Western Architecture Vs Japanese Architecture

Japanese Meiji Period1 was period in which Japan opened its doors to the outside world and laid foundation for Modern Japan by absorbing and assimilating Western culture and architecture was no exception.

The industrial revolution began about 1870 as Meiji period leaders decided to catch up with the West. It inaugurated a new Western-based education system for all young people, sent thousands of students to the United States and Europe, and hired Westerners to teach modern science, mathematics, technology, and foreign languages in Japan. The Japanese architectural profession was established in this period and therefor, architects were trained in the lastest construction methods and in Western styles.

Westernization of the building professions

The confusion about which style would best represent the Japanese way of life made it difficult to settle on just one specific style. The dilemma of abandoning the traditional architectural styles for the new technological and Western advances created a similar consensus among the future architects of Japan: it would be beneficial to combining the best aspects of both worlds. The compromise between the two could create a better form of building design to benefit the Japanese and ease their struggle with choosing one or the other. The rejection or retention of Japanese identity was therefore a central problematic for architects, widely debated until well after World War II.

This dilemma between the use in architecture of western and japanese models, is examined in the work of Maekawa Kunio. Maekawa case is especially interesting for many reasons. He designed in both, the turbulent pre-war situation and continue throught the post war period as one of the foremost designers of this “new

By this, he influenced future generations of architects and paved the path for influential post-war architects as Kenzo Tange, Tadao Ando, and Toyo Ito.

Is evident how in Maekawa works, the architectural space and form are being created in relation to architectural identity, in his case, Japanese architectural identity. Maekawa’s interests can be analyse from two sides: firstly from the idea that the creation of a new modern nation as essential to put Japan into the twentieth century. This is principally represented through the influence of Le Corbusier’s ideas on Maekawa. Secondly, the pursuit and the influence of Japanese architectural tradition.

Although on moderns architects was essential to create an architectural identity of the new Japan, this could not be realized without the quest to know and understand the intrinsic spatial Japanese qualities. It is interesting to analyze how Maekawa implements this quest to reach his architecture essence. Maekawa develops a designing method, able to abstract all influences creating both traditional and contemporary readings of the same component. His buildings attain a harmonious, peaceful spatial richness and accomplish an unusually sense of