This special exhibition demonstrates the distinctive features of Japanese architecture through the use of models of buildings that have been designated national treasures and important cultural assets. As a rule, the models are one-tenth scale models. These faithful reproductions not only show the exterior of buildings, but also show their interior structures and details of the methods that were used. Some models have been sectioned to reveal the internal structure. The exhibits in this exhibition are arranged in more or less historical order and are based on several important themes in Japanese architecture centered on temple architecture during the ancient and medieval periods and residential architecture from the medieval and Early Modern periods.

The models are accompanied by documents such as old drawings from the medieval and Early Modern periods and carpenter manuals, colorful reproduction models of shrine and temple architecture and old construction materials from Horyuji. We hope that this exhibition will help foster a deeper understanding of Japanese architecture.

Multi-storied pagodas and two-storied pagodas

Buddhist pagodas built in Japan are usually multi-storied pagodas with five or three stories, or two storied pagodas (tahoto) built by esoteric Buddhist sects. The multi-storied pagoda style introduced to Japan in the Asuka period was built for enshrining Butsu-shari (ashes of Sakyamuni), which was housed in either the base stone (shinso), central pillar or shaft (shinbashira) or the finial (sorin). Although introduced from China, this style was different from its Chinese original as it did not include multiple stories through which people could ascend to the top level. Two such examples are the three-storied pagoda at Ichijo-ji and the five-storied pagoda at Myoo-in.

Two-storied pagodas built by esoteric Buddhist sects during the Heian period were different from those built in China or the Korean peninsula and were originally dedicated to Dainichinyorai (Mahavarocana). At first, large pagodas like that at Negoro-ji on Mt. Koya were built, but later a simplified and smaller style of two-storied pagoda became common, such as tahoto at Ishiyama-dera.

Styles of Shinto shrine sanctuaries

There are various styles of Shinto shrine sanctuaries (honden), ranging from the shinmei-zukuri and taisha-zukuri and sumiyoshi-zukuri of older times, through to the kasuga-zukuri, nagare-zukuri and hie-zukuri created following the introduction of Buddhism to Japan, and combined styles such as the hachiman-zukuri and gongen-zukuri.

Shinmei-zukuri was used at Ise Grand Shrine, and this style was built only on land related to Ise Grand Shrine. The oldest extant example of this style of architecture is the Nishina Shinmei Shrine. Taisha-zukuri was adopted for the construction of the Izumo Grand Shrine. Similarly, it too was used only in the Izumo region, and the oldest extant example is the sanctuary at Kamosu Shrine. Sumiyoshi-zukuri, which is a style of deep building, was used for Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine in Osaka. All of these styles were originally linear in design and had raised floors supported by pillars dug into the ground.

Kasuga-zukuri style was first used at the Kasuga Shrine. This style is characterized by the small size of the structure, and was mostly built in the Kinki region. The nagare-zukuri style was first adopted for the Kamo Shrine in Kyoto, but spread throughout the whole of Japan. Hie-zukuri is the style used for Hie Shrine in Shiga, and looks as though the back part of the hip-and-gable style (irimoya-zukuri) used for the roof has been cut away.

The hachiman-zukuri style comes from the Usa Hachiman Shrine in Oita, which appears like two separate buildings one behind the other, each with its own gable roof (kirizuma-zukuri). Only a handful of buildings in this style survive, one being the Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine in Kyoto. Gongen-zukuri is characterized by an intermediate passage made of stone (ishi-no-ma) that joins the main sanctuary and the worship hall (haiden). First adopted for the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto, the style was used during the Early Modern period for shrines as well as mausoleums (reibyo) in which spirits of the dead were enshrined. It would appear that the term gongen-zukuri did not come into use until after the Meiji period.

The formation and development of shoin-zukuri

Shinden-zukuri, the style adopted for the mansions of aristocrats during the Heian period, was also used in the Kamakura period for the residences of warriors and for temples. Changes in lifestyle resulted in a number of changes, which saw more complex floor plans, an increase in partitions to form rooms, the laying of tatami mats, and changes in the style of pillars and fittings. By the latter part of the Muromachi period, the zashiki-kazari style had formed, characterized by features such as a decorative alcove (toko), shelves (tana), study (tsukeshoin) and ornamental doorway (chodai gamae). The addition of an elevated floor where persons of the highest rank sit (jodan-no-ma) marked the final development of the shoin-zukuri style.

This was followed in the Early Modern period by the construction of large-scale structures that were decorative and opulent. A contrasting style based on the shoin-zukuri was the sukiya-zukuri, a simple style of building that incorporated a tea-ceremony house (chaya). The Togudo at Jisho-ji is typical of the earlier style of shoin-zukuri, while the guest hall (kyakuden) at Kojo-in is a good example of the style once it had fully developed.

Old materials used for the construction of Horyuji

There are many buildings at Horyuji (Ikaruga-cho, Ikoma in Nara) that are national treasures and important cultural assets and which have been repaired funded by government subsidies since the end of the Meiji period. Some of the buildings that were dismantled and then repaired before the mid 1930s include the Chumon (center gate), Kairo (roofed semi-enclosed corridor), Jikido (dining hall), Todaimon (great east gate), Shoro (belfry), Hosodono (narrow structure alongside Jikido), Sangyoin (lit. three sutra hall) and the To-in Shoro (belfry of the eastern temple). Some of the old materials used in these structures that were replaced due to damage are on show at this exhibition. The repaired buildings date from the Nara, Heian and Kamakura periods, and because they were repaired over the years not all the materials on display were used in the original construction. There are some differences in the methods and styles used for the same material used for the same building. Different types of wood were also used.

Though limited, these materials on display help us gain an understanding of the styles and methods and types of wood used for construction materials dating from ancient times.