Folk and Pop Culture Project
Pragat Muthu and Justin Chen
ORIGIN OF JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE
Japanese Architecture originated during the primitive ages from 5000 BC to the 8th century. In this time span, there were three distinctive periods- Jōmon, Yayoi, and Kofun periods.
Jōmon
First, a hunter-gatherer society developed pit-houses and stores. There were shallow pits and grass roofs to collect water.
Yayoi
By the Yayoi period, the Japanese had started to interact with the people of the Han dynasty in China. They were influenced by their knowledge and skills. Soon, they started building houses and grain stores raised, with pillars supporting them. Also, the roofs began to take up a “V” shape.
Kofun
During the Kofun period, the Japanese developed making a keyhole figure with a moat surrounding it as a memorial or tomb. Soon, this spread to parts of Korea.
DIFFUSION TO THE WEST
Japanese and Eastern art was first noticed, but Japanese architecture gained attention in the 18th-20th centuries after the diffusion of Chinese art and architecture. At first, many western countries noticed the intricate ornaments on the facade of the structure, and it clearly showed in the Victorian era. However, it was only in the 20th century, due the extreme polar differences in taste- the Japanese kept it simple, the West were very ostentatious- that the West started to appreciate the true values of Japanese architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright, among other famous architects, came to Japan to study the simplicity and efficiency of the structures.
Pop and Folk Items
The outside of both modern and traditional houses are extremely similar. They both have compound wall that can be made from the supplies at had. In the old times, it was stone, wood and hedges. Today, it is stone, wood, hedges, but also metal and concrete. Inside the wall is ussually a garden. The garden can either be sand with stone or a more traditionally sense of a garden with flowers and such. In some houses there are also ponds and path ways. In side the garden, there may sometimes be a small shed, or in more modern times, a garage. If space permits, there may be a guesthouse.