Japanese Wood Joinery
Religion has always been an important aspect in Asian society; the many temples that exist today prove this. The temples and palaces are what make Asian architecture so unique and known. Traditional Japanese style buildings always have two elements in their architectural design, timber and joineries. The joineries are what make the structure look so distinctive from western architecture. Even the uses of material have a different meaning. For example, In Europe, “timber was associated with poverty” therefore wood was not embraced in Europe, however the Japanese thought differently and used wood for the “most prestigious buildings like temples [and palaces].”[1] The reason that the Japanese did not use other materials was because Japan is such a mountainous country that it would be difficult to transport materials.
Japanese temples and palaces look very interesting because of the brackets that support the roof of the structure. The brackets starts out simple but as it gradually gets closer to the roof, it gets more complex. The bracket ensures the roof’s horizontal rigidity because the columns are not attached to the stone plinths to support the structure. Japanese Joineries was created to endure heavier loads. As a result it also made the structure more sturdy. In the past joineries took more effort and time to make because they were hand crafted, craftsmen used saws and chisels to cut into the timber. There are many different types of joineries that have different purposes. For example, a mortise and tenon joint are important joints in constructing furniture. The slots in the wood are called the mortise and the tenon is the projecting part of a piece of wood. The tenon is fitted into the mortise to make the joint strong. These joints can be seen as legs of wood tables. The joints can also be used for walls or columns even roofs. In today’s society, Japanese influenced roofs are seen in many homes and cottages. These joineries were created so that the structure depends more on itself rather than on bolts and screws.
[1] Henrichsen, Christoph. Japan- Culture of Wood. Germany: Birkhauser- Publishers for Architecture, 2004. 8-9. Print.
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