ieuan evans
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ma
導 間 遺 現 反 入 産 代 応 日 本
bibliography
introduction
heritage
contemporary Japan
reaction
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Posing a question. . . How does Japan view itself? The intention of this report, is to begin to disentangle that question. Using the technology present in the construction of Japanese architecture as a departure point for analysis of the cultural and societal conjunctions currently present in Japan. I hope to provide a commentary that balances the nostalgic and progressive sentiments I have encountered.
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In order to relay a cohesive, technical documentation of the architecture I have encountered, coupled with the objective of this report as a comment on introspective Japanese culture; I will use ‘ma’ (間) - an all encompassing notion of spatial ‘betweenness’ - as the anchor to which the components of my report are fixed. Ma, is a term omnipresent in Japanese culture. Its singular translation as ‘between space’, appears humble, however through its presence in compound words such as ‘society’ (seken-世間) which translates literally as ‘ma of the world’ and ‘humanity’ (ningen-人間) translating literally as ‘amongst/ between humans’, ma begins to expose it’s more ubiquitous nature. Ma lends itself to a social understanding as it lends itself to experience. It’s definition transcends a simply spatial under standing of things and elopes into the. . .
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realm of experience. Described by Arata Isozaki. . . ‘in Japan space and time were never fully separated but were conceived as correlative and omnipresent. . . Space could not be perceived independently of the element of time [and] time was not abstracted as a regulated, homogeneous flow, but rather was believed to exist only in relation to movements of space. . . Thus space was conceived as identical with the events of phenomena occurring in it; that is, space was recognised only 1 in its relation to time’. Ma in this sense, is not simply a space between things, but an interval between moments occurring in their proximity.
represents enough space for one inhabitant; if the purist Japanese architect were to design a tea house for ten people, he would use a spatial parameter inclusive of approximately ten tatami. This relationship between the occupancy and distribution of space is a trait that manifests itself in the humility of traditional Japanese architecture. A humility rejected by our western influence and seemingly defied by much of contemporary Japan.
Ma is a relationship between space and the things that determine its existence. Between the people who occupy those spaces and the moments they encounter. Ma is a playground within which the spatial and social interactions of our lives reveal themselves, and it is in my opinion this experience, that best defines the success of Japanese architecture, both old and new. With regard to a direct exertion of this phenomenon on technology in Japanese culture, we need look no further than the tatami. As the modular system of measurement in traditional Japanese architecture, it does not represent itself as such, but instead as a biometric understanding of the human act of dwelling. The tatami 1. Snodgrass, A. (2011). Thinking Through the Gap: The Space of Japanese Architecture. Architectural Theory Review, 16(2), pp.136-156. p. 138.
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910mm (3 Shaku)
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Traditional Japan is an inescapable image of ‘delicacy and lightness, slippered feet on tatami, naked timber ceilings, and silently 2 sliding shoji screens.’ . It’s heritage is rich with technological devices that may frame, circulate or employ innumerable other spatial tactics in order to evoke experience. It is then unfortunate that despite their beauty being universally acknowledged, often their purpose is inherently overlooked. Reduced instead to gimmicks that reside in the back of leaflets for tourists to ‘oh’ and ‘ah’ at, searching for spatial qualities they now lack the potential to uncover serendipitously. Japan is proud, too proud to recreate its ancestry as a stereotype for the world to misinterpret. A conviction that is now categorised as rebellion. Ginkaku ji or the ‘Silver Pavilion’ (built 1484 in Kyoto) provides a stand point to introduce some of the devices I feel are most
2. Boyd, R. (1968). New directions in Japanese architecture. 1st ed. New York: G. Braziller. p. 7.
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evocative of the intentionality behind traditional Japanese architecture. Specifically, by dissecting its relationship with the surrounding Zen Garden and exampling how the spatial tactics employed have informed its locale, orientation and construction. We can begin to realise an ‘el3 emental harmony’ between nature and the built entity, a harmony synonymous with the experience of Japanese architecture.
借景
遠借 隣借
Within Ginkaku ji, the landscape is allowed to undress itself in a series of moments that constantly forego, halt and focus your movement. The pavilion itself ruminates over the moon viewing platform before it (representative of Mt. Fuji) and known as ‘kogetsudai’ (向月台) Yet the pavilion also imparts upon the landscape, offering itself back to nature.
1. Rocks located in the hillside east of the garden. Reverse perspective reveals Kyoto.
rinshaku (Adjacent Borrowing) 2. Immediate interaction with both the pavilion and the moon viewing platform representative of Mt. Fuji
4. The most poignant immersion of the pavilion is seen through the trees from the south side of the pond.
俯借 俯借
5. View from the pavilion itself sees the moon viewing platform set against both the pond, and raked stones behind it whilst providing a view across the pond over the garden
gyōshaku (Upward Borrowing) 6. Looking up at the pavilion from in-front of the moon viewing platform engages its relationship with the sky/moon.
fushaku (Downward Borrowing) 7. Looking down onto the stones as they reflect the light from the moon is the primary function of the view from the pavilion. 8. The bridges are slender and precarious, as you cross them your focus is drawn into ponds below you. Often this technique provides an intermediate between the other forms of borrowing so that they may appear more sudden.
3. Boyd, R. (1968). New directions in Japanese architecture. 1st ed. New York: G. Braziller. p. 8.
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(Distant Borrowing)
3. The water source for the garden known as the ‘Moon Washing cascade’.
(Shakkei) Borrowing Landscape: This technique remarks an extreme sensitivity to the framing of space. The act of borrowing landscape is inextricable with the concept of ma, as it seeks to engage the inhabitant not only with the spaces it reveals but also the spaces they occupy and the relationships between them.
enshaku
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As alluded to, the primary objective of the Silver Pavilion is to provide an auditorium from which the surrounding elements of the Zen Garden can be observed; specifically the Kogetsudai. Each space on the lower floor of the pavilion is designed to present this experience in a different manner and is in this respect indicative of the Shoin (書院) style Japanese Architecture. In English, Shoin translates as ‘study alcove’, which here reinforces the objective of the spaces in the Silver Pavilion
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The veranda assists in blurring the interior and exterior boundaries around the pavilion. The most prominent of the spaces on the lower level. It engages directly with the moon viewing platform. The alcove on the veranda conceals itself further underneath the cantilever of the roof/balcony. Bringing the element of sanctuary into the exterior environment. Through the alcove lies a more reserved space, light doesn’t fall through its opening, thus it offers a new visual experience.
‘The beauty of the alcove is not the work of some clever device. An empty space is marked off with plain wood and plain walls, so that the light drawn into it forms dim shadows within emptiness. There is nothing more. And yet when we gaze into the darkness. . . though we know it is mere shadow, we are overcome with the feeling that in this small corner of the atmosphere there reigns complete and utter silence; that here in the darkness immutable tran4 quillity holds sway.’ Junichiro Tanizaki
The most receded spaces provide a point of entry that does not disturb the visual dialogue between the foremost spaces and their surroundings. The upper floor is shown laid over the bottom floor plan, the balcony mimics the veranda but remains tolerant of the floor below. The upper floor shrine displays no visually permeable openings, possibly to further distinguish the space as sacred.
4. Tanizaki, J. (1977). In praise of shadows. 1st ed. New Haven, Conn.: Leete’s Island Books. p. 33-34.
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Whilst the spatial arrangement of the lower floor is representative of Shoin style Japanese architecture. The Silver Pavilion thereafter utilises a quintessentially zen style of construction. Which, on initial contact is most apparent in its bell shaped windows and cantilevered roof. These elements, though originally taken from Chinese Buddhist temple architecture in the 13th century find themselves far from an eidetic recreation in Japan. One such example of this ‘naturalised de5 sign’ can be seen in the use of a two-tiered roof system known as Keshodaruki (椽子 下的第一) & Nodaruki (野垂木) respectively. This system exposes the rafters on the lower level which are pitched at a lesser angle than the concealed rafters of the second tier. Thus allowing for a more balanced pitch over the peripheral spaces - Hisashi ( 庇) - and retaining an apparently seem-less roof construction. This innovation can be likened to the same concepts of dwelling that conceived the tatami size and is something that pays tribute to the anthropometric considerations present in the evolution of Japanese architecture.
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Hisashi (庇):
Peripheral sections of the building covered by the roof.
Moya (母屋):
Internal core space.
Hanegi (桔木):
Unfixed cantilever that supports roof structure
Keshodaruki (椽子下的第一): First layer of rafters, visually exposed, provide no structural support.
Nodaruki (野垂木): Hidden rafters.
5. Nishi, K. and Hozumi, K. (1985). What is Japanese architecture?. 1st ed. Tokyo: Kodansha International. p. 23.
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By using the technology emblematic of Zen style architecture, to house the spatial ideologies so characteristic of purist Japanese building methods, the Silver Pavilion now emerges as a cultural and spiritual convergence of architectural styles. This convergence, present in the buildings that Japan sees to mark its heritage, also appears to be the result of the conjunctions of their time. Even earlier than the conception of the Silver Pavilion, Japan welcomed the Buddhist style temple architecture into its culture (a welcoming spawned from the introduction of Buddhism into Shinto religious belief). Now nearly a thousand years on, these once foreign ideals are rooted in the most archetypal images of Japanese architecture.
almost current outside of Japan). Their stage has become old, viewed as more of an antiquity than a 21st century building method. With regard to it’s architectural heritage, Japan appears to swing between a fear of losing touch and an excitement, building toward its re-invention in its future. In contemporary Japan. It is the latter perspective that will bear the scrutiny of the one before it.
Perhaps the medieval Japanese architect suffered similar frictions to the contemporary architects in Japan today. Perhaps he too was criticised for an aversion from Japanese culture. Certainly, we can assume that in any stage of transition there are those who will object. What has been left in their wake however, provides evidence that supports these points of convergence. Japan now boasts a rich heritage of architectural precedents that define spatial ideologies we in the West have only just began to comprehend. Whilst these systems are not dated (in fact
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‘The young Japanese architect has grown up with tradition close around him. . . he feels obliged to reject tradition as sentimental and restricting. Nevertheless, he is drawn back to the forms of Japan again and again. . .’ Robin Boyd In modern times, Japanese architecture has adopted an air of the futurist avant garde. Brutalist concrete forms, built around tensioned steel structures celebrate the dynamism of technology and flaunt their economic strength on the landscape. These buildings represent an evolution tantamount to anything previously seen in Japanese culture and whilst their forms rebel against the humility of traditional Japanese construction, they remain distinctly Japanese.
6. Boyd, R. (1968). New directions in Japanese architecture. 1st ed. New York: G. Braziller. p. 9.
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Whether Japan sees this evolution as progress or detriment to their way of life, is an opinion split predominantly between generations. Regardless, the influence of globalisation on culture is unavoidable, it is how Japan begins to watermark these influences with its own heritage that is most interesting. The Gallery of Horyuji Hidden Treasures (built 1999 in Tokyo) is a building that has taken the influences of modernity so current in Japan and used them to harbour a spatial experience that resonates with a consideration for ‘ma’ and traditional sensibility. The relationships between the interior and exterior territories of this building are particularly enchanting. The approach designates a series of thresholds, within which the building forms a narrative involving itself, the inhabitant and the spaces that precede & proceed it. The building appears to remove any definitive moment of entry with regard to its experience. Although it has an entrance in the conventional sense of the word, you feel simultaneously engulfed by its structure before and remitted to nature after, that moment.
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Entrance to the territory surrounding the gallery is visually exposed for the first time. Walkway runs parallel to the building so as not to disturb the reflective dialogue between the water in-front of it and its facade. The crossing to the building is slender and assists in denoting a divide between the spaces either side of it. The narrows nature of this point of access encourages movement that generates a more sudden encounter with building. The envelope of the building creates a peripheral space whereby you are engulfed by the building whilst remaining technically in its exterior. Passageway between peripheral and completely interior space, reminiscent of an airlock it re-imagines the space before it as you emerge into the atrium area. Your perspective here suddenly shifts back into the external environment. Atrium space, open airy space full of light from the large glass facade internalises the space before it.
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Exterior approach to the building; focus is on the facade and it’s reflective qualities that mimic the surrounding environment. The envelope, frames the atrium area of the building.
Peripheral space under the envelope is staggered with thresholds. . . i. initial cover ii. pillars, key supportive feature in construction of this element and thus contributes heavily to the success of the technology used. iii stairs. Gap in the envelope allows light into the spaces above , framing the entrance hall which uses a translucent ceiling to exploit this light source inside also. Slats that cover glass facade. Key in the buildings dialogue with its surroundings.
Internal atrium, a large, light, minimal space that retains a strong connection with the external spaces preceding it. Mezzanine provides a reverse perspective out of the building
The construction of the atrium and its periphery are most intrinsic to this consonance between interior and exterior space. These spaces facilitate the buildings function as part of the public domain whilst proffering a sensitive consideration for the relics of Japanese culture contained within. In particular the technology used enables the building to generate an experience that tastefully demonstrates concepts of ‘ma’ outside the realm of traditional Japanese architecture. The envelope covering these spaces offers a sense of security and acts as a framing device for the facade. This facade then employs the use of slats to dislodge the viewers focus from the internal space, appealing instead to a reflection of it’s surroundings. The water before it in turn reflects the building. In an analogous sense, these components are deep in a conversation that is constantly switching from one to the other. In my opinion, the application of technology in this building examples beautifully the notion that ‘the shapes, techniques and textures of traditional Japan made up a vocabulary rather than a discipline for the designer. . . The Japanese vocabulary recognises fine distinctions between various aesthetic qualities which the English language can hardly describe in a para7 graph, let alone a word.’ and this vocabulary has been applied here, immaculately.
7. Boyd, R. (1968). New directions in Japanese architecture. 1st ed. New York: G. Braziller. p. 7.
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Light generously furnishes much of the internal atrium space. How the technology present in the ceiling assists in making this possible, is a feature that continues to bring a resonance of traditional Japan into the matrix of this building. The first half of the ceiling is completely opaque, the second, completely transparent. In front of it resides a translucent surface that could be likened to a shoji screen. This surface blurs the division between the two ceiling elements and balances the light across the entrance hall. It is offset both from the wall, where it must allow in a more ardent source of light to enter and from the ceiling to conceal the afore-mention point of entry. There is a subtly to its application that at times renders it completely unnoticed. Only when the most prominent shards of light escape the clouds at such an angle to negotiate the void between the roof and the envelope and define themselves upon the walls below, does this technology enforce itself upon the inhabitant. The resulting effect is the back wall appears re-energized under a ceiling that glows with a complexion much more reticent of the sky than the canopy above it. Until that point, it remains utterly subservient to the space for which it provides.
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Gradient of light permeating the entrance hall though the ceiling.
Gap in the canopy allowing light onto the rear ceiling area of the entrance hall.
Opaque ceiling space, denies further light entering the front of the atrium.
Glass ceiling permits the light to enter the space.
Translucent surface, glows from its contact with the light. Offset from the wall to create a gradient of intensity. Mezzanine that benefits greatly from this use of technology is placed at such a height as not to obstruct the light in the lower inhabited spaces.
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‘Real creativity is to inherit not the old traditional form itself but the principle, through which all the traditional form has come into 8 existence.’ . It is a feature of this building that the spatial ideologies so intrinsic to traditional Japanese architecture, have been re-invented through the technology used in its construction. Its success as a contemporary piece of architecture pays tribute to the versatility of these ideologies and promotes the evolution of building techniques in modern day Japan. Though technology is by definition, ‘the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes’. It would be appropriate to suggest, that in Japan this use of knowledge transcends mere practicality and strays into a more cultural, even spiritual role. Such responsibilities are taken on by the success of its application. When compared to the timber framed, shoji screened, technology used in traditional Japanese architecture. The metal slats and glass facade of the Gallery of Horyuji Hidden treasures might seem to be a million worlds away. But their application, the harmony they instil between themselves and the environment they habituate, remains firmly embedded in the principles that have since day one defined Japanese architecture.
8. Boscaro, A., Gatti, F. and Raveri, M. (1991). Rethinking Japan. 1st ed. Japan Library Ltd. p. 43.
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In response to my original question ‘How does Japan view itself?’. Japanese author Isao Tanatani describes Japan as a pot. ‘Inside the pot, there is a constant unity of a number of microcosms. However it is impossible to show this world in another container. A pot is always a container and can never be the content. It can hold things inside itself but it cannot become the content itself. Japan in her two thousand year history has developed the form of a pot and has taken in and developed culture and materials from the continent and the sea. Contemporary Japan is in the flow of new world currents, absorbing 9 new materials.’ . What we can derive from Tanatani’s elucidation on Japan, is whilst the ‘pot’ will forever retain its characteristic as Japanese, it’s contents are undergoing a shift. To the external observer we see Japan, we open the pot and we experience Japan. To those 9. Boscaro, A., Gatti, F. and Raveri, M. (1991). Rethinking Japan. 1st ed. Japan Library Ltd. p. 56.
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who dwell within the pot it’s exterior may now feel relic, its contents a falsity. Particularly, the architecture I have encountered demonstrates a fierce progression from the traditional to modern modes of construction. However, behind its dramatic evolution, the design elements used still appear to generate experiences pre-requisite of the most human spatial ideologies. It is this notion that harbours a ‘unity’ between these divisions in Japanese architecture. A unity built on tradition and currently under the strain of new age global influences. How Japan views itself, will ultimately dictate how Japan is viewed by the rest of the world and it is my opinion that Japan judges itself too readily. However, this constant, nostalgic critique of its methods serve as a poignant reminder to the value of it culture. Which by default then finds itself reoccurring in the most progressive sectors of its ecosystem. Japan may well see itself running off into the distance, but it is this sentiment that finds its heritage lurking behind every corner in its future.
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1. AndĹ?, T. and Hunter, M. (n.d.). Tadao Ando. 1st ed. 2. Boscaro, A., Gatti, F. and Raveri, M. (1991). Rethinking Japan. 1st ed. Japan Library Ltd. 3. Boyd, R. (1968). New directions in Japanese architecture. 1st ed. New York: G. Braziller. 4. Keene, D. (2003). Yoshimasa and the Silver Pavilion. 1st ed. New York: Columbia University Press. 5. Nishi, K. and Hozumi, K. (1985). What is Japanese architecture?. 1st ed. Tokyo: Kodansha International. 6. Snodgrass, A. (2011). Thinking Through the Gap: The Space of Japanese Architecture. Architectural Theory Review, 16(2), pp.136-156. 7. Tanizaki, J. (1977). In praise of shadows. 1st ed. New Haven, Conn.: Leete’s Island Books.
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A little pot swells, Grey,in an urban jungle, Where concrete trees grow.