torii, often painted bright red,
demarcates the boundary between
the sacred space of the shrine and
ordinary space. Torii also identify
other sacred spots, such as a
mountain or rock. Usa Jingū, Ōita Prefecture
source:
source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/torii https://www.nippon.com/en/views/b05202/torii- 26
gates-to-the-sacred-spaces.html
 27
source: http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat55/sub355/item1325.html
 JAPAN: Palace Architecture
Imperial palaces are the seat of the
Emperor. In the past, a new palace was
built with the relocation of the capital every
time a new emperor ascended to the
throne. In 710, the first permanent capital
was set up in Nara, and thus the first
permanent palace, the Heijo Palace, was
built.
The imperial capital was later moved to Heijo Palace
Kyoto where it remained for over a
thousand years until 1868.

From the 14th to the 16th century, Japan

went through a period of civil war. With
the arrival of peace in the Edo Period,
feudal lords started to build palaces for
themselves too. These palaces were
usually situated within the castles but
separate from the main keep.
Kyoto Imperial Palace

source: https://www.japan guide.com/e/e2111.html 28

Korean Architecture

The architecture of ancient Korea is

epitomised by the artful combination of
wood and stone to create elegant and
spacious multi-roomed structures
characterised by clay tile roofing,
enclosures within protective walls,
interior courtyards and gardens, and
the whole placed upon a raised
platform, typically of packed earth. The
immediate topography of buildings
was also important as architects
endeavoured to harmoniously blend
their designs into the natural
environment and take advantage of
scenic views.

source:
https://www.ancient.eu/Korean_Architecture/
29
The topography was considered an
important factor which could
influence the design of a building so
that it blended into its local
surroundings (pungsu). The best
possible place was a site backed by
mountains to block the wind and
opening onto a wide plain with a river
running through it. Both features
were thought to provide energy or gi
which would flow into the building.
Such a location was described as
baesan imsu. Also important was to
have a pleasant view, the andae,
which meant that not only single
buildings but sometimes entire
villages faced a particular direction.

source:
https://www.ancient.eu/Korean_Architecture/
30
KOREA: Buddhist Temple
and Pagodas

The Bulguksa Temple (aka

Pulguk-sa Temple or
'Temple of the Buddha
Land') was built in the 8th
century CE on the wooded
slopes of Mt. Tohamsan at
the ancient Silla capital of
Geumseong (modern
Gyeongju, South Korea)

31
 Although the original
wooden buildings of
Bulguksa have long
since disappeared the
temple does have two
surviving stone pagodas
– the Dabotap (Tabo-tap
or 'Pagoda of Many
Treasures') and
Seokgatap (Sokka-tao or
'Pagoda that Casts No
Shadow') – which both
traditionally date 751 CE.
Stone pagodas are
Korea’s unique
contribution to Buddhist
architecture, and they
usually stood as a pair in
a courtyard in front of the
main temple hall, as was
Seokgatap Dabotap the case with these two
at Bulguksa which stand
before the Daeungjeon
32
Hall.
 KOREA: Gateway

Hongsalmun is a red
spiked gate that is found
at the entrances of
sacred places in Korea.
Such sacred places
include shrines, tombs,
and schools. It features
Hongsalmun (red spiked gate) at Seonjeongneung Royal Tomb
no roof or door.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buan_Hyanggyo_Hongsalmun_13-04671.JPG 33
source: https://www.theseoulguide.com/architecture/hongsalmun/
 KOREA: Palace

Gyeongbokgung Palace,
located north of
Gwanghwamun Square, is
one of the most iconic
sights in all of Korea
thanks to its long and
storied history.
Construction on
Gyeongbokgung Palace
was completed in 1395 at
the beginning of the
Joseon Dynasty during the
reign of King Taejo.
Gyeongbokgung, which
means “palace greatly
blessed by Heaven,” was
built in the heart of Seoul
surrounded by Mount
Bugaksan and Mount
Namsan.
source: https://www.theseoulguide.com/sights/palaces/gyeongbokgung-palace/ 34
 These ends the short presentation.

You may search further about these countries, and learn more about their
culture and architecture.

Note:
As part of the requirement for this sem, start identifying the similarities and
differences of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean architecture from each other
based from the notes presented. Additionally, you may visit the web site
below to help you identify the similarities and differences.

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-differences-between-Japanese-
Korean-and-Chinese-architecture

Format and mechanics of the requirement shall be given in the last set of
introductory notes.

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jab, 2020