Japanese Architecture
Introduction
Japanese architecture has a great history like any other aspect of Japanese culture.
Although strongly influenced by Chinese architecture, it also shows a significant number of differences and aspects that we can unequivocally call Japanese. For the most part, those buildings that have survived to this day and that show features of traditional Japanese architecture are castles, Buddhist temples "Buddhist Temple (Japan)") and Shinto shrines.
But, in general, modern Japanese architecture reflects international influence and little connection with traditional Japanese methods.
For more information on artistic concepts, see also Japanese art.
Prehistory
The prehistoric period includes the Jōmon, Yayoi, and Kofun periods ranging from approximately 5000 BC. C. until the beginning of the century AD. c.
During the three phases of the Jōmon period the inhabitants were mainly hunter-gatherers with some knowledge of primitive agriculture, and their behavior was determined by climatic changes and other natural stimulants. The first dwellings were low-pitched houses consisting of shallow pits, with rammed earth floors and grass roofs designed to collect rainwater with the help of storage jars. Later in the period, a colder climate with greater rainfall led to a decline in population, which contributed to an interest in rituals and hence concentric stone circles first appeared.
During the Yayoi period, Japan began to interact with the Han Dynasty in China, whose knowledge and technical skills began to influence it. Hence the construction of false floors in barns and warehouses using metal tools such as saws and chisels. A reconstruction in Toro&action=edit&redlink=1 "Toro (Shizuoka) (not yet drafted)"), Shizuoka, is a wooden structure supported by eight pillars. The roof is thatched, but unlike the typical hipped roof of square houses, it is a simple gabled V shape.
The Kofun period was distinguished by the appearance of tombs in the form of mounds or barrows (kofun literally means "ancient mounds") composed of many chambers. Similar mounds on the Korean Peninsula are believed to be influenced by Japan. In the early tomb period, known as "keyhole kofun" or zenpō-Koen kofun, use was often made of existing topography, shaping it and adding artificial pits until a distinctive keyhole shape was created, that is, that of a circle with an interconnected square. Access was through a vertical shaft, which was closed once the burial was completed. There was space inside the chamber for a coffin and grave goods. The mounds were often decorated with clay figures called . Later in the period, the mounds began to be located on level ground and their scale increased considerably. Among many examples in Nara "Nara (Nara)") and Osaka, the most notable is the Daisen-kofun, designated as the tomb of Emperor Nintoku, which covers 32 hectares and is believed to have been decorated with . At the end of the Kofun period, the custom of burying the dead disappeared because Buddhists introduced cremation, which gained popularity.