Church of the Light (Ibaraki) by Tadao Ando

This church is not just an iconic piece of Christian architecture, but is also an incredibly famous piece of contemporary Japanese architecture. Ando defines what we think of as Japanese architecture today and this church is a perfect example. He strips the building down to basics by creating spaces with simple planes and expresses a truth in material, as in most of his buildings, with his perfectly smooth concrete. He creates a simple, yet powerful message with the cross at the front of the worship space, which is a Roman influence with the dramatization of light. Not only was the building amazing to look at, but experiencing the building was also beautiful. 

Holy Annunciation Russian Orthodox Cathedral (Kyoto) by Matsumuro Shigemitsu

This is another example of a Byzantine style church in Japan. Being Orthodox, it follows a very traditional idea of what the worship space is supposed to be like, so this church does not have much Japanese influence in the design of the church, but it does in the material choices. The church is constructed of what seems to be almost all wood, the typical choice for most Japanese buildings during this time. The building follows a Greek-plan, but does not house any columns, mainly due to the fact that there is no dome. This church has more of a Russian Orthodox style, whereas the Orthodox cathedral in Tokyo seemed to have more Greek influence.

One of the most interesting experiences I had while in Japan was attending the Sunday Liturgy at this church. The service itself had a Japanese twist on what I consider a normal Orthodox service, one of which being that I had to take my shoes off at the door like at most other Japanese worship spaces, although this was the only Christian church I had to partake in this custom. 

St. Agnes Episcopal Church (Kyoto)

Although the design of this building does not have much of a Japanese influence, the use of clay roof tiles is very Japanese. These clay roof tiles are seen all over Japan on older, traditional style buildings. At this point in time, the Japanese were used to a specific style of construction methods for weather proofing and had not really explored other options, so they used what they were comfortable with.

A bit more information on the Japanese roof tiles:

The roof tiles were used because they were relatively easy and cheap to make, they were long lasting, and they were effective in protecting the building from the elements. Every tile interlocked with the one next to it. The tiles at the end of the roofs were ornamental and had special designs in them that related to the use of the building or who own/used the building. In the case of this church, there are no ornamental roof tiles due to the fact that there is no overhanging eaves for the roof tiles to be visible to the observer.

St. Agnes Episcopal Church (Kyoto)

This church is a good example of how the Japanese designed an early Gothic style church. The use of heavy masonry is a very Western concept for the time this was built. I was unable to go on the inside of the church, so I am unsure of any kind of Japanese influence there may have been on the interior. Overall, I think that this was designed to be very Western to try and help Japan assimilate to Western ideas because around this time, the Japanese tried to become more Westernized.

Another random Protestant Church that I stumbled across in Kyoto.

At the time, I did not realize how much of a Tadao Ando feel this building has, but after seeing the Church of the Light, I see how much this building resembles his work. The architect’s use of planes to define spaces along with the extremely smooth concrete all resemble that of Ando. From the looks of this church, with nothing but a quick glance while walking past, it does not seem to have much Western influence. The church does have a spire, like most other Protestant and Catholic churches, but it does not follow the aesthetic of the rest of the church. Overall, I think this church is a good example of contemporary Japanese architecture in its presentation of form and space.

This is the only good photo out of a handful of photos I took in a rush while passing this building.

Random Protestant church that I stumbled across in Kyoto.

This church is clearly westernized. There is a church somewhat close to my house in Indianapolis that has this same basic design. There is a spire attached to the church, but I do not think that it has any kind of Japanese influence.

I was unable to go into the building because it was closed, so I cannot make any final conclusions about the overall Japanese Influence of this church.

Harajuku Protestant Church (Tokyo) by Ciel Rouge Architects

I found this elevation of the church. I think it is a really interesting use of space and I like how this elevation really shows the crazy curvature of the ceiling in the church.

Harajuku Protestant Church (Tokyo) by Ciel Rouge Architects

I was unable to go into the inside of this building, but the interior and the exterior of the church are like night and day, so I had to post a photo of the interior. Having some French influence, the church in itself is very dramatized and is not conservative like that of most religious architecture in general. I could try to argue that the curvature of this building in directly influenced by traditional Japanese religious architecture, but I really think that the architect wanted to make a statement that people can worship in any kind of space. As said by Miguel San Miguel, “a space is considered sacred by the people who utilize the space.”

Photograph by Henri Gueydan