In the wave of world architectural development, Japanese architecture is undoubtedly eye-catching. Japanese contemporary architecture, as a product of the combination of economy, culture and technology, has created epoch-making works in the history of architecture. It seems that Japanese contemporary literature, art and music have not achieved as high achievements as Japanese contemporary architecture. The architectural circles in China have been paying close attention to the development trend of Japanese architectural circles, and have also achieved many research results. On Japanese Architecture by Academician Ma (China Building Industry Press, 1999 edition) is an important work in this field.

The Essays on Japanese Architecture includes a brief analysis of Japanese architectural culture ―― absorption and creation, the fourth wave of Japanese architectural internationalization, and other weighty long papers, as well as special studies on Japanese female architects in Zhang Jihe, Kurokawa and Geqin Kenzo, as well as issues such as Field Museum in Japan, Kaili Palace and its renovation in Japan, Japanese rural landscape, Wright and Japan. The content is very rich, showing the author's profound knowledge. The most attractive thing about this book is, of course, the author's wonderful exposition of the pace of modern Japanese architecture and the new development of the new era. Ma believes that Japan has a distinctive and strong traditional culture, an inherent and unique architectural concept, and also has the tolerance and absorption of foreign cultures. There are many theories and schools in Japan in terms of creative methods. For example, the older generation architect Fujimura has always kept a certain distance from modern architecture. Ge Qinxian-san, on the other hand, has been committed to the modern architectural movement in Japan, making it gradually occupy a dominant position in the Japanese architectural world; Isozaki's new visual language is to find out the language he thinks is suitable in the context of the world; Kurokawa Zhang Ji wanted to express the theme of modern Japan in oriental thought; Tadao Ando's simplest fair-faced concrete texture embodies low skill-high manual skill. These architects have different positions and methods, and there are three main viewpoints: one is to study and refine Japanese characteristics and then realize them by modern methods. The second is the pursuit of "intangible" universality, that is, how to express the spirit of Japan in an ambiguous form. The third is a new compromise method, but sometimes it is completely Japanese style at first glance, and it is only superficial. In actual creation, Japanese architects often waver and hesitate between these viewpoints, trying to find a new combination point and a new way out.

The "internationalization of Japanese architecture" discussed in this book is also an issue of interest to readers. From the second half of 1980s to the beginning of 1990s, there was an unprecedented "bubble economy" in Japan, and there was a short-lived building boom. Foreign architects, especially European and American architects, flooded into the Japanese architectural market, which was followed by the "fourth wave" of Japanese architectural internationalization (as Suzuki Hiroshi, a Japanese architectural historian, put it). In this book, Ma discusses the fourth wave of Japanese architectural internationalization and analyzes the profound external and internal reasons. From world-class masters to rising stars, from architectural design to interior design, from Europe to the United States, the most striking masters, such as Graves, Peter eisenmann, Qu Mi and I.M. Pei in the United States, Foster, Rogers and Sterling in Britain, piano and Rossi in Italy, and Berta in Switzerland, have left their works in Japan, which shows that Japan has become the center and hot spot of countless architectural activities in the world. This wave, as Suzuki Hiroshi thought, pursues a kind of "contemporariness", that is, it is both imported and the same level as other countries, and it is the "equivalence" between Japanese architecture and foreign architecture. Ma, on the other hand, thinks that the degree of "equality" has not been fully reached, and the introduction itself is a kind of learning, which means paying a certain price. This wave will have a far-reaching impact on Japanese architecture. There are complex contents between this foreign architectural culture and Japanese native architectural culture. They not only exist in a certain period of time, but also have fierce conflicts, thus causing changes in the overall structure of the Japanese architectural system.

"Stones from other mountains can attack jade". The problems encountered by Japanese architectural circles in the process of absorption and creation are also worthy of consideration by China architectural circles. With the mainstream of western architectural culture, Japanese architectural circles have made a strong response, and Japanese architectural culture has therefore become an important part of contemporary world architecture. Ge Tan, Shinichi Isozaki and Tadao Ando have also become internationally renowned architects. Although China struggled for a long time, it seems that it failed to play a major role in the international arena. Throughout the 20th century, I am afraid that Dai Nianci is the only China architect who can leave his name in the history of world architecture. He is a classicist with a conservative tendency ("conservative" here refers to a cultural attitude, not a derogatory sense). However, the architects who tried to create modern architecture in China failed to solve the worldwide problems, so they were ignored by international architects. Architects who pursue innovation sometimes end up with "brave sacrifice". Facing the current situation of architecture in China, the development of Japanese architecture should be worth pondering.

References:

Title: Japanese Architectural Essays (Academic Series of Beijing Architectural Design and Research Institute)