{"id":103098,"date":"2024-06-25T11:29:58","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T02:29:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=103098"},"modified":"2024-07-11T11:58:35","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T02:58:35","slug":"kanban-kenchiku-japanese-architecture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/kanban-kenchiku-japanese-architecture\/","title":{"rendered":"Kanban Kenchiku: A Time Capsule of Early 20th Century Japanese Architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
In 1923, Tokyo burned to its very core. Live wires and kitchens flamed out of control as the trepidation of the Great Kanto Earthquake<\/a> shocked the core of the nation.<\/strong> It wasn\u2019t the first, and it wouldn\u2019t be the last. It\u2019s no secret that Japan is a nation that has been profoundly shaped by natural disasters<\/strong>. And yet, architectural aesthetics is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the cultural legacy of earthquakes. After all, it\u2019s only natural to think about this topic in terms of building codes or anti-seismic technology. However, this is where a powerful, kitsch and charming freestyle architectural style<\/strong> emerged as the love child of Japanese and Western tendencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kanban Kenchiku<\/em> \u770b\u677f\u5efa\u7bc9, or “signboard architecture” <\/strong>is how we refer to this style today, and these structures are considered perfect, tangible examples of the devastating legacy of 1923. This style was a direct response to the fires that ravaged Tokyo<\/strong> as a means to prevent the same tragedy from repeating itself. It was an innovative approach that addressed immediate safety concerns while also adding a unique aesthetic <\/strong>to the recovering cityscape. However, the destruction caused by WWII (and a postwar cultural shift) curtailed this architectural evolution, leaving Kanban Kenchiku as a brief but impactful chapter in Japan\u2019s architectural history<\/strong>, reflecting the rapid cultural changes during the late Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was the architect and scholar Terunobu Fujimori<\/strong> (who is also the director of the Edo-Tokyo Museum<\/a> and the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Musem<\/a>) who coined the term Kanban Kenchiku, in 1975, to refer to the commercial buildings that originated in the aftermath of the disaster.<\/strong> This catastrophic event led to new building regulations emphasizing fire-resistant materials like copper, mortar and tiles, significantly influencing the construction techniques used to renovate the facades of the traditional wooden machiya<\/em><\/strong> \u753a\u5bb6<\/strong>. The facades were designed to be both functional and visually striking, drawing customers into the shops they adorned.<\/p>\n\n\nKanban Kenchiku, Evolution and Rebirth of the Machiya<\/h2>\n\n\n\n