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As a testament to the quality of ancient Japanese architecture, the oldest surviving wooden structures in the world are located in Nara, Japan. Of the 41 buildings constructed during the Asuka period (538-710 A.D.) the most well-known are the Kondo (Golden Hall) and Goju-no-to (Five story Pagoda). These were constructed as a private temple for the Prince Shotoku, a regent and politician in the Asuka period.
Another well known archaeological site from ancient Japan is the Todaiji in Nara prefecture, Japan. The Todaiji was built to function as the headquarters for regional temples built in surrounding provinces. The Todaiji's main building is the Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall) and is the largest wooden building in the world. Inside the Daibutsuden a 16.2m tall Buddha is enshrined. The current statue of the Buddha was built during the Edo period (1603-1868) and only a few fragments of the original remain.
Buddhist Pagoda's in ancient Japan all shared similar characteristics. The wooden walls were thin and vertical. The structures had multiple stories supported by columns made from cypress trees. Thatched roofs were common as well as large doors and windows strategically placed for the best viewing of external gardens or other natural scenery.
Although Buddhism teaches impermanence, Shinto places importance on purity and youth. For this reason many Shinto shrines in Japan are rebuilt every 20 years, often at great expense, to keep them forever new and also forever ancient in their original form. The Ise shrine in Mie, Japan was rebuilt in 1993 and is on its 61st iteration. It is scheduled to be rebuilt in 2013.
The ancient Japanese may not have had access to suitable stone for building, but they were able to build long-lasting structures using wood. Although many famous castles and other well known historical buildings were destroyed by fire in Japan's history, there are many which are still standing today.
Alton Trevino lives in Japan and enjoys writing about Japanese history and culture. Please visit the following link to read more about ancient Japan.
Definition of Architecture
The word architecture can have many meanings. Depending on the context, architecture can refer to:
- any man-made building or structure
- man-made building or structure that is important, large, or highly creative
- a carefully designed object, such as a chair, a spoon, or a tea kettle
- a design for a city, town, park, or landscape
- the art or science of designing and building buildings, structures, objects, and outdoor spaces
- a building style or method
- a plan for organizing space
- the flow of information on a Web page
- the planned design of any kind of system
- a systematic arrangement of information or ideas
The Gates in Central Park, New York City was a temporary installation
by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Interesting... but is it architecture?Is This Architecture?
Depending on your perspective, you might use the word architecture to describe any number of things. Which of the items listed below would you call architecture?
- A circus tent
- An egg carton
- A roller coaster
- A log cabin
- A skyscraper
- A computer program
- A political campaign
Frank Lloyd Wright on Architecture
Here's what the American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, had to say about Architecture:
"What is architecture anyway? Is it the vast collection of the various buildings which have been built to please the varying taste of the various lords of mankind? I think not.
"No, I know that architecture is life; or at least it is life itself taking form and therefore it is the truest record of life as it was lived in the world yesterday, as it is lived today or ever will be lived. So architecture I know to be a Great Spirit....
"Architecture is that great living creative spirit which from generation to generation, from age to age, proceeds, persists, creates, according to the nature of man, and his circumstances as they change. That is really architecture."
—Frank Lloyd Wright, from In the Realm of Ideas
