Japanese Architecture

Characteristics:

• For almost all strctures, many forms of wood is used (planks, straw, tree bark, paper, etc.)
• Posts and lintels support a large and gently curved roof
• The walls are made paper thin for the use of moving them around
• The roof is usually the most visually impressive, most of the time the size of half the edifice
• Slightly curved eaves extend far beyond the wall, supported by a complex system of brackets
• The interior is usually only made of a one whole room, this is where the use of paper walls or screens come in to play

Time Period/History: 57 BCE- 8th century CE
            Since the beginning of time has Japanese Architecture existed, stretching from 5000 BCE to the eight century CE, but the "look" or "feel" of this style was not grasped until 57 BCE. To this day, many Japanese architects make sure to honor the traditional style of Japanese Arch. by using materials that were the basis of the whole style, such as wood. Much of this style was used in the creation of temple and shrines, but were later adopted into residential and public spaces. Although many of the buildings were torn down, they made sure to keep the original and traditional style of the new building for historical rememberance. After years have gone by and after WWII, the style was modernized with the use of metal and stone because the fact that wood can easily burn down.

Location: Japan, Korea, China, parts of western Europe