The main directions of Japanese architecture during the Meiji and Taisho periods (late 19th – early 20th centuries)

Abstract

The article examines the main directions of Japanese architecture during the Meiji and Taisho periods. It was during these periods that the formation of the architectural communities of the empire took place, influencing the architecture of the entire Asia-Pacific region in the 20th and 21st centuries. The prerequisites for the formation of the Japanese giyefu style, based on a combination of Western and traditional architecture, and the invitation of a large number of foreign advisers to the country are shown. The text describes the four most important advisor personalities and their major achievements. The next step is the 4 most important Japanese architects of the Taisho period, they absorbed Western education and completely mastered the craft of an architect, in the European sense. In addition to landmark buildings for Japan, they transmitted to society their vision of architecture, which coincided with the line of the government and the emperor. The last part of the article outlines other directions of Japanese architecture, which developed from the Giyefu style to the Imperial Crown style, or which opposed themselves to Europeanized architecture – the modernists. It concludes by describing the three identified architectural trends with their antecedents and implications within the Asia-Pacific region