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The region lies in an earthquake prone area which has had great impact on the
cultural as well as architectural evolution. Most of the topography is of mountainous
nature(rugged hills) , while 80% of the land is forests and vegetation. The climate is
moderate temperature, but there is heavy rainfall, especially in the summer. There is
also influence of cold air stream from Asia and warm stream from the Pacific. There
can be found a wide diversity of trees all throughout the country. Bamboo is available
in plenty which is widely used in buildings. In addition, stone(granite and sandstone) is
used for foundation, while timber is used as well for superstructure.
Japan has historically remained isolated from other nations. Also, it is one of the
nations that have never been conquered. Hence, there were a lot of superstitions in
the nation existing before Buddhism became popular during 6th century A.D.
ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Much of the architectural development has been influenced from Chinese architectural
principles. The early Japanese architecture is quite obscure. The major development
took place after the influence of Buddhism, wherein numerous Buddhist temples were
created in quick succession during the sixth century A.D.
Like in Chinese architecture, attention was given to details in Japanese buildings,
coupled with minuteness in carving and decoration in timber construction. Also, the roof
was the dominant feature. The Irimoya roof(hip and gable roof) was a major feature in
JAPANESE PAGODA
house design is based on the concept of flexible spaces. There are usually no bedrooms, and
each room can be converted into a bedroom as per need by spreading floor mats known as
tatami. Most houses are single storeyed.
Size regulations of the rooms are as per the size of the floor mats, which are usually
proportion of kens( 1 ken = 1.8 metre approx.). Most common dimension of a tatami was 1
ken x 2 ken. The sizes of the rooms were usually proportionate to the sizes and number of
tatamis to be spread in the rooms.
Light weight movable timber partitions were used in interiors. The doors were usually
sliding with Shoji partitions(made out of translucent paper screens). The panels could be
adjusted horizontally to allow the entire house to be opened to the garden. In heavy
earthquake prone regions, house walls are constructed with wood or stout paper filling to
avoid heavy casualties in case of a quake.
The main feature of a Japanese house is that it is based on minimalism in the interiors, in
terms of furniture as well as materials.