00:00:21
oh
00:00:43
an island floats in the calm Waters of
00:00:45
the settle Inland sea in the western
00:00:47
part of Japan on its Shore is the ituk
00:00:50
kushima shrine a fine example of
00:00:52
traditional Japanese religious
00:00:54
architecture
00:01:02
history tells us that the shrine was
00:01:04
founded towards the end of the 6th
00:01:06
Century the present day Shrine dates to
00:01:08
the beginning of the 12th century when
00:01:10
the ruler of the time built it as we see
00:01:12
it today it's constructed on platform
00:01:15
supported by stilts a reflection of the
00:01:18
Imperial Palace culture which was in
00:01:20
fashion at the
00:01:22
time the gently sloping roofs are
00:01:25
thatched with the bark of the Japanese
00:01:27
Cyprus known as the sun tree traditional
00:01:30
Japanese architecture noted for its
00:01:32
extensive use of wood has created an
00:01:34
elegant art form which is based on
00:01:36
various combinations of interlocking
00:01:47
Timbers the beauty of the wooden
00:01:49
structure that supports the roof is one
00:01:51
of the characteristics of traditional
00:01:53
Japanese buildings
00:02:03
the itsukushima shrine consists of more
00:02:05
than 20 separate buildings of these the
00:02:08
main hall and the East and West
00:02:09
galleries have all been declared
00:02:11
National
00:02:16
Treasures in many regions of Japan there
00:02:19
still exist castles built in medieval
00:02:21
times when warriors were fighting for
00:02:23
control of the country one of them is
00:02:25
Himi Castle famous for its outstandingly
00:02:28
beautiful Construction the central
00:02:30
Citadel is 7 stories high with its top
00:02:33
46 m above the foundations of the stone
00:02:38
walls thei Castle was built 400 years
00:02:41
ago and its construction took 8 years to
00:02:43
complete although made of wood the walls
00:02:45
are covered with a thick layer of white
00:02:47
Plaster to defend the castle from enemy
00:02:49
attack as well as
00:02:54
fire the most important part of the
00:02:56
castle is the central Citadel with its
00:02:59
tiled roof
00:03:00
here too a beautiful wooden structure
00:03:02
can be seen under the
00:03:08
eaves inside the central Citadel massive
00:03:11
wooden pillars and beams interlock with
00:03:13
each other to provide support for the
00:03:15
tall structure the staircase windows and
00:03:18
shutters are also all made of
00:03:26
wood when the shutters are closed it
00:03:28
becomes very dark inside this was to
00:03:31
confuse any hostile
00:03:36
Intruders this is the main wooden pillar
00:03:39
that supports the entire building it's
00:03:41
by far the thickest single piece of
00:03:43
Timber in the castle and interlocks with
00:03:45
overhead
00:03:50
joist the strong design and structure of
00:03:53
castles like this one served as models
00:03:55
for succeeding generations of builders
00:04:03
in the middle of Japan's main island is
00:04:05
the tosho shrine surrounded by a dense
00:04:08
Cedar Forest the toshogu shrine was
00:04:11
built 380 years ago and it's a fine
00:04:13
example of an architectural Fusion of
00:04:16
shrine and
00:04:18
Temple the main entrance to the compound
00:04:21
is through the very ornate yon or Yom
00:04:24
gate the gate is 11 M high and decorated
00:04:27
with more than 500 carvings
00:04:30
the Abundant decorations painted in red
00:04:32
green blue black white and gold make the
00:04:36
gate an extremely colorful
00:04:38
structure because of its incredible
00:04:41
ornamentation the Yon is considered to
00:04:43
be the culmination of the art of its
00:04:45
time and the structure has been
00:04:47
designated a National Treasure
00:05:02
the delightful carvings which Adorn the
00:05:04
buildings in the shrine's precinct are
00:05:06
in total harmony with the
00:05:12
surroundings the main hall itself is
00:05:15
almost totally covered with carved
00:05:17
decorations the paintings on the ceiling
00:05:19
give a Sumptuous feeling to the entire
00:05:28
building the interior of the main hall
00:05:30
follows the so-called showing style of
00:05:32
construction where a large space is
00:05:34
divided into many rooms modern Japanese
00:05:36
architecture derives from this style
00:05:39
magnificent carvings also decorate the
00:05:41
walls of the main
00:05:43
hall now let's take a look at the
00:05:45
history of Japanese wooden architecture
00:05:47
and examine how it
00:05:50
developed the use of Timber for
00:05:52
construction in Japan began with the
00:05:54
building of ancient temples and
00:05:55
Residences of the nobility this is the
00:05:58
horu G Temple in the city of Nara once
00:06:01
the capital of
00:06:07
Japan designated a national treasure the
00:06:10
Temple's golden Hall is the oldest
00:06:12
wooden building in the world it was
00:06:14
built in the 7th Century Construction of
00:06:17
the building is based on a complex
00:06:18
design of interlocking Timbers and the
00:06:21
hall has a tiled roof this style is
00:06:24
believed to have been introduced to
00:06:25
Japan from China
00:06:37
the tiles are embossed with reliefs
00:06:39
depicting the Chinese plants that were
00:06:41
the symbols of
00:06:48
Buddhism the boto in Temple is situated
00:06:51
on the outskirts of Kyo another ancient
00:06:53
capital of Japan it was built 950 years
00:06:57
ago and is considered to be the high
00:06:59
point of the architectural Elegance of
00:07:01
the period originally it was a villa for
00:07:04
a nobleman and his
00:07:06
family this is a typical example of the
00:07:09
ancient architectural style known as
00:07:10
shinden zukuri or Palace style
00:07:13
characterized by the use of platforms
00:07:15
the paneled walls create a vast interior
00:07:17
space which can be divided by screens to
00:07:20
create temporary rooms the buo in Temple
00:07:23
has survived the many wars which have
00:07:24
been fought in the surrounding area and
00:07:26
we see it today exactly as it was when
00:07:28
originally
00:07:39
built the characteristic feature of
00:07:42
Palace style is that rooms such as
00:07:43
reception rooms bedrooms and the dining
00:07:45
hall are located in separate buildings
00:07:48
they are connected to the main hall by
00:07:50
covered
00:07:56
corridors by medieval times around the
00:07:59
beginning of the 15th century the
00:08:01
Japanese began to use partitions to
00:08:02
create several permanent rooms inside a
00:08:06
building this building was constructed
00:08:08
about 400 years ago in Kyoto the elegant
00:08:11
lines of the architecture deserve
00:08:13
admiration and it's considered to be a
00:08:15
masterpiece of the time it's been
00:08:17
designated a national treasure the
00:08:19
advantage of building with wood is that
00:08:21
different external appearances can be
00:08:23
created simply by changing the method of
00:08:25
interlocking the tempers this building
00:08:27
located in the midst of beautiful
00:08:29
Gardens demonstrates many of the
00:08:31
features that a traditional Japanese
00:08:33
wooden building should
00:08:45
have a large study is located at the
00:08:47
center of the building and this
00:08:49
Arrangement is known as Shen style the
00:08:51
style was developed from the ancient
00:08:53
Palace style of construction and by this
00:08:55
time the interior of the building was
00:08:57
divided into rooms the architect tal
00:08:59
characteristics include painted sliding
00:09:02
screens called fusuma and Shoji which
00:09:04
led light into the room there's also an
00:09:07
alve a sort of small room set at a
00:09:09
slightly higher level the floors are
00:09:12
covered with tatami mats a feature
00:09:14
unique to Japanese
00:09:21
hes the katsura Imperial Villa was built
00:09:24
380 years ago as a Suburban residence
00:09:27
for the Imperial family this building is
00:09:30
also in shoen style and the brilliant
00:09:32
white Shi that separate it from the
00:09:34
outer World create a beautiful contrast
00:09:36
to the green of the
00:09:40
garden outside the Shi are wooden
00:09:42
shutters which stop driving rain from
00:09:45
penetrating the
00:09:53
rooms just inside the shoi partitions is
00:09:56
a wooden floored corridor
00:10:01
when the sliding partitions are opened
00:10:03
they reveal a panoramic view through to
00:10:05
the Garden the garden plays an important
00:10:08
part in the Shen style of
00:10:11
construction a Japanese garden is laid
00:10:13
out so that it reflects the atmosphere
00:10:15
of the countryside it exists
00:10:17
independently of the building and yet it
00:10:19
enhances the image of the whole area
00:10:21
including the
00:10:24
building so how have the features of
00:10:26
traditional Japanese architecture been
00:10:28
implemented in modern building buildings
00:10:30
this interlocking wooden structure under
00:10:32
the eaves is just one beautiful reminder
00:10:34
of the
00:10:42
past the floors are covered with tatami
00:10:44
mats and the rooms are partitioned by
00:10:46
the sliding screens known as fuma the
00:10:49
main pillar that supports the entire
00:10:51
structure of the house has become
00:10:52
thicker this one measures about 30 cm
00:10:55
along each side
00:11:04
there are Shoji which let in light and
00:11:06
fusuma sliding partitions this is the
00:11:08
traditional Shin style of construction
00:11:10
and it's still used
00:11:12
today the reception room has a tokonoma
00:11:15
or Al Cove which is set at a slightly
00:11:17
higher level than the rest of the
00:11:24
room the size of Tatam mats varies with
00:11:28
the region on average they measure 180
00:11:31
CMM by 90
00:11:38
CM the tatami mat base is made from
00:11:41
compressed
00:11:42
straw the top of this base is covered
00:11:44
with a mat of woven rushes The woven
00:11:47
Rush mat is fastened in place with long
00:11:50
metal skewers
00:12:06
once the length of the mat has been
00:12:07
determined the Craftsman then works on
00:12:10
the
00:12:13
width once the mat has been made to size
00:12:16
the Surplus rushes are trimmed off
00:12:29
the woven Rush mat is then sewn to the
00:12:31
straw
00:12:44
base the thread is made of hemp and is
00:12:47
thick and strong this Craftsman is
00:12:50
sewing the mat the traditional way and
00:12:52
his skills have been perfected after
00:12:54
years of experience
00:13:10
the compressed straw base is quite dense
00:13:13
and it's not so easy to se by hand
00:13:30
when the woven Rush mat has been sewn to
00:13:32
the base the side of the Tatam mat is
00:13:35
covered with a strip of fabric this too
00:13:38
is sewn to the
00:13:47
base in the past all Tatamy mats were
00:13:50
sewn by hand today however most
00:13:53
production is done by machine
00:14:02
it takes more than half an hour to sew a
00:14:04
mat by hand a machine does the same job
00:14:07
in a few
00:14:21
minutes there are two types of machine
00:14:24
used for sewing Tatamy mats one machine
00:14:26
sews lengthways and the other does the
00:14:28
end
00:14:38
the size of a Japanese room is
00:14:40
traditionally measured by the number of
00:14:42
Tatamy mats it
00:14:47
contains let's see how a fusuma sliding
00:14:50
partition is
00:14:53
made first of all the paper for the
00:14:55
underlining is prepared
00:15:01
the Craftsman uses a weak solution of
00:15:03
glue to prepare the underlining for
00:15:05
cutting Japanese paper is used for the
00:15:10
underlining the paper absorbs the
00:15:12
moisture from the blue and after it's
00:15:15
been scored it can be gently pulled
00:15:27
apart the GL is carefully applied to the
00:15:30
section of paper that will be stuck to
00:15:32
the wooden
00:15:37
frame the sheet of prepared paper is
00:15:40
then brushed onto the
00:15:45
frame it takes great skill to apply the
00:15:48
glue correctly as both the glue and the
00:15:50
way the underlining is applied will
00:15:52
affect the final appearance of the top
00:15:54
layer of paper
00:16:11
now it's time for the top layer of paper
00:16:13
to be applied and for this a much
00:16:15
thicker glue is used the glue is spread
00:16:18
all over the sheet of paper so that it
00:16:20
will strengthen the underlining and also
00:16:22
Hold the top layer down evenly
00:16:45
the top layer is made from one sheet of
00:16:47
paper if it's just slightly out of
00:16:50
alignment the whole panel will be
00:16:52
affected and look OD
00:17:08
the paper is carefully brushed onto the
00:17:10
underlining and any air bubbles worked
00:17:13
out so as Not to cause an uneven
00:17:26
surface when the paper is in place a
00:17:29
hole is cut for the handle this enables
00:17:32
the sliding screen to be opened and
00:17:34
closed
00:17:39
easily nowadays printed Japanese paper
00:17:42
is used to make fusuma sliding
00:17:44
partitions in the past it was quite
00:17:46
common to decorate the panels by
00:17:48
painting and some examples of fuma panel
00:17:51
paintings have been designated National
00:17:57
Treasures now let's see how a shoi panel
00:17:59
is
00:18:02
made a shoi panel is made from a wooden
00:18:05
frame covered with white Japanese paper
00:18:08
the glue is applied only to the wooden
00:18:11
frame the Craftsman carefully attaches
00:18:14
the sheet of paper to the frame where it
00:18:16
absorbs the moisture from the glue once
00:18:19
the paper dries the surface of the shoi
00:18:21
becomes as tight as a
00:18:25
drum the tradition of building houses
00:18:28
with wooden material survives in today's
00:18:30
Japan the old idea of supporting pillars
00:18:33
and interlocking Timbers is evident in
00:18:35
the construction of this modern
00:18:47
resident the thick joist Bears all the
00:18:50
load of the upper structure
00:19:02
various specialist joints are used to
00:19:04
interlock the Timbers wood can be fixed
00:19:07
more strongly this traditional way than
00:19:09
by using nails or
00:19:25
screws recently the construction of tall
00:19:28
build buildings using steel and concrete
00:19:30
has been on the increase in Japan the
00:19:33
Apartments built inside these modern
00:19:35
buildings usually have rooms made to a
00:19:37
western design but it's still very
00:19:40
common to have at least one room built
00:19:42
in a traditional Japanese
00:19:47
style so it seems the concept of
00:19:49
traditional Japanese architecture lives
00:19:51
on even in Mighty modern tower blocks
00:19:55
made of concrete steel and glass