I found it really interesting how the stupa was changed into the pagadoda in China and then adapted in Japan.  I was curious why the overall shape changed so much much from China to Japan?  I found the building method in Japan very interesting since earthquakes are always a worry in California as well.  I thought their solution was very elegant.

Having been fortunate enough to visit a few of these temples and pagodas in my short time in Japan and China, I never thought of the introduction of verticality into the urban landscape. I did marvel at the engineering involved in these older structures, but there is also the sacred aspect of these sites, containing remnants of Buddha or his articles. This seems similar to medieval churches that housed vestiges or belongings of prolific saints. Also, another place that I had visited and admired were Zen gardens in Japan. Their stark design and meticulously crafted aesthetic seem like a perfect setting for meditation, especially ensconced in nature- like the example that was mentioned with Mount Hiei in the background. The anecdote was also entertaining, that a walking zen garden should be manicured in a way, by nature, so that what would naturally occur be reflected upon while enjoying the garden, versus the human impact of cleaning up or removing parts of nature from it.  Another personal connection I could relate to was the tea ceremony and especially the graphic that described each act as cleansing each of one’s senses (sight, ears, touch, etc;). While I don’t regularly have tea or partake in ceremonies, I can relate a daily ritual of making a pour over coffee similar in a sense of the different senses that become awakened in the process of boiling, grinding, pouring and ultimately tasting

There is a really good lesson from History Blueprint's Sites of Encounter in the Medieval World on Indian influence on art and architecture in Southeast Asia, and the Sanchi Stupa and the Borobodur Stupa are one of the examples.  I use this lesson (starts on p. 25, above link) with my 7th graders.  I am excited to have added information about the purpose of that shape as relates to Buddhism, and also to have a better explanation for the transition from "the Buddha was a man and should not be worshipped; anyone can do it with enough dedication," to being worshipped as a deity... So I LOVED the extension to pagodas, and the contrast of the vertical and the horizontal. It makes so much sense, and will be a great addition to my lessons! I'm starting to get ideas...

This reading was challenging for me because I have little context for all the Japanese names and also for architectural terms. However, it did help that I've been to several of the temples and to Himeji castle, so with that background and the beautiful images, I was able to make sense of it.

Several points stood out to me as particularly interesting, and things I can use with 7th graders:

• The pillar as the central axis between heaven and earth and a connection to ancient tree-worship and visitations of kami spirits
• Arrival of monks and temple artisans bringing architectural purpose and design from Korea (we are always looking for connections and influences, transfer of ideas)
• Shrine of Nikko as combination of styles: Buddhist temple, Shinto shrine, Stupa tomb- so interesting! And so colorful and ornate and different from most of the rest
• Integration of climate and geography in building into hillsides, or logs contracting to allow breeze in, gardens as part of building (this from video, but also stands out at Kinkaku-ji)
• The castle as a symbol of power, tea house as a symbol of serenity- 7th graders can understand this easily
• Edo era decline of samurai class and increased wealth of merchants and commoners as relates to buildings and built environment is a great connection and point of discussion, and...
• Baths, theatres, restaurants during Edo period connects nicely with Rome
• Unique elements- use of wood, movable walls, impermanent use of space, transparency, monochromatic trend
• The repeated, systematic rebuilding of important places- this also happened all over Mesoamerica- most of the famous pyramids are now known to be multi-layered, like Russian dolls, and were built one on top of the other, generally every 52 years. This could be an interesting topic for discussion.

I'm excited to put these ideas together and think about how I can tie them in with what I teach, to make my content more interesting and appealing to 12-year-olds!

Yes, I did too.  I am also wondering if there were infuences from other cultures, directly or indirectly. 

While there, I spent quite a bit of time looking up and taking photos of these structures.  I wish our tour leader had been knowledgeable about architecture!

Having grown up in Washington state, in families that built their own houses, wood construction was all I knew until I was an exchange student in Argentina in high school.  When I showed them pictures of my house, my grandparents' house, etc, everyone remarked on how "cute" or "quaint" or "picturesque" the houses built of wood were, but didn't it just mean they weren't really meant to last? After all, our "history" was fairly short, right? (Native Americans didn't count.) I had never thought about these things before.  My husband is from Mexico- same ideas.  So it is interesting to me to consider how the use of wood became the main and preferred construction material in Japan, allowing for different types of architecture that would not have been possible with stone or brick, yet still requiring a lot of maintenance and also with a tremendous environmental impact.  I am fascinated by the cantilevered roofs mimicking trees! I look forward to more discussion of these points in class.

I found it very interesting how certain influences have changed icons of Buddhism.  The very elaborate worship centers is fascinating how they started with being the center of the city to more on remote areas like the hillsides.  You can really see the influence from other cultures such as the Greeks and Romans, especially with the Great Buddha in Japan and how it is a sculpture that is more lifelike and very large in size.  It is interesting to learn how it was once in a temple and kept getting washed away due to tsunamis that now just sits in the open air.  I hope to go and see it one day.  The second video about the materials they use and how they adapt to the environment, but how it also comes at a price was really something to think about.  On one hand they came up with such elaborate temples with the design of the bracket, but on the other they had to use trees to build those.  It's good to know that the impact to the environment was recognized and has been attempted to be resolved.