I spent last semester in Beijing, China, where I had the good fortune to visit many historical sights, off of which had beautiful architecture.  I had already known that Japan had borrowed much of its architectural style from China.  I assumed, then, that the structures in the two countries would look similar.  They do.  But there are also many differences, mostly in color (paint) that show that Japan has taken the brilliantly colorful aesthetic of China and suited it to its own purposes.

Nearly all buildings in China are brilliantly colored, predominantly in red (the color of happiness), blue, green, and in some cases, yellow or gold (this being the color of the emperor).  For example, the Forbidden City has yellow tiles on the roofs, as it was an Imperial compound.  (All pictures of China taken from the following website: http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/default.htm)



And for contrast, here's a photo of an extremely elaborate Lamasery (Yonghegong Lama Temple), built originally in the seventeenth century:



Recently, I took a trip to Nara, to visit Horyuji and Todaiji temples.  These buildings, Horyuji especially, were strongly influenced by Chinese architecture.  According to the pamphlet distributed by Horyuji temple, the main buildings were built in the style of Chinese worship halls.  However, when contrasting the pictures above with the pictures below, anyone can see a fundamental difference.  (Pictures below are mine)



The tower is in the style of Chinese architecture; the buildings would not look out of place there.  But where is the color?  The buildings are almost unadorned with paint of any kind, the wood unvarnished and weathered.  One can see how it has worn on this sculpture, but no effort is made to stop this weathering:



I've studied Japanese aesthetics before, though.  In the fields of pottery and architecture, certainly, imperfection is beauty.  Something that has no blemishes, that looks brand new, is not valued.  This is the concept of wabi-sabi, on which subject many good books have been written, in particular I recommend the following:  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1880656124/portlandpatternrA/

So, it seems that as early as Horyuji was constructed, Japan was already starting its pick-and-choose brand of globalization.  They have taken the style and the grandeur, but these buildings have become uniquely Japanese.  This is covered in the film The Japanese Version, and I think that that analysis of Japanese globalization is particularly apt, and there is certainly enough historical precedent for it.

Tags: aesthetics, architecture, forbidden city, horyuji, wabi-sabi, yonghegong
Current Mood: artistic