OSHER 327 - Japanese Architecture and Gardens

This course examines the historical development of architecture and gardens in Japan from ancient times to the present, with a focus on the role of tradition in contemporary Japanese architecture and landscape design. Architecture in Japan is closely tied to culture, environment, and landscape and was shaped over centuries by various socio‐political forces. Traditional architecture and arts peaked during the time of Japan's almost complete seclusion (1639‐1854) and changed abruptly after the 1854 signing of a trade treaty with the United States. We will survey these changes and discover the traces of history that remain even in the high-design architecture and gardens of contemporary Japan.