Japanese civilization

1. JAPANESE
CIVILIZATION
THE LAND OF RISING SUN

2. GEOGRAPHIC GEOLOGIC CLIMATIC RELIGIOUS SOCIAL & HISTORIC
• The Japanese
arrived in the main
land asia in 1st
century BC.
• Japan lies in the
east coast of asia
• It is covered by
pacific ocean on
eastern coast.
• It has a number of
natural harbours.
• Japan lies in
the
earthquake
belt, thus
influencing
the building
development.
• 3/4th of japan
is covered
with
vegetation
and forest.
• Bamboo is
available in
plenty, thus
used widely in
buildings.
• Stone is used
for
substructure
and timber is
used for
superstructur
e.
• Temperate
climate.
• Rains are
heavy, so
steep roofs
with
projecting
eaves are
common to
protect the
buildings
from sun or
rain.
• Shintoism declined
after introduction of
Buddhism in 6th century
through korea.
• Korea remained a
bridge between japan
and china for trading,
thus Buddhism spread
rapidly.
• Shintoism is based on
nature worship. It isa
set of customs or
rituals.
• Temples are the places
of worship and the
followers approach
them through Torii.
• Most important temple
is of the Sun Goddess
at Ise.
• Homes have small
shirines which contains
the tablets bearing
names of their
ancestors.
• Japanese first migrated from the Kyushu up the Inland Sea to
the plain of Yamato.
• After a series a war with another clan Inzumo, they
established their rule.
• Emperor Jimmu united Japan inn 660 BC, an received the
title Mikado (the celestial King).
• Early history is obscure, the first authentic account available
is of 6th century AD from Japanese chronicles.
• Due to presence of heavy religious influence, 400 Buddhist
temples were constructed in 600 AD.
• Under empress Gemmyo, Nara was proclaimed as the
capital of the government. Seven temples, a palace with nine
gates were constructed in 710 AD.
• The capital was shifted to Kyoto in 794 where architecture
made rapid progress.
• Mirrors, coins, bronze works came from china in 7th century
from the Korean peninsula.
• In 1543 the Japanese were introduced to western culture and
in 1549 to Christianity.
• Later japan invaded korea and went to isolationism for 200
years.
• Japan joined with alliance with Germany against wars with
china and Russia.
FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT

3. The main religion in Japan is Buddhism.

4. CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE
• The architecture of Japan was derived from China, but
maintained its
own special characteristics of lightness as delicacy.
• Refinement in Japanese architecture is combined with carving
and
decoration which is noticeable in timber construction.
• Flat terrace roof that are dominant to form contrast from
Middle-east and India.
• 'Iramoya gable' at the upper part of roof while the lower part of
roof is in a hipped form.
• Roof covering can be thatch, shingles or tiles.
• Column that found in temples or gateway is followed from
Chinese
form.
• 'Ken' is known as standard measurement of intercolumniation.
• Temples are characterized by Torii, formed by two upright
posts connected to two or more horizontal trails.
• Houses of japan have a vestibule, verandah, living room,
dining room, guest room with the necessary ‘tokonama’ a raised
decorative corner to display flowers and art.
• There are no bedrooms. Any room can be converted to bedroom
by spreading floor mats or ‘tatami’
• Light movable sliding doors with Shoji (partitions made of
translucent paper screens) are common. IRAMOYA GABLE

5. • Maximum flexibility is planning is the main feature of Japanese
houses.
• Size of room is related to the floor mats 6x3 sq.ft.
• The houses have cheerful character on account of skill in using
materials like beautiful lanterns, beautiful flower arrangements.
• House walls are constructed with wood or stout paper filling to
avoid heavy causalities in case of earthquake.
• Windows are decorated with timber trellis.
• The coloums have compound bracket to support the roof. They
come in various sizes like square, round, octagonal etc.
• • 'Yariganna' is used to split timber and beautify it.
• Curved panels of tori, projecting eaves of the roofs are the
objects of ornamentation. The ends of the projecting timber are
enriched with ornamental brass caps.
• Wall surfaces are decorated with scenes, flowers and birds
ROOFS COVERED WITH SINGLES/TILES
YARIGANA

6. • The first millennium of the Neolithic period coincided with a global climatic warming that
reached its peak between the years 8000 and 4000 BC.
• In Japan, this led to the rise in sea levels that covered the last land bridges connecting
the island with the Asian continent, as well as the enrichment of marine fauna and the
growth of new forests.
• This was the setting in which the Jomon period flourished in its early stages.
• The earliest pieces of pottery known in Japan date back to 10,000 BC and some experts
claim they could be the oldest in the world.
• At the beginning of this period, the population was nomadic and hunter-gathering for the
most part and located in coastal regions.
• The abundance of fish, bivalves and marine mammals in their diet led to huge mounds of
seafood shells, which are the first source of archaeological information about these
people.
• They also hunted deer and wild boar and had cutting tools made of stone, as well as
pieces of corded pottery (in fact, jomon means “a straw-rope pattern”).
• Settlements moved inland in the middle of the Jomon period (ca. 3500 BC – 2000 BC).
• In this era, a decline in sea levels may have decimated marine fauna or increased
confidence in agriculture as a source of food; this seems to be implied by the abundance
of grindstones, lidded earthenware jars, and other objects related to cultivation.
• The late Jomon period, which began at around 2000 BC, is marked by the resurgence of
fishing in the Pacific coastal region.
JOMON PERIOD (CA. 10,000 – 300 BC)

7. JOMON DWELLING CHARACTERISTICS
• Huts built by digging as deep as 2 - 3 feet deep.
• Trees used as pillars to support roof.
• Roof is made of long grass or skins of wood.
• Shape like tent with small ridge on the roof for
ventilation.
• Later houses had square or rectangular floors with
rounded corners.
• The roofs, supported by five or six posts and a central
pillar, were thatched with kaya (miscanthus) grass that
helped drain off rainwater into the surrounding ditches.

8. • This period, which is named after an archaeological site near the University of Tokyo,
is characterized by a marked cultural transition driven by migrations from the rice-
cultivating regions of Asia.
• Coming from Korea and, with all possibility, from Okinawa, immigration took place
across northern Kyushu from around 300 BC, and in under 600 years, the hunter-
gatherer communities of Japan drifted towards a sedentary society based on the
cultivation of rice.
• The growth of these autonomous but closely related settlements was so rapid in
Kyushu, the archipelago’s southernmost island, and western Honshu that by about
100 AD, only northern Honshu and the island of Hokkaido were left out of this new
development.
YAYOI PERIOD (CA. 300 BC – 300 AD)

9. YAYOI CHARACTERISTIC
•Yayoi architecture is similar to architecture of South
East Asia where buildings are raise up from ground.
•Used gable roof
•The roof is over a wattle screen wall surrounded by a
damp excluding ditch

10. • The construction of large funerary tombs/tumuli made from earth and stone in some coastal
areas of Kyushu and along the whole coast of the Inner Sea marked the end of the Yayoi
culture.
• These tombs were decorated with human figures and animals made of hollow clay, called
haniwa, as well as scale models of houses that possibly represented the belongings of
deceased leaders.
• There was a rapid development of political and social institutions. The various population
centers called themselves “countries” or “kingdoms” and had a characteristic social hierarchy,
subject to the growing political influence of the Yamato plain region, in which Osaka and Nara
are located today.
• The imperial dynasty, also called the Yamato dynasty, was almost certainly established by the
most powerful family clans (uji) that had already formed at the end of the Yayoi period.
• The power of one of the clans, the Soga, was accentuated by its exclusive control over the
imperial treasury and grain reserves, as well as its monopolistic role as the patron of new
knowledge from the continent.
• Its consolidation as a political power was consummated with a new monopoly: only the
daughters of the Soga clan were eligible as imperial consorts.
KOFUN PERIOD (CA. 300 – 710)

11. JAPAN SHRINES
1. Torii – Shinto gate
2. Stone stairs
3. Sandō – the approach to the shrine
4. Chōzuya or temizuya – purification font to cleanse one’s
hands and mouth
5. Tōrō – decorative stone lanterns
6. Kagura-den – building dedicated to Noh or the sacred
kagura dance
7. Shamusho – the shrine’s 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 or hall of worship
12. Tamagaki – fence surrounding the honden
13. Honden – main hall, enshrining the kami

13. • 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 temple buildings exhibiting these features can be found in Nara, in particular at Horyuji (the world's oldest
wooden structure), Todaiji (the world's largest wooden structure), Yakushiji and Kofukuji.
• Asukadera, located about 25 kilometres south of Nara City, is considered the oldest Buddhist institution in Japan.
• As time passed, temples were increasingly designed to suit local tastes. Newly introduced sects from the mainland
contributed to new temple architecture styles. Temples began to exhibit less symmetrical features, and many started
to incorporate gardens in their compounds. Temples were also founded in more remote places and in the mountains,
which had more varied layouts owing to complex topographies. Like shrines, temples buildings were also lost over
time, and the ones that exist across the country today are mostly a few centuries old