CHINESE ARCHITECTURE

HISTORY OF EASTERN ARCHITECTURE September 13, 2019

LECTURE VIII
OVERVIEW OF JAPANESE
ARCHITECTURE IN HISTORY
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INFLUENCING FACTORS
 Isolation from world for long time, however, influenced by Chinese
Architecture to much extent in timber construction, carvings, roof
forms, interior decorations, etc. (although difference between two are

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many)
 Whereas the exposed wood in Chinese buildings is painted, in Japanese
buildings it traditionally has not been. Also, Chinese architecture was based on
a lifestyle that included the use of chairs, while in Japan people customarily sat
on the floor. Later Japanese woodwork much finer than Chinese.
 Climate: long hot and humid summer and heavy rainfall and snowfall
- traditional house is raised somewhat so that the air can move around
and beneath it
 Religion: Shinto and Buddhism - Buddhism was introduced into Japan
from China in the Asuka period (593–710)
 Located in earthquake prone zone – use of timber - flexible 2
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CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES
 Much derivation from China however Japanese produced a truly distinctive
architectural style more delicate in decoration if less monumental in scale
 Timber was material of choice for building construction and was prime

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structural element too in use of columns (no use of truss hence span of
building was dictated by the length of timber available)
 Timber became main building material because it was cool in summer, warm
in winter and more flexible when subjected to earthquake
 No use of heavy walls but use of simple protective screen made of flimsy
material like paper, cardboards, planks, etc.
 Greater attention on relationship of building to site or landscape
 Lightness, delicacy and refinement are main characteristics of Japanese
historic buildings

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RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
 Generally of simple design and of one storey with vestibule, verandah,
living, dining and bed rooms
 Flexible planning with movable partitions so that room size can be

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increased
 Proportion of plan form related to floor mats (Tatami) of size 6 ft. X 3
ft. Used more in aristocratic homes
 Walls are made of light wood/paper, shutters made of rice paper,
decorated timber trellies in windows – Shoji panels
 Columns take all the load of roof and brackets transfer load of roof to
column
 Roof with subtle curvature, upturned projecting eaves, tile covering
and bamboo for shutters, ridge/hip tiles set in mortar
 Neat, well arranged flower beds, cheerful and clean houses 4
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SHINTO ARCHITECTURE
 Shinto ("the way of the gods") is Japan's traditional
religion.

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 Shinto shrines are the representation of Japanese worship
of the spirits of the environment
 Followers of Shintoism worship the natural world -
animals, plants, stones and places of great beauty.
 The ancestors and heroes of old are also sacred.

 Japan has around 80,000 Shinto shrines, the chief one

being the Grand Shrine at Ise.

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SHINTO ARCHITECTURE
 Shinto is a religion, a belief that means “ways of god”
 Belief in rituals and ceremonies - in forces of nature like
mountains, wind rocks, rivers, etc. (did not believe in life after

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death)
 Introduction of agriculture to Japan in 3rd century BC leads to
establishment of permanent villages in which festivals started to
be held to express thanks for good crops, to pray for rain and
good harvest in future
 Sacred site for ceremonies was enclosed with simple
surrounding fence (Tamagaki) and gateways (Torii) – the first
architectural elements to be employed
 A wooden pole at the centre symbolized the deities
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SHINTO ARCHITECTURE
 The practice of marking sacred areas began in Japan as
early as the Yayoi period (from about 500 BC to 300 AD)
originating from primal Shinto tenets.

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 Features in the landscape such as rocks, waterfalls, islands,
and especially mountains, were places believed to be
capable of attracting kami (spirit, natural forces), and
subsequently were worshiped as yorishiro
 Later, temporary buildings similar to present day portable
shrines were constructed to welcome the gods to the sacred
place.

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SHINTO ARCHITECTURE
 Over time the temporary structures evolved into permanent
structures that were dedicated to the gods.
 These shrines became more permanent structures and took

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on a monumental form comparable to Buddhist temples
only after the Ise shrine was built in the 7th century AD and
was worshipped as the ancestral goddess of the rulers as
well as a national deity
 The Ise shrine served as a prototype for all succeeding
Shinto shrine buildings
 The shrine was a refinement of the elevated storehouse 

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SHINTO ARCHITECTURE
 Thus, as festivals developed, the deities symbolizing natural forces were
given physical form
 Shrines had wooden pillars embedded directly in the ground rather than
being raised on stone bases as was practiced elsewhere. The floor were

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elevated and surrounded by verandahs with gabled roofs, plank walls,
and were thatched with reed
 Tradition of completely rebuilding the shrine every 20 years was started
which ensured that each generation was handed down the tradition of
religious ceremonies and the unique construction method
 The torii consisting of two wooden posts with two horizontal beams at
the top served as the entrance gate
 Before Buddhism, shrines were just temporary structures erected to a
particular purpose. Buddhism brought to Japan the idea of permanent
shrines
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1 Torii - Shinto gate
2 Stone stairs
3 Sandō - the approach to the shrine
4 Chōzuya or temizuya - fountain to
cleanse one's hands and face
5 Tōrō - decorative stone lanterns
6 Kagura-den - building dedicated
to Noh or the sacred kagura dance
7 Shamusho - the shrine's

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administrative office
8 Ema - wooden plaques bearing
prayers or wishes
9 Sessha/massha - small auxiliary
shrines
10 Komainu - the so-called "lion
dogs", guardians of the shrine
11 Haiden - oratory
12 Tamagaki - fence surrounding
the honden
13 Honden - main hall, enshrining
the kami. On the roof of
the haiden and honden are
visible chigi (forked roof finials)
and katsuogi (short horizontal logs),
both common shrine 14
ornamentations.
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SHINTO ARCHITECTURE
 Shinto shrine at Ise
 Ise Grand Shrine is a Shinto shrine dedicated to

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goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami, located in the city of Ise in Mie
prefecture, Japan.
 Officially known simply as Jingū, Ise Jingū is in fact a shrine
complex composed of a large number of Shinto shrines
centered on two main shrines, Naikū and Gekū.
 Inner (Naiku) dedicated to ancestral god of the imperial family
and outer (Geku) dedicated to local god
 The Inner shrine is more important as it honors and is
considered to be the abode of Amaterasu, the sun goddess -
the deity the emperor was considered to be descended from. 
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SHINTO ARCHITECTURE
 Shinto shrine at Ise
 The inner shrine is built of Japanese cypress. All the columns are
embedded in the earth instead of being set on stone bases

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 Inner shrine is 10.9 m X 5.5 m in size and enclosed by wooden
plank walls. Its floor is elevated and the shrine is surrounded by
verandahs
 The central staircase leads to the main door which is the only
opening in the plank walls
 The gable roof is thatched with a thick layer of reed and on the
ridge are laid the ridge billets in a cross-wise fashion (katsuogi)
 At the ends, two pairs of forked finials (chigi) project beyond the
roof to give it its distinctive feature
 Free standing pillars on either ends support the ridge

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SHINTO ARCHITECTURE
 Torii is the entrance gateway of shrine precinct and consists
primarily of two pillars and two horizontal beams, the pillars being
embedded in the earth
 The shrine is customarily torn down every 20 years to be replaced

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on an adjacent lot by an identical set. The current set is the 220th.
The shrine is assembled completely without nails in its original
format.
 The form of Ise shrine is reflection of existing building system before
the start of Buddhist architecture in Japan
 Shrines of different regions show influence of local architecture but
basic form is similar for all Shinto shrines
 Although Buddhist temples were being built all over Japan since the
7th century, the shrines tried to preserve their identity by rejecting
Buddhist elements and retaining their character through periodic 21
rebuilding
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BUDDHIST TEMPLES
 After opposition to Buddhism was crushed some few
decades after its introduction to Japan, the Hokoji temple
was built at Nara in 588 AD

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 Other temples such as Shitennoji (Osaka), Yamadadera,
Kawaradera and Horyuji in Nara soon followed in the 7th
century
 At that time Buddhist temples were laid out as per
prescribed method
 The main gate faced south

 At some distance behind it was the middle gate (chumon)

which was attached to a semi-enclosed roofed corridor
(kairo) that surrounded the sacred area 26
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BUDDHIST TEMPLES
 Within the enclosure, on a lateral axis to the entry, was placed the
pagoda, a reliquary for sacred objects, and the hall with the image
of Buddha (kondo)
 A lecture hall was attached to the corridor at the rear side or

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outside the sacred precinct
 The belfry and sutra repository was located close to the lecture
hall
 Quarters for monks and priests, dining halls, bathhouses etc. were
also provided
 The temple complexes built later tend to place the kondo along
the central axis flanked by pagodas on either sides. This
arrangement is probably due to the influence from Tang, China
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HORYUJI TEMPLE, IKARUGA, NARA (607 AD)
 The kondo and the pagoda are the world’s oldest surviving wooden buildings
built during Asuka Period (593-710 AD), now a World Heritage Site (1993)
 The kondo is 18.5 m x 15.2 m while the pagoda is 10.85 m square
 Both have curved roofs made of heavy planks covered with alternating convex

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and concave tiles
 They have cloud shaped brackets and encircling railings on the upper floors
 Complex comprises of a Buddha hall (Kondo) and pagoda surrounded by
cloister like enclosure, library and lecture hall
 The pagoda is 5 storey, square in plan with boldly projecting roofs above each
floor. A central pillar rises from deep below ground to a significant level above
the roof to provide a towering spire decorated with metal rings and bells
 Cantilevered brackets and curved concave roof
 Interior decoration in frescoes containing Buddha’s life story

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INFLUENCE OF ZEN BUDDHISM
 Zen Buddhism led to simplicity, economy in line, color
and detailing in architecture

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 Also preached oneness with nature, leading to the
development of Japanese gardens.

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JAPANESE CITIES
 The Japanese city was also influenced by China,
although the scale was smaller and fortification walls
were absent

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 From the 6th – 12th century the royal quarters were made
the focal point and located along the central axis
 The city was laid out in a grid iron pattern around the
imperial residence.

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IMPERIAL RESIDENCE