| Description |
156 pages, 4 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some colour), portraits ; 27 cm |
| Contents |
Woodworking in Japan -- The master carpenter -- The Yakushiji project -- Temple design: the Sanzō-in -- Selecting the wood: rules of thumb -- Fabricating the parts -- Secrets of enduring carpentry -- Tools -- Making a joint -- Erection of the picture hall -- The ridge-beam ceremony |
| Summary |
“Over a thousand years ago, in Nara, Japan, anonymous carpenters erected a number of temples and pagodas for a newly founded Buddhist monastery known as Yakushiji. Not only is one of those pagodas still standing today, but the dedication to quality and the technical skill of its builders has miraculously survived in the work of modern-day craftsmen. The Genius of Japanese Carpenters focuses on such practicing carpenters, who combine in their work the timeless past and the living present.” “The Yakushiji, founded in the eighth century and subject over time to the depredations of fire and warfare, is now in the midst of a complete restoration that will, by the year2030, restore its original appearance. As part one of this project, the construction of the Picture Hall has just now been completed, employing the methods, the architectural style, and to a large extent the technology of its Japanese historical predecessors. From the day work commenced on the Picture Hall to the day it was finished, the author was at the site, camera in hand, recording its step-bu-step erection: the selection of wood, the fabrication of parts, the detailing, the joint-making, the laying of the foundations, the pillars and beams going into place, instalment of rafters and struts, the laying of the roof and rooftiles, and, as a high point, the festive ridge-beam ceremony.”--Book jacket |
| Notes |
Includes index |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (page 153) and index |
| Subject |
Yakushiji (Nara-shi, Japan)
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Yakushiji (Temple : Nara-shi, Japan)
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Architecture, Japanese.
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Buddhist temples.
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Building, Wooden -- Japan.
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Buddhist temples -- Design and construction.
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Carpentry -- Japan.
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| LC no. |
88027006 |
| ISBN |
0870118978 (U.S.) |
|
4770013973 (Japan) |
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