The genius of Japanese carpentry: the secrets of a craft

Description

This new edition of this Azby Brown architecural classic contains a new preface by Brown, fully revised chapters, along 25% new photography and in color for the first time. An extraordinary and ambitious work of architectural reconstruction is underway in twenty-first century Nara. The Genius of Japanese Carpentry is the story of the twelve-hundred-year-old Yakushiji monastery and the dedicated modern-day craftsmen who are working to restore what has been lost to the depredations of time, fire, and warfare. In the eighth century, anonymous carpenters first erected the intricately-designed timber temples and pagodas that compose the Yakushiji Buddhist monastery. Then as today, these buildings were considered marvels of architectural elegance and traditional Japanese craftsmanship. Although the full restoration will not be complete until 2030, one of the main temples, the Picture Hall, has been completely reconstructed, employing the original methods, architectural...