art history-1573 to 1615—offers such a variety of architectural pleasures that, in at least one of its many facets, it should appeal to every taste. It ranges from the largest and most imposing castles and palaces to the smallest and most tastefully designed teahouses. Painting and gardens are an integral part of Japanese architecture and here, also, the range extends from the gorgeous and elaborate to the utmost in simplicity and restraint.
In contrast to other eras, the architectural developments of the Momoyama period were not chiefly concerned with the building of religious edifices. During this time of conquest and consolidation in which the Japanese nation came to be united under a single leader, military architecture was of prime importance. More important in terms of application to contemporary design was the shoin style of residential architecture, which reached its zenith in this period of creativity. The third major architectural contribution of the age was the introduction of the sukiya style, represented by the teahouse. It is indeed remarkable that in such a short period of time these three dissimilar but related types of architecture developed forms which have never been surpassed in Japan or, in the opinion of many, in the world.
The shoin and sukiya styles have left their imprint on Japanese residential architecture, which retains many of the forms of the Momoyama period to this day. Therefore a knowledge of the influence of these styles is pertinent to a study of contemporary Japanese architecture and the latter's impact upon the rest of the modern world.
In the first part of this book I have discussed and illustrated the principal forms of castle, shoin, and sukiya architecture which I feel were the most important contributions of the period. The second part consists of existing examples of Momoyama structures followed by a brief section on developments of less importance in religious architecture and construction of essentially an engineering nature.
I have tried to keep the text as untechnical as possible. The approach is that of an architectural historian using a minimum of architectural terms and including pertinent historical data. I have also tried to limit the number of Japanese words in the text. English explanations follow all but the more obvious terms. Should there be doubt, English explanations of all Japanese terms appear in the index as also do the long-vowel marks for Japanese words.
It is hoped that through an understanding of forms and examples from this creative period of Japanese history, the reader will appreciate the heritage of Japans architectural past and the background upon which are based her aspirations for the future.
The kindness of many people both in Japan and in America has made this book possible. I am indebted to all Japanese for letting me visit their beautiful country and study their architectural treasures. I particularly wish to thank the owners and caretakers of temples, shrines, castles, and teahouses for the permission to photograph their buildings.
I wish also to express appreciation to the many persons who have spent time and effort which contributed to this volume. I am indebted to Ambassador Toshikazu Kase, who helped my wife and me in planning our trip to Japan. We were very fortunate in being "adopted" by the Yojibei Yoshikawa family of Fushimi, in Kyoto, and their loving care and companionship will always be gratefully remembered. I must thank Miss Utako Miyaki, who accompanied me on most of my photographic adventures; she acted as an interpreter, and her knowledge of Japanese courtesies (almost ritualistic at times) was an aid in securing admission to many examples of architecture. The late Mr. Jiro Kato, an authority on the Fushimi-Momoyama area and Fushimi Castle, conferred with me often concerning his field, and his passing was a great personal loss. I owe a great debt to Mr. Tomoya Masuda, my teacher in the Department of Architecture of Kyoto University, for his advice, encouragement, and aid. Yoshichiro Marutani is to be thanked for the skill with which he processed my photographs. I also wish to acknowledge the help of Hidesaburo Suzuki of the Kyoto American Cultural Center.
I am indebted to the Nishi Hongan-fi of Kyoto for Figures 89-111 and to an anonymous friend for Figures 115-32 on Nijo Castle. Figure 177 is reproduced from Nihon no Kenchiku by permission of the authors, Hirotaro Ota, Tai Tanabe, and Katsu-kichi Hattori. All other photographs in the book are my own work.
I am grateful to students of the Department of Architecture of Kyoto University for all the line drawings in this book. Figure 46 is from a plan by Junichi Tsuchiya, who in turn acknowledges his indebtedness to a publication entitled "Azuchi-jo Tenshu Fukugenko, Rombun-shu No. 1"; and Figures 12 and 13 are based upon models made by Masabumi Oshima. I also wish to thank my father for the loan of a camera and my wife for enduring the travels and sacrifices that a work of this nature entailed.
JOHN B. KIRBY JR.
The Forms
The Momoyama period was dominated by three military leaders. Oda Nobunaga (1534-82) began the cycle by bringing a large part of the country under his power. His Azuchi Castle on the shores of Lake Biwa introduced advanced military architecture combined with palatial living quarters on a large and lavish scale. Nobunaga was assassinated in 1582 and was succeeded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-98). Hideyoshi is probably Japans favorite military hero, and the fact that he was of peasant origin makes his rise to power all the more amazing. Hideyoshi died in 1598 while his troops were still attempting unsuccessfully to subjugate Korea. His Fushimi Castle, which was later called Momoyama Castle, gave its name to this period of history.
The third great leader was Tokugawa leyasu (1542-1616), who controlled the country after Hideyoshi's death, although his position was challenged until the death of Hideyoshi's son, Hideyori, in the final siege of Osaka Castle in 1615. leyasu was the first of a long line of Tokugawa shoguns (military rulers) who remained in power until 1868.
Because of unstable military conditions, castles played an important part in the architecture of the Momoyama period. However, within the castles other forms of architecture developed. The large-sized fortifications demanded equally large buildings within the castle compounds. For the castle owner, huge buildings in the shoin style served this purpose, and smaller structures in the same style were utilized for nobles and generals. In this period the tea ceremony, which had previously been introduced from China, became popular with people of all social classes. Sen no Rikyu, Japans greatest tea master, was instrumental in the development of an architectural style devoted solely to the tea ceremony, and the forms of the teahouse set a new architectural mode called sukiya. Hideyoshi patronized the tea ceremony and often retired from his huge elaborate buildings to the quiet simplicity of the small teahouses located within the walls of his castle.
Before examining the existing examples of Momoyama architecture, it is necessary to become familiar with the principal forms of castle, shoin, and sukiya architecture, which are discussed in the succeeding chapters.
The Castle