Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 471

Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Architecture: Heritage,

Traditions and Innovations (AHTI 2020)

Organic Architecture of Japan

Nina Konovalova1,*
1
Scientific Research Institute of the Theory and History of Architecture and Urban Planning, branch of the Federal State
Budget Institution “Central Scientific-Research and Project Institute of the Construction Ministry of Russia”, Moscow,
Russia
*
Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT
The main components of organic architecture, leading to the inner harmony of an architectural
structure, are archetypal for the architecture of Japan. Since ancient times, those principles have been
identified and placed at the head of absolute harmony, which has become the essence of the Japanese
culture. Using the example of Japanese architecture, Wright was able to confirm the correctness and
solidity of his provisions of organic architecture. For Wright, many of the ‘organic’ characteristics of
his theory have been embodied in traditional Japanese architecture. Creating his works in Japan,
Wright found students and followers, having a significant impact on the development of Japanese
architecture, which is felt up to this day.

Keywords: organic architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright, Imperial Hotel, contemporary architecture of Japan
his theory have been embodied in traditional Japanese
I. INTRODUCTION architecture. First of all, he pays attention to the fair
The main components of organic architecture, presentation of material, wood, emphasizing its texture
leading to the inner harmony of an architectural in traditional architecture. Japanese masters refuse
structure, are archetypal for the architecture of Japan, unnecessary things, any ‘decoration’ of architecture;
which has identified these principles and placed them at they are “bringing out and polishing the beauty of the
the head of absolute harmony, which has become the simple materials used in making the building” [2]. All
essence of Japanese culture since ancient times. Japanese aesthetics are built on this – it is based on the
Japanese philosophy, and all areas of artistic creation, nature of building materials, in this case, wood,
and, of course, architecture, is imbued with such showing the beauty of its texture.
principles. Wright also admired how many Japanese buildings
Frank Lloyd Wright, the founder and theorist of were so well adapted to their surroundings that they
‘organic architecture’ was inspired with the architecture almost seemed to blend in with the landscape. A
of Japan. It is impossible to say unambiguously that building taken out of context, in Wright's opinion,
F.L. Wright formulated the provisions of organic cannot exist. According to Wright, the shape of a
architecture, guided only by the leading principles of building should each time follow from its specific
organizing the space of traditional Japanese purpose and those unique environmental conditions in
architecture. He described a number of forms of which it is erected and exists. The architect believes
traditional Japanese art and architecture as ‘organic’. that harmony with the environment is a necessary
Wright's usage of this term in relation to traditional concept. It also formed the basis of his ‘organic
Japanese architecture was based on its fundamental architecture’. Researchers have always noted a close
principles: fair presentation of material, free flow of connection between a traditional Japanese house and a
space, artistic and aesthetic integrity of the object, and garden that surrounds it, the mutual overflow of
environmental friendliness. Those principles, each of external and internal spaces [3]. This sense of
which had its own history of existence and development continuity in the perception of home and garden is
in European architecture, together had a significant undoubtedly one of the most important characteristics
impact on Western theory and practice as a direction of that unite Wright's work with traditional Japanese
organic architecture [1]. architecture. In this way, an interconnected space is
created, which also underlies Wright's concept of
For Wright, many of the ‘organic’ characteristics of ‘organic’ architecture. Perhaps, more than any other
*Fund: This paper was funded by the Program of Fundamental
idea, the architecture of Japan has embodied the
Researches of the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities of concept of an interdependent ‘organic’ environment,
the Russian Federation and the Russian Academy of Architecture and where each seemingly separate entity actually depends
Construction Sciences 2020, the Research Project 1.4.1.

Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license -http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. 150
 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 471

on its neighbors both in meaning and in its very the original building of the ‘Imperial Hotel’ (built in
existence [4]. 1906) was badly damaged in a fire. Work on the new
hotel was halted, but during this time Wright designed a
Within the framework of the concept of ‘organic temporary building that was reopened five months later.
architecture’, Wright creates his ‘prairie houses’, the
ideal of which is integrity and unity with nature [5]. In
this philosophy, the house can be compared to a living
organism, in which all parts are connected to the whole,
and form and function are completely intertwined. The
‘prairie house’ style is characterized with an abundance
of horizontal lines, a predominance of flat roofs, wide
protruding cornices and intricate ornamentation. The
horizontal details of those constructions resembled the
landscapes of the Great Plains, which explains the
figurative name of the style [6]. At the same time, the
style was certainly under the influence of the image of
Japanese temples. Wright's ‘prairie houses’ served as a
natural extension of the natural environment, much like
the evolutionary form of natural organisms. They are
characterized with an open plan, horizontals prevailing Fig. 1. F.L. Wright. ‘Imperial Hotel’, Tokyo, 1923.
in the composition, roof slopes far removed from the
house wall, terraces, finishing with raw natural On April 26, 1922, a massive earthquake struck
materials, rhythmic division of the facade with frames, Tokyo and completely destroyed the original hotel
the prototypes of which were Japanese temples. Many building. [8] The north wing of the new hotel and the
of the houses are cruciform in plan, and the central partially completed central section were opened on July
fireplace combines an open space. Wright paid special 2, 1922. Since the south wing was a mirror image of the
attention to the interiors of houses, creating furniture northern one, Wright decided that he could leave the
himself and ensuring that each element was meaningful completion under the supervision of his assistant,
and organically fit into the environment he created. architect Arato Endo. Wright left Japan on July 22,
1922, as it turned out, forever. The hotel took another
eleven months to be build and was officially opened in
II. F.L. WRIGHT’ ARCHITECTURE IN JAPAN June 1923.
Important sources of inspiration for Wright were his The visual impact of the hotel building was
love for nature and his close ties with Japan, where he overwhelming to the Japanese of that time. The hotel
opened his own architecture office and worked actively. building was a tall pyramidal structure with a courtyard
For Japan, Wright designed fourteen buildings [7]. and pool leading to the multi-tiered main building.
Some of them have been never built, some were later Corridors and bridges were used to connect the three
destroyed. Only three have survived to this day. main buildings to each other. The interior has been
The most famous of the Wright’s works in Japan executed with rich ornamentation. The main building
was the ‘Imperial Hotel’ in Tokyo ("Fig. 1"). Several materials were concrete blocks and the carved Oya
times rebuilt1, the ‘Imperial Hotel’ at every stage of its stone. The use of Oya stone immediately refers to the
construction, was the personification of a new, building tradition of Japan. Oya stone is a kind of
progressive Japan. Since its inception, the hotel has greenish volcanic tuff, lightweight and durable; it was
become one of the key Japanese buildings in the one of the main building materials of Old Japan2.
Western style. One of the stages of necessary expansion One of the main design features of the hotel
of the hotel was to lead to the appearance of a new building was its foundation. The powerful ‘floating’
grandiose building. To work out the project, F.L. substructure went 18 meters into the ground. In
Wright was invited; he had already won worldwide addition, the hotel had other features that Wright had
recognition by that time. Wright came to Japan in 1913. envisioned to minimize potential damage from an
During his stay in the country, the architect inspected earthquake: seismic separation joints, located
the site and drew some preliminary plans. In 1917, approximately every 20 meters along the building;
Wright returned to Japan to prepare for construction: to conical walls, which are thicker on the lower floors,
inspect the site more closely, to approve materials, and which increases their strength; cantilevered floors and
to hire draftsmen to fulfill technical drawings. In late
1919, when the work on the new hotel had just begun,
2
In medieval Japan, Oya stone was used for fortress walls,
road covering, etc. The only deposit of Oya stone in the world is
1
The ‘Imperial Hotel’ was opened in Tokyo for the first time located near the city of Utsunomiya, where old quarries are still can
in 1890; since then, it was numerously rebuilt. be seen.

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balconies provided additional support for the floors; well as for interior decoration – columns and lanterns in
piping and electrical wiring were suspended rather than the corridors. Wooden window frames got an
encased in concrete; The on-site pool also served as a interesting geometric pattern, which became one of the
source of water to extinguish fires and to save the striking features of the project. Wright designed himself
building from the effects of an earthquake. furniture and lighting for the school's interiors. The Jiyu
Gakuen Girls' School Myonichikan is one of a few
In 1923, the ‘Imperial Hotel’ experienced a examples of Wright's work in Japan that has completely
powerful earthquake – the Great Kantō earthquake. The retained its original appearance4.
hotel building survived, although it was damaged: the
central section fell, several floors were cut; besides, The third work by the famous architect in Japan is
many minor damages were recorded3. the Yodokō Guest House (Tazaemon Yamamura
House, "Fig. 3"). It was created in the city of Ashiya,
The second surviving Wright’s building in Japan is Hyogo Prefecture, as a summer villa for a rich sake and
the Jiyu Gakuen Girls' School Myonichikan ("Fig. 2"). beer producer Tazaemon Yamamura. The residence
This is a free school built by Wright in Tokyo in 1921. was designed by Wright as a project in 1918; its
Arata Endo, Wright's assistant in the construction of the construction was completed in 1924. The Yodokō
‘Imperial Hotel’, introduced the architect to his Guest House is an reinforced concrete building, which
acquaintances Yosikazu and Motoko Hani, who was a great rarity for Japan of 1920-s.
founded the Jiyu Gakuen Company. Impressed with the
couple's self-sufficient, Christian-centered educational
philosophy, Wright was enthusiastic about designing
their new school. The school was conceived as a
complex of buildings, consisting of four separated
parts: main, east, west, as well as the building of the
auditorium. The main building was two-storey, flanked
with two educational buildings facing west and east,
forming the U-shape. High windows of the buildings
overlooked the open courtyard. The buildings were
distinguished with the length of horizontal lines that
help them to fit perfectly into the landscape. Overall,
the school's architectural design was reminiscent of the
‘prairie architecture’ by Wright of his early days.
Fig. 3. F.L. Wright. Yodokō Guest House, Ashiya, 1924.

The villa was built on the slope of a hill and fit well
into the natural landscape. The architect took into
account all the perspectives of such a variant of the
location of the building. Panoramic views of the upper
floors’ large windows of the building and balconies
allow to observe all the environment beauty: the Rokko
Mountains, the Kobe Port, the Osaka Bay, and the
general cityscape. The approach to the villa was
carefully thought out by the architect. A long road leads
to the house through a picturesque area. At the front
entrance there are special areas for relaxation and
contemplation of the surroundings. In general, special
attention in the project was paid to directing visual
Fig. 2. F.L. Wright. Jiyu Gakuen Girls' School Myonichikan, Tokyo,
panoramas.
1921. The decoration of the Yodokке Guest House, as
well as in other Japanese works of Wright, used
The architect also brought in some Japanese decorative blocks of Oya stone [9]. The center of the
building traditions: the gray-green Oya stone (brought villa is the living room with a fireplace, also one of
from Totigi Prefecture), beloved by Wright, was widely Wright's favorite element of composition. Wright was
used. It was used for paving paths and sidewalks, as also assisted in this project by architect Arata Endo.
Once Wright's project entered the final stages of its
3
The hotel building was also damaged in the WWII. In 1968,
4
the preserved elements of the complex were transferred to the In 1999-2001, there were broad-scaled restoration works in
architectural museum Meiji Mura in Aichi Prefecture, where they are the School; thanks to them, the unique architecture by Wright was
kept nowadays. preserved.

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implementation, Endo filled the Yodokō Guest House indirect influence of the style of Frank Lloyd Wright,
with decorative details. He also added three traditional clarifying this organic line of development of Japanese
Japanese-style rooms with tatami flooring and fusuma architecture.
sliding dividers. The Yodokō Guest House was the first
Taishō period building in Japan to be designated an Arata Endo has been one of Wright's top assistants
important cultural property5. In 1989, it was opened for in Japan for many years. He selected draftsmen to work
public visits. on the projects; he himself took part in the design, and
also supervised the construction. In 1920s, Endo
Arata Endo's role in realizing the Wright's projects designed a country house for Kenzi Kondo, taking as a
has been enormous. He admired Wright's organic starting point the work by his teacher, F.L. Wright.
architecture and tried to combine it with traditional Villa Kondo ("Fig. 4") was built in 1925. The house
Japanese architecture. He looked for opportunities, or was built in the L-shape with a large pond in the north-
rather artistic techniques, to create a tradition of eastern part of the site. Endo combined architecture and
Japanese organic architecture. nature, revealing all the advantages and beauty of the
site allocated to him for construction. Following
III. F.L. WRIGHT’S INFLUENCE AT THE Wright's example, Endo also designed all furniture and
lighting fixtures for that house. The architect envisioned
ARCHITECTURE OF JAPAN
two types of premises in the villa: European style on the
Working in Japan, Wright made a significant ground floor and traditional Japanese style on the first
influence on Japanese architects. Local architectural floor.
assistants were fascinated with Wright's ideas of
organic architecture; they were able to see and
appreciate them in practice, and subsequently translate
them into their work. Over time, architects of that
generation, who had the opportunity to learn from
Wright directly, also found their students and followers.
Since then, the style of Frank Lloyd Wright has been
traced in Japanese architecture – created both half a
century ago and contemporary.
Wright's ideas can be traced back to architects such
as Katsuo Seima, Kengo Kuma, and Takaharu Tetsuka.
Like Wright himself, they are characterized with their
attention to the placement of an object in space, taking
into account the influence of climate and environment,
using of innovative construction methods and Fig. 4. A. Endo. Villa Kondo, 1925.
technologies, as well as a special view of the
organization of the space of an architectural structure. Yoshiya Tanoue, also a student of Wright,
continued to work with Arata Endo on the construction
From 1917 till 1922, young Japanese architects of the ‘Imperial Hotel’ after the departure of the
worked closely with Wright during the construction of American architect. But later he decided to move north;
the ‘Imperial Hotel’. From that first generation of his and, in 1924, he opened his own architectural office in
direct assistants, four architects have experienced Sapporo. His early works largely demonstrate the
tremendous influence from Wright, which is reflected influence of Wright's architecture: in the geometry of
in their work – those are Antonin, Arata Endo, Kameki buildings, their horizontal orientation, the shape of the
Tsutiura, and Yoshiya Tanoue. Those architects not roof, and the use of geometric patterns of windows. In
only changed the image of contemporary Japan of their 1930s, Tanoue began to develop his style of the
days with new buildings, but also raised the next ‘northern Japanese architecture’. He created many
generation of architects, who in turn passed on their building designs, taking into account the climatic
skills to the next one. features of snowy Hokkaido; and now he is considered
Thus, Wright and several ‘generations’ of Japanese the founder of modern architecture in the northern
architects, who in their work were the successors of the region of Japan.
philosophy of organic architecture, literally represented
the perfect fusion of modern Western and traditional IV. CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE OF
Japanese culture. Following the development of their JAPAN FOLLOWING THE ORGANIC PRINCIPLES
work, you can see the dynamics of the direct and
Organic principles can be traced back to
contemporary Japanese architecture. In this case, it is
5
Получение Yodokō Guest House статуса важной
культурной ценности произошло в 1974 г.
impossible to speak about Wright's influence only. But

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that organic path of development of Japanese The Central Park Grin Grin, built by T. Ito (2003-
architecture was shaped and began to gain popularity in 2005, "Fig. 5"), is a real architectural masterpiece, with
Japan thanks to Wright and his students. And it an area of 400 hectares, located on an artificial island.
developed and retained its relevance to this day, thanks The structures, made of high-strength concrete and
to the special attitude towards nature that has existed in glass, have intricate undulating shapes that arose from
Japanese culture since ancient times. The traditional the combination of a bold architectural solution with the
attitude of the Japanese towards nature has not changed poetics of nature. The interconnected structures are
fundamentally until today. In Japan, the concept of mutually over-flowing spaces, where visitors can climb
culture has never been seen as the antithesis of nature; to the roof and walk along it using various paths and
the main peculiarity of Japanese culture is that it is a passages.
culture following nature and imitating it.

Fig. 5. T. Ito. The Central Park Grin Grin, 2005.

Since the principles of organic coexistence with building, facing the most prestigious street in the
nature are fundamental and intrinsic for Japanese financial district of Fukuoka, features an elegant city
architecture, we can safely say that it is on them, façade made of metal and glass. The southern façade is
consciously or unconsciously, that the masters of Japan almost completely surrounded with green spaces. It
rely, embedding their works into the logic of the contains 15 stepped terraces, through which you can
continuous and consistent development of national climb the green cascade to the very top. On each tier of
architecture, thereby realizing the connection between the green terrace, gardens are created for meditation,
the past of their culture and its future. relaxation, and simply rest from the bustle of the city.
The upper terrace serves as a large belvedere, offering
Gardens, placed on the roofs or facades of modern incomparable views of the bay and the surrounding
buildings, are designed to compensate for the shrinking mountains. To dampen the noises of the city's business
parks and other green zones and recreational spaces in districts as much as possible, waterfalls and pools have
cities. The ACROS Fukuoka project ("Fig. 6", been created on the terraces. The pools are located
architectural bureau Takenaka Corporation, architect directly above the central glass atrium of the building;
Emilio Ambasz) envisaged an area of the roof garden as a result, soft diffused light penetrates the interior
almost twice larger than the area of the base of the through the glazed tower separating the pools. In total,
building itself. This green rooftop oasis is one of a kind.
about 50 thousand plants are planted on the ledges of
Its concept is a unique combination of urbanized and this makeshift pyramid-park, occupying an area of 5400
parkland spaces. The north side of the 18-story m².

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Fig. 6. E. Ambasz. ACROS Fukuoka, 1995.

Beneath the fifteen park terraces, there is over one symbiosis with the invaluable resource of open public
million square meters of multifunctional space space.
containing an exhibition hall, a museum, a 2,000-seat
theater, conference rooms, halls and city administration Toyo Ito's architecture does not recognize right
offices, as well as retail space and offices. A roof angles and strict geometric shapes. The master contrasts
garden helps to prevent overheating of the building and them with the curvature and streamliness of his
to maintain a moderate indoor temperature. This makes buildings. One of Ito's significant creations was the
the working environment in this building more building of the municipal crematorium ‘Meiso no Mori’
comfortable. The roof captures rainwater, supporting (2006, "Fig. 7") in the Japanese city of Kakamigahara.
the life of plants, insects, and birds. The ACROS That work by Toyo Ito has become the quintessence of
Fukuoka project with terraces, waterfalls, swimming the image of peace and quiet. The name of the snow-
pools, and a huge number of plants has realized the idea white building, built of concrete and glass, means a
of a ‘green’ oasis in the center of a big city. The created ‘Forest of Meditation’. The place for the crematorium
structure allows a large urban structure to exist in was set aside on the shore of a small lake. Building
helps to evoke feelings of peace and tranquility.

Fig. 7. T.Ito. ‘Meiso no Mori’, Kakamigahara, 2006.

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The new ‘Meiso no Mori’ was intended to replace [7] N. Getashvili. Wright. – Series “The Great architects”, Moscow,
the dilapidated crematorium, while decorating the 2015 [in Russian].
adjoining cemetery. Inspired by the sight of gently [8] Cary James. Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel (Dover Books
on Architecture), - Dover Publications, N.Y., 1988.
floating clouds, Ito, when creating the project, decided
[9] Storrer, William Allin. The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion.
to minimize the feeling of materiality of the building. University оf Chicago Press, 2006, P.212.
The freely curved reinforced concrete sink that covers
the building rests on twelve thin columns, but it seems
floating above the ground. The shape of the roof was
calculated according to an algorithm that sets the
optimal structural solution taken by Ito likens through
his structural analysis of plant evolution. Here, as in
nature, the incredibly complex process of evolutionary
cycles leads to surprisingly simple results. The canopy
of the original covering soars up and down, as if
repeating the outline of the hills at the foot of which it
is located. An amazing effect is achieved in winter,
when everything is covered with snow and the
embossed white coating of the building is reflected in
the smooth surface of the lake, just like the snow-white
tops of the surrounding hills. The building seems to
dissolve in the winter landscape, delicately declaring its
functions.

V. CONCLUSION
In our opinion, these examples eloquently present
the basic principles on which Japanese architects
integrate their works into the logic of the development
of national architecture, making a connection between
the past of their culture and its future.
Almost 100 years after the first project implemented
by F.L. Wright in Japan, the influence of the architect
can be found in the works of his students and their
followers. His artistic legacy, still relevant today,
continues the dialogue between traditional Japanese
architecture and contemporary organic architecture.

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