Ancient Japanese Roof Design

Kinkaku ji kyoto originally built in 1397 muromachi period japanese architecture 日本建築 nihon kenchiku has been typified by wooden structures elevated slightly off the ground with tiled or thatched roofs.

Ancient japanese roof design.

Apr 29 2016 the four fundamental forms of japanese roof design. Yet this intentionally humble structure which dates back to the late 16th century is anything but simple. When for example japanese buddhist sculpture of the 9th century moved from the stucco or bronze tang models and turned for a time to natural unpolychromed woods already ancient iconographic forms were melded with a preexisting and multilevel respect for wood. Following this period was the era of the samurai or warrior class of ancient japanese society.

Sliding doors fusuma were used in place of walls allowing the internal configuration of a space to be customized for different occasions. Built with unfinished wood shinmei zukuri shrines are furthermore distinguished by the gabled roof with decorative logs called chigi and katsuogi as well as the raised floor. A traditional sukiya style teahouse appears remarkably simple composed of a straightforward wood post and beam structure with mud plaster walls and a few small openings. This style relies on simplicity and is derived from old japanese style of building its roots dating back to the kofun period 250 538.

The second roof is visible only from under the eaves and is therefore called a hidden roof while the first roof is externally visible and is called an exposed roof in english and cosmetic roof in jap. The traditional house of ancient and medieval japan 1185 1606 ce is one of the most distinctive contributions that country has made to world architecture while the rich and powerful might have lived in castles and villas and the poor lived in rustic country houses or cramped suburban quarters a large number of medieval japanese in between lived in what became the quintessential japanese home. Unlike the ceramic tiles we use in the west the roof tiles of japan have a little more personality. The hidden roof is a type of roof widely used in japan both at buddhist temples and shinto shrines.

The application of curved lines in japanese architecture is based on a style imported from the asiatic continent and dates from about the middle of the 6th century. There are many curved lines in the design of the japanese roof and the most remarkable are the curves of the eaves and the slope of the roof. It is composed of a true roof above and a second roof beneath permitting an outer roof of steep pitch to have eaves of shallow pitch jutting widely from the walls but without overhanging them. Apr 29 2016 the four fundamental forms of japanese roof design.

One notable aspect of japan s traditional architecture is the kawara roof tiles that can be traced back to the late 6th century when they were introduced to japan from china and korea. Union with the natural was also an element of japanese architecture.