Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [37]
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Until Buddhism arrived in Japan in the 6th century AD, Japanese emperors were buried in giant earth and stone burial mounds known as kofun (Click here). The largest of these is said to contain more mass than the Great Pyramid at Cheops.
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Architecture
Running the gamut from rustic rural simplicity to shining modern towers (with vast expanses of forgettable concrete dross in between), Japanese architecture is perhaps the world’s most varied. Broadly speaking, the country’s structures can be divided into traditional and contemporary, the former being built mostly of wood, bamboo, earth and paper, the latter being built mostly of concrete, steel and glass. In this section, we discuss the main types of Japanese architecture.
CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE
Contemporary Japanese architecture is currently among the world’s most exciting and influential. The traditional preference for simple, natural and harmonious spaces is still evident in the work of modern architects, but this style is now combined with hi-tech materials and the building techniques of the West.
Japan first opened its doors to Western architecture in 1868 during the Meiji Restoration, and its architects immediately responded to the new influence by combining traditional Japanese methods of wood construction with Western designs. Some 20 years later, a nationalistic push against the influence of the West saw a surge in the popularity of traditional Japanese building styles, and Western technique was temporarily shelved.
This resistance to Western architecture continued until after WWI, when foreign architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright came to build the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Wright was careful to pay homage to local sensibilities when designing the Imperial’s many elegant bridges and unique guest rooms (though he famously used modern, cubic forms to ornament the interiors of the hotel). The building was demolished in 1967 to make way for the current Imperial Hotel, which shows little of Wright’s touch.
By WWII many Japanese architects were using Western techniques and materials and blending old styles with the new, and by the mid-1960s had developed a unique style that began to attract attention on the world stage. Japan’s most famous postwar architect, Tange Kenzō, was strongly influenced by Le Corbusier. Tange’s buildings, including the Kagawa Prefectural Offices at Takamatsu (1958) and the National Gymnasium (completed in 1964), fuse the sculptural influences and materials of Le Corbusier with traditional Japanese characteristics, such as post-and-beam construction and strong geometry. His Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices (1991; Click here), in Nishi-Shinjuku (west Shinjuku), is the tallest building in Tokyo. It may look a little sinister and has been criticised as totalitarian, but it is a remarkable achievement and pulls in around 6000 visitors daily. Those with an interest in Tange’s work should also look for the UN University, close to Omote-sandō subway station in Tokyo.
In the 1960s, architects such as Shinohara Kazuo, Kurokawa Kisho, Maki Fumihiko and Kikutake Kiyonori began a movement known as Metabolism, which promoted flexible spaces and functions at the expense of fixed forms in building. Shinohara finally came to design in a style he called Modern Next, incorporating both modern and postmodern design ideas combined with Japanese influences. This style can be seen in his Centennial Hall at Tokyo Institute of Technology, an elegant and uplifting synthesis of clashing forms in a shiny metal cladding. Kurokawa’s architecture blends Buddhist building traditions with modern influences, while Maki, the master of minimalism, pursued design in a modernist style while still emphasising the elements of nature – like the roof of his Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (near Sendagaya Station), which takes on the form of a sleek