Japanese Culture
from The Point of View of Language, Landscape, and Gathering
By Fumihiko Maki
Globalization
presents one of the most pressing issues today in threatening the identity of
different regions and cultures. The question is centered on how cities and
buildings could be preserved and further developed for the future.
Japan is
fortunately an island nation, situated on the fringes of former centers of civilization
(Europe, Middle East, and China). While foreign cultures have undoubtedly influenced
the country for over thousands of years, it is significant that they never
fully shaped Japan’s cultural heritage.
Yet
Japan’s active interest in the essence of foreign cultures –whether ancient
Buddhism
or Western
Modernism–has never ceased. Unlike colonized countries in Asia, foreign influences
could be assimilated and “Japanized” over long periods of time and at the will
of the nation. Of course, geographic conditions play an important role. Taking
such issues into account, I would like to discuss the uniqueness of the Japanese
culture from the point of view of language, landscape, and gathering.
Language
It can be
said that language is the most powerful cultural asset. Both directly
andindirectly, language influences the thoughts and feelingsof those who use
it.From ancient times, a variety of languages have existed in Japan. Ever since
the Chinesescript (ideograms known as kanji)was imported, anotheralphabet
(known as kana) wasadded to give phonetic expression tokanji.
Many new
words were introduced from the West once Japan began to modernize in the mid-19thcentury,
after a long period of relative isolation. Under renewed pressure to ‘Japanize’
the language, abstract ideas were formulated inkanji while emotional
expressions were phrased inkana. To this day, the two have been used together,incorporated
intothe spoken and written languages to form one of the most unique linguistic
structures. This may account in large measure for the dominant positionenjoyed
internationally by Japanese manga and anime.
The
thought process of design involves an incessant feedback loop between the rational
and emotional compartments of the architects’mind. While Japanese architecture
had made great strides in emulatingthe West,thisdual thought process has shaped
the uniqueness of Japanese architecture since JunzoSakakura’s Japan Pavilion in
the Paris Expo of 1937.
Nature and Landscape
The
islands of Japan stretch north and south for 1000 km, with its center being occupied by
mountain ranges. Being surrounded by the ocean and filled with
mountains,the landscape is bestowed with a wealth of natural resources. The
general storage of space and the lack of plateaus and desert shave created a
landscape in which residential and agricultural zones occupy most of the land up
to the foot of the mountains.As general rainfall is high and temperature levels
are mild, an abundance of forests with a rich variety of plants and trees could
be found. On the other hand, the threat of earthquakes has restricted the amount
of masonry constructions. Rather than brick or stone,almost all buildings are
therefore made of wood.Within the otherwise tranquil environment, buildings,
villages, and cities have been designed to coexist with, rather than confront, nature.
With the exceptions of a few castles, Japanese architecture tends to emphasize
its horizontality.
Incidentally
the room, with all its sliding screens and panels, acquires a level of spatial freedom
from the ingrained genetics that enables many different uses. The whole does not
dominate the part, but the combination of parts constitutes the whole. This
breeds unique spatial aesthetics based on asymmetry and the concept of ma– the
space in between.
Moreover,
the practical limitation of space has encouraged its perceptual enlargement, accomplished
by means of spatial layering to amplify the sense of depth; something that has
been further enriched by including elements of the landscape, like shrubbery and
trees, as additional layers. This kind of multi-layered system
emphasizesen closure, which explains the tendency to endow space with a
centripetal rather than acentrifugal order. Characterized by ma and oku,
Japanese tradition is better under stood through such spatial qualities rather
than material forms.In this way, the motivation to seek a harmonious relationship
with nature has always been strong in the city and its architecture.
Gathering
The Edo
period was a feudal society in which social status strictly determined
one’s domicile and privileges. In such a rigid society, the only areas of public
gathering were places well-known for their scenic beauty, and often included the
precinct of temple sand shrines. While few such places remain as parks, most of
them have vanished with the modernization of the country. In its place, train
stations and their surrounding shave become centers of gathering in large cities
like Tokyo. As mentioned earlier, it was not possible to modernize the Japanese
city by mimicking its European counterpart due to the importance of coexisting
with nature. The rail system, however, suited the organic structure of the
Japanese city.
Today the private suburban lines, the central subway system, and
the originally public JR lines have merged to create a vast rail network that
lacks comparison in other metropolises of the world. In biological terms,its
speed, precision, cleanliness, and reliability is analogous to the body’s
circulatory system, while its nodes represent the organs. Furthermore, the
expression of the rail terminal takes on a wide variety of architectural styles,
being neo-classic, modern,post-modern, and neo-modern, and mega structural. The
stations become vital centers of activity, attracting and nourishing diverse
urban functions in its surroundings. As such, it could be said that the station
has become the new public space of the city. It is important to recognize that
there exists a strong social force that supersedes the will of the individual
architect. Socialization of this kind has generated a unique quality to the built
environment.
Floating Moderism
What best
characterizes the modernism of the 21st century is that it has lost
its initial objectives, principles, and styles, dissolving into a large pool of
information. Architects are no longer passengers on a big ship but are left
wandering on the open seas. Of course individual architects each have their own
objectives, principles, and styles. But in the open sea, one must know what to
hold on to and what to swim toward. In thinking about the future of architecture
in a context where all things are becoming relative, it is important
to reevaluate the qualities of the local culture.
Time and Architecture
Time
offers a fertile ground for personal memories and experiences.
Time is a
mediator city and architecture.
Time is
the final judge of architecture.
Space and Architecture
Space has
no differentiation between interior and exterior.
Space
accommodates a given function and generates new uses.
Space not
form, fosters delight (venustas) for people.
This material was presented by Fumihiko Maki at 15thArcasia
Congress 2012, Nusa dua, Bali, Indonesia
all pictures are from