Architecture And Authority In Japan

Japanese architecture is one of the most inspired manifestations of Japanese civilization. This study argues that architectural forms are more than just symbols of the institutions that created them. William H. Coaldrake explores the symbiotic relationship between architecture and authority throughout Japanese history, exploring key structures and how they have been used as active conveyors of power, relating buildings to the political ambitions and religious beliefs of the major historical eras in Japan.

Japanese architecture is one of the most inspired manifestations of Japanese civilizations. Arguing that architectural styles are more than just symbols of the powers that created them, William Coaldrake explores the symbiotic relationship between architecture and authority throughout Japanese history. Coaldrake relates buildings to the political ambitions and religious beliefs of the major historical eras in Japan.
Table of Contents 1. Authority in Architecture: Container and Contained 2. The Grand Shrines of Ise and Izumo: The Appropriation of Vernacular Architecture by Early Ruling Authority 3. Great Halls of Religion and State: Architecture and the Creation of the Nara Imperial Order 4. Heian Palaces and Kamakura Temples: The Changing Countenances of Aristocratic and Warrior Power 5. Castles: The Symbol and Substance of Momoyama and Early Edo Period Authority 6. Nijo Castle and the Psychology of Architectural Intimidation 7. Tokugawa Mausolea: Intimations of Immortality and the Architecture of Posthumous Authority 8. Shogunal and Daimayo Gateways: The Intersecting Spheres of Arbitrary Will and Technical Necessity 9. Building the Meiji State: The Western Architectural Hierarchy 10. Tange Kenzo's Tokyo Monuments: New Authority and Old Architectural Ambitions 11. Beyond Vanity and Evanescence Chronology of Buildings Chapter Notes