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[Recommendation for 'Savoring'] Savoring books while yearning for all the trips hidden in daily life

trafalgar

2024年6月27日 08:30

The things we secretly hold dear.

Even though they certainly exist.

We cannot point to them.

They are not just things that can be seen.

Deciphering them one by one.

Expressing them with care.

And then, savoring the collection of words created in that way.

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■ Text

"Architectural History Problems" (Chikuma Shinsho) by Terunobu Fujimori

[Content]
As the author, who had been dedicated to the study of modern architectural history, traced history back to medieval European architecture, then to early Christian architecture, and further to Neolithic architecture, what he realized was the great problem of the origins of architecture.
What is the beginning? Is it a dwelling?
Or is it a temple?
To begin with, what defines architecture as architecture?
After visiting ruins that have become nothing but stones and holes over long, long years, what did he see by listening to the murmurs leaked by those ruins?
He unravels questions surrounding 'architecture'—such as its origins, the differences between Japanese and Western styles, and the unique path of Japanese architecture—in every direction.

[Table of Contents]
1 What is Architecture?? (What is the difference between architecture and dwellings? Thinking about the prototype of dwellings, etc.)
2 The Deep Chasm Between Japanese and Western (Fundamental differences in Japanese and Western architectural styles, churches are round, etc.)
3 Japanese Architecture (Japanese wooden construction, architecture made by burning!?, etc.)
4 Inventions and Ingenuity (The great inventions of the Romans, can glass be 'stone'?, etc.)

[Problem Statement]
I believe that architecture exists for the sake of 'people'.

I have arbitrarily decided that the theme of architecture is whether the people who use or live in that building (space) can build a 'happy' relationship with it.

Therefore, no matter how much of a 'work' it is by a famous architect, I do not find the 'Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building' beautiful, as it is riddled with leaks just over a decade after construction, has an annual maintenance cost of 3.4 billion yen, and is said to cost over 100 billion yen to properly repair.

Of course, I think the design and the beauty of the form of architecture are important.

The energy that an excellent architect puts into

'expression'

gives me goosebumps.

However, I am skeptical of the arrogance of calling public architecture, which is only possible with the backing of great power and capital, a 'work of art'.

First of all, isn't it a 'vessel' for society?

Because I am skeptical of contemporary architecture, I do not read the architectural theories of famous masters.

Even if I start reading, I cannot keep up with the string of strange technical terms and arbitrary phrasing, so I close the book.

One of the few exceptions is the series of works by Terunobu Fujimori.

When I first encountered this book by Mr. Fujimori, I was excited that an architectural history book that even laypeople could understand had been published.

'Modern Japanese Architecture Vol. 1: Bakumatsu and Meiji Period' (Iwanami Shinsho) by Terunobu Fujimori

'Modern Japanese Architecture Vol. 2: Taisho and Showa Period' (Iwanami Shinsho) by Terunobu Fujimori

If you read this along with the book written by Mr. Fujimori's mentor, you can grasp the flow of the Japanese architectural world over the last 140 to 150 years.

'History of Modern Japanese Architecture' (NHK Books) by Teijiro Muramatsu

Starting as an architectural historian and becoming an architect who makes the most of natural materials,

'Jinchokan Moriya Historical Museum'

'Genpei Akasegawa Residence (Nira House)'

'Kumamoto Prefectural Agricultural College Student Dormitory'

I am drawn to the descriptions by the author who created these and other works because,

'The touch is light, but the content is heavy.'

That is why.

Before discussing architecture in terms of style,

'Materials'

The way he digs into this also suits my taste.

So, this time, it is

'Architectural History Issues'

It is a new book that adds to serialized articles from various magazines and includes two newly written chapters.

To be honest, reading it from beginning to end in order is a bit tough.

This is because the author's interests and my own do not always overlap.

However, since it is a collection of columns, you can skip those parts and keep reading.

The theme that runs through this book is

'What is architecture to humanity?'

the question.

[ Conclusion ]
might sound a bit difficult, but the content is concrete, and it was a real eye-opener for me.

For example,

'Why are Japanese streets so cluttered?'

is a simple question.

In principle, through urban planning,

'residential areas'

'commercial areas'

'industrial areas'

and so on, land use is determined, and buildings are supposed to be constructed accordingly.

However, it is not rare to see streets where there are high-rise apartments behind wooden houses, a sex shop on the right, and an ironworks on the left.

Westerners call it,

'interesting, like an overturned toy box'

but among the residents,

'landscape disputes'

and other serious problems occur frequently.

It is easy to explain that it is because economic fundamentalism ignores the landscape, but it would not be like this without a cultural climate that allows anything goes.

What is that? When I try to follow it, I get confused.

From the passage in this book,

'The fundamental difference between Japanese and Western architectural styles'

I gained some insight.

From an architectural history perspective, the author takes up the 'Japanese-Western juxtaposition style,' in which the founding fathers of the Meiji Restoration and major business magnates placed a 'Japanese-style palace' and a 'Western-style building' side by side on their residential grounds.

The juxtaposition of a Japanese-style house and a Western-style building seems natural to Japanese people.

However, overseas,

'I have never witnessed such a practice of building a Western-style building next to a traditional residence in all my long years of fieldwork'

the author says.

It seems that Japanese people have cultivated a sense of being comfortable with buildings of different shapes standing side by side for quite a long time.

Furthermore, it seems they also possess a gene that does not care about chronological differences.

Western architectural history is told through the progression of styles for each era: Greek, Roman, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, and so on.

The era and the style almost always coincide.

However, in the case of Japan, styles cannot be divided by era, such as Asuka, Nara, Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi, Sengoku, and Edo.

There are styles, but they do not change or evolve in line with the flow of the times.

It is the same as in Europe that old things change to create new ones, but it is said that what happens after that is different.

If it were European architecture, it would change further, but in Japan, once something is established, it continues to live on.

Old things continue to live on in parallel with the next newly born style.

Even when Sukiya style is born, Shoin style remains as vibrant as ever.

Sometimes, in a single house, Shoin-zukuri, Sukiya-zukuri, and tea rooms are lined up in order.

Styles do not follow the era.

Then, if you ask what they follow, they follow their purpose. (Yamaoka note: Ise Jingu's)

The Yuiitsu Shinmei-zukuri style follows the purpose of being a shrine for the Imperial family, while Sukiya is adopted only for the purpose of being a residence or a restaurant with a touch of playfulness.

Therefore, the elder statesmen of the Meiji era also lived their daily lives in,

Japanese-style palaces,

and used Western-style buildings for reception spaces that served as the interface with the public,

Western-style buildings,

so it can be concluded that they felt no sense of incongruity even when placing heterogeneous buildings side by side because they used them according to their purpose.

At this point, scales fell from my eyes.

If one is only interested in the purpose of a building, it is fundamentally impossible to try to determine the use of land and make it comply with that under the modern legal system.

Even if the buildings have different shapes and eras, each one is,

as long as it can be used,

and they keep building them one after another.

Changing this is no easy task.

It just keeps getting more and more cluttered.

I worry that styles are just piling up one after another, only ever increasing.

Though that is indeed the case.

Let's just assume that is the fate of Japanese architecture.

Hmm.

If it's dismissed as fate, I can't move forward...

Recently, eco-friendly housing is in vogue.

'Does not emit harmful chemical substances'

Wood and earth, which are said to do this, seem to be popular.

The author also uses natural materials as an architect, but surprisingly,

'Iron, glass, and concrete do not emit anything harmful'

he says.

I, too, learned about people living in energy-efficient homes in another book,

'Iron, glass, and concrete'

and thought for myself about how to face them.

At present, if one seeks ecology and sustainability, I believe that the external insulation method, which covers the outside of a reinforced concrete structure with insulation to reduce energy load while protecting the building from direct sunlight, wind, and rain, is also effective in terms of durability.

The author writes this about the environment and architecture.

'Perhaps the only thing that is definitely contributing to environmental issues at the moment is increasing the insulation of roofs, walls, and windows.

...Common methods like thickening wall insulation, improving ventilation on roof surfaces, or using double-paned glass have the balance that is most important in the realm of architecture and housing, and they are reliable.'

I completely agree.

[ Comment ]
The author frankly says that they use natural materials because,

"I like them."

and says so frankly.

Iron, glass, and concrete do not emit harmful substances and are sturdy, but they lack character.

Therefore, the author states the following:

"Wood is prone to rot, soil is prone to collapse, and stone is prone to cracking, but their expressions are rich in variety and deeply flavorful.

If so, one should use iron and concrete as the skeleton, wrap it in natural materials, and open glass windows.

Science and technology in the background, nature in the foreground."

Next time I have the chance, I will go see a building designed by the author.

■ 34th Night, 340th Book

Starting April 18, 2024, I will select 10 books per night as appropriate, and by emulating and following those books, I will introduce them as reference books for practicing 'chibun' (written documents for informing others of thoughts and matters) (^^)

I believe that for all of you, there are nights you have longed for, devoured, and made a part of your flesh and blood.

What kind of nights did you bring in, and from among them, what kind of nights did you choose?

And what are we trying to emulate and follow?

I believe that encountering books that can serve as the practice of such practice allows us to experience very interesting nights.

Well then, I wonder which one I should read today.

Dressing up as if for martial arts or tea ceremony practice.

Changing one's behavior.

Revisiting one's posture.

The 'practice of reading' where one immerses oneself in what one loves.

The etymological meaning of 'keiko' (practice) is to reflect on the past.

It does not mean to return to the classics, but rather to learn from the 'past' itself and to master that process.

Tadashi Nishihira, 'Zeami's Philosophy of Practice'