CONVERGENCE in DIVERGENCE - School of Architecture - The ...

Convergence in Divergence: Contemporary Challenges in East Asian Architectural Studies2012 International Conference on East Asian Architectural Culture, Hong KongMelons or Poems?Recognitions of the Vernacular Architecture by Local People in JapanA Vernacular Landscape within the Transcribed Song Building StandardsSUZUKI ArnoREN Si-jieLecturer, Kyoto University, JapanTheme 2Ph.D Student, University of Pennsylvania, United StatesABSTRACTYingzao fashi 營 造 法 式 (hereafter YZFS), or the Building Standards, was first issued in 1103 CE of theNorthern Song period. As one of the two extant, full-scale, imperially-commissioned building manualsin Chinese architectural literature, it is praised as one of the two “grammar books” needed to unlock themysteries of pre-modern Chinese architecture, and its rediscovery has been long considered the startingpoint for the modern study of Chinese architectural history.However, YZFS represents an architectural literary tradition unpreceded by any similar or evenremotely comparable text. Even its title, fa-shi, is a legal term suggesting orthodoxy that means “organized,integrated bodies of rules on a particular topic.”This paper will set out to explore the intentionally transcribed vernacular roots hidden between thelines of these orthodox standards. A group of terms employed for timber members in bracket-sets, guazigong瓜 子 栱 , man-gong 慢 栱 and ling-gong 令 栱 , will be examined as the point of departure. Instead ofparing man-gong (formerly understood as “long arms”) with ling-gong (formerly understood as “regulararms”), and considering them allusions to man-ci 慢 詞 (lyrics for long melody) and ling-ci 令 詞 (lyrics forshort melody) as current scholars have suggested, I argue that man is transcribed from its homophone,“man 蔓 (vine)”, and should be paired with “guazi 瓜 子 (melon) ” in order to untangle their nomenclature. Thisreading corresponds with their relative positions within the bracketing system: the vine-arms protrudingon top of the melon-arms, perfectly resemble vines and melons. This reading is further supported byarchaeological evidence.However, this reading does not entirely deny the other transcribed reading. The very transformationfrom melons to poems, further supported by a survey of other transcribed vernacular terms such as qieji-tou切 幾 / 雞 頭 , “decapitated chicken” used throughout YZFS indicates that, instead of seeing YZFS asevidence of the impacts of literature and art on Song architecture, it is actually the compiler’s painstakingeffort to reference elite culture, thereby seeking orthodoxy and remolding the vernacular. I shall alsoshow that the chief compiler, scholar-official, Li Mingzhong 李 明 仲 , was largely responsible for the richcultural implications behind this unique work.ABSTRACTVernacular architecture is a good model of sustainable design that fits in the natural climate andsocial context of its particular region. Traditional folklore residences in Japan show good examples. Theyare, however, facing difficulty in preservation and utilization, especially when the cultural-asset laws andlocal building codes make it difficult for the owners to use their home to its best function. Even thoughthose folklore residences are energy efficient, zero emission and low in environmental impact, they mayno longer be ‘sustainable’ in the modern economic and social environment with westernized lifestyle ofpeople. The author interviewed owners of cultural asset residences in Japan and identified obstacles forthe vernacular architecture in Japan to remain sustainable.Fujioka Residence, for example, is over 250 years old shop-house in Nara, in the west of Japan. For itis designated as an important cultural asset by law, the owner has the obligation to preserve their houseas it was originally, even though the traditional carpentry and the original natural materials cost them afortune nowadays. They are, however, one of rare families who still live in and use the historical houseunder this circumstance. The author observed and interviewed Fujioka family from 2001 to 2011, andfound that their financial and psychological burdens were caused by the lack of understanding by localpeople, including the government, researchers, educators, tourists and neighbors.The author also interviewed some other owners in the east of Japan. Their properties were damagedfrom the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, but the owners are still trying to restore the houses and keepthem functioning.A survey research on 280 students, including both domestic and international, shows that they all canunderstand the significance and value of the vernacular architecture as a model for an environmentallyfriendly lifestyle. The result also suggested a possibility of utilizing those historical residences forenvironmental education. However, other surveys on cultural asset owners and general public show thetotal lack of understanding toward historical houses, and local Japanese people had less understandingthan visitors from western countries. The lack of understanding often leads developers to make wrong andirreversible alteration on the vernacular architecture. We have to find ways to make proper introductionsof the vernacular architecture and enlighten local people with their irreplaceable values.Architecture ofNegotiationThe establishment of Standards as orthodoxy raises other questions: How was YZFS received? Howfar did its influence reach? How was it transmitted after Song? When did its role as orthodoxy becomedimmed and why? After its rediscovery in early 1900s, why was it again erected as the unchallenged textfor Chinese architectural history? This paper seeks to answer all these questions.KEYWORDSDesignation, Preservation, Utilization, Education, EnvironmentKEYWORDSYingzao fashi, Building Standards, Li Mingzhong, Orthodoxy, Vernacular62 63