Teaching Architectural History in Japan: Building a Context for Contemporary Practice

Abstract

The field of architectural history enjoys a diverse and broad audience in Japan. Group tours to major architectural monuments are a ubiquitous component of middle school and high school education. While these tours are often rushed and superficial, they do introduce students to their architectural heritage. A less regimented and, perhaps, more meaningful reflection of the interest in the subject is the widespread consumption of high-quality books on architecture for general readers. There are, of course, the easily digestible coffee-table volumes with sumptuous color photographs. However, more challenging publications are also extremely popular. Several series offer well-illustrated texts in accessible language that explain ancient tools and building methods, urban planning, the use of architecture in religious ritual, and other topics. Technical terms are defined and provided withfurigana (syllables that spell out the correct pronunciation) for less-experienced readers.' Open-air architectural museums, such as the Nihon Minka-en (Japan Farmhouse Garden) in the western suburbs of Tokyo, or the Meiji-mura (Meiji Village) outside Nagoya, are extremely successful at attracting visitors. Television producers also seem to recognize a market for the subject. The airwaves are filled with documentaries that present significant information about the history of architecture. Some are little more than travelogues, but others, such as Suzuki Hiroyuki's series on the history of modern architecture or the recent special on the architect and teacher Josiah Conder, demand more of their viewers. Undoubtedly, a variety of motives fuels this consumptionfascination with the history of technology, a craving for tangible evidence of a coherent cultural identity, the desire for vicarious travel (or the need to prepare for the real thing), or anxiety about preparation for college entrance exams. Yet the widespread public exposure to architectural history is of tremendous significance for the field of architecture, for it helps to sustain an attentive audience for major new construction projects, and may also contribute to the growing support for the architectural preservation movement in Japan. Professional training in the history of architecture is confined to a relatively narrow range of institutions. The subject is taught almost exclusively within departments of architecture. The related fields of architectural history, archaeology, art history, landscape design, and urban studies are usually organized into separate departments within a university. Even departments of art history, which in the United States often include faculty working extensively on architecture, usually do not regularly teach the subject in Japan (although, of course, some art historians share an interest and have acquired some expertise in the subject). At the University of Tokyo, for example, architectural history is taught in the Department of Architecture within the School of Engineering, art history is taught within the humanities, and landscape design is studied in the School of Agriculture. Architectural historians often collaborate on research and restoration projects with archaeologists, conservators, historians, and other professionals, but their host institution is usually an architecture program and the majority of their students are future architects and building professionals. These teaching obligations have undoubtedly shaped the priorities of the field. The close relationship between architectural history and architectural practice dates to the early days of the development of the architectural profession. The new government that was formed after the fall of the Tokugawa military government in 1868 recognized that rapid modernization was Japan's only hope for staving off the threat of American and European expansion. The new leadership embraced Western architecture both as a system of advanced technology and as a compelling symbol of cultural modernity. As early as 1873, the government established the Imperial College of Engineering. By 1877, the college had secured the services of a young English architect, Josiah Conder (1852-1920), to organize a program in architecture (the heir to that program at the University of Tokyo is still one of the premiere training grounds for architects in Japan). Conder's first students absorbed knowledge of Western architecture through studio projects in which they were expected to master the Gothic, Neoclassical, and other historical styles. Conder also placed those modes into historical context through survey courses in architectural history. For his instruction in architectural history, Conder