Japanese Creativity - (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

What lies at the root of Japanese creativity and its architectural
artifacts? In his new book, the Japanese architect Yuichiro Edagawa
explores this question in detail. By analyzing a wide variety of unique
exemplary buildings from the sixth century to the present, he determines
twelve distinctive characteristics of Japanese architectural creativity
and composition, including: intimacy with nature, importance of
materials, bipolarity and diversity, asymmetry, devotion to small space,
and organic form. The key understanding, which pervades all these
characteristics, is that "parts precede the whole." The Japanese process
of creation begins with designing parts and details and ends with
combining them to one edifice.
With Japanese Creativity--Contemplations on Japanese Architecture
Edagawa provides a personal and comprehensive understanding of Japanese
creativity and the architectural process. The book gives us an
inspiring insight into Japanese culture and identity, which in its
essence is deeply traditional and modern at the same time.
With a
preface by Kengo Kuma.

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