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Light in Japanese Architecture
ISBN4-900211-49-4. Writing in English and Japanese. Very light rubbing to edges and spine ends of the cover. Otherwise very clean and tight.
- GenresArchitecture
399 pages, Perfect Paperback
First published February 11, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 12, 2015
A great introduction to light as it pertains to atmosphere, with many notable references to the written work of architectural theorists and important philosophers (Rudolph Otto, Louis Kahn). An excellent and enjoyable read.
July 30, 2025
Published in 1995 by the Japanese A+U Magazine.
This book is divided into 12 chapters, each dealing with when taken together, according to the US architect - photographer, Henri Plummer, defines Japanese architecture. The pictures are excellent, both in colour and black and white. The way light is captured, filtered or dispersed in architecture, is expected from the book title, the leitmotiv of the book.
When Plummer for example, talks about “Cloudy Translucence” in chapter five, his photography wonderfully captures the misty, greyish weather expressed in the shoji screens of traditional Japanese architecture. In “Floating on the Wind” (chapter 8), he places four images in a spread page with, on the left, two pictures of roof details of the Tofuku-ji Temple in Kyoto. On the right side, we see a grid of almost banal lighting details of the ceiling of the Rika Headquarters Building in Osaka by Tadao Ando. There is also a quote by Gaston Bachelard. In these two pages, Plummer tries to make a 700-year link: of how in the ancient temple roof elements, the edges of the exterior beams are painted white, and as such, appear to be floating. While in images next to it, in Ando’s interior ceiling, simple, white off-the-shelf lights are placed in a grid of a blackened ceiling that create a rather similar effect to the painted wood of the left side of the page. I think this is the strength of this book: that it connects these ancient, Japanese concepts to more modern expressions by Japanese architects such as Hiroshi Hara, Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, Kazuo Shinohara and some lesser known architects such as Shoei Yoh in their architecture. It is easy to get lost in the wonderful pictures, but Plummer’s poetic writing adds depth to the images and links his thinking to both Japanese as well as international references.
This book is divided into 12 chapters, each dealing with when taken together, according to the US architect - photographer, Henri Plummer, defines Japanese architecture. The pictures are excellent, both in colour and black and white. The way light is captured, filtered or dispersed in architecture, is expected from the book title, the leitmotiv of the book.
When Plummer for example, talks about “Cloudy Translucence” in chapter five, his photography wonderfully captures the misty, greyish weather expressed in the shoji screens of traditional Japanese architecture. In “Floating on the Wind” (chapter 8), he places four images in a spread page with, on the left, two pictures of roof details of the Tofuku-ji Temple in Kyoto. On the right side, we see a grid of almost banal lighting details of the ceiling of the Rika Headquarters Building in Osaka by Tadao Ando. There is also a quote by Gaston Bachelard. In these two pages, Plummer tries to make a 700-year link: of how in the ancient temple roof elements, the edges of the exterior beams are painted white, and as such, appear to be floating. While in images next to it, in Ando’s interior ceiling, simple, white off-the-shelf lights are placed in a grid of a blackened ceiling that create a rather similar effect to the painted wood of the left side of the page. I think this is the strength of this book: that it connects these ancient, Japanese concepts to more modern expressions by Japanese architects such as Hiroshi Hara, Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, Kazuo Shinohara and some lesser known architects such as Shoei Yoh in their architecture. It is easy to get lost in the wonderful pictures, but Plummer’s poetic writing adds depth to the images and links his thinking to both Japanese as well as international references.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews