Eastern vs. Western Architecture
Architecture has many unique characteristics as compared to the vast body of styles of art. Architecture must be functional and contend with difficult engineering challenges as well as an artistic statement. Even within the boundaries of architecture, it is obvious that the styles approached in creating the magnificent buildings seen in everyday life vary greatly. Difference in style is obvious when comparing the works of the Ancient Greek culture and those of the Islands of Japan. Both cultures have contributed greatly to the science and art of architecture, each in their own unique styles. The two contrast greatly, yet have some artistic similarities making each impressive according to yesterdays, and todays standards. The characteristics in architecture developed by the Greeks are considered among the greatest achievements in Western Society. The Greek style of architecture combines both simplicity and grandeur to create magnificent structures that are world renowned and have continuously influenced the latter day architecture of Western Society. There are many characteristics in the architecture of Greek temples that separate the Greek era from of the Japanese Shinto shrines. To fully comprehend Greek temple architectu
During the Shinto period, before the rise of Buddhism in Japan, temples were often very small and made of wood and thatched bark. The result being the simple yet monumental structures that continue to astound viewers and artists to this day. An excellent example of a Greek temple is the Parthenon located on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Though both societies may have had different views of their surroundings, they have both greatly contributed to the evolution of art and architecture. It is obvious that the lust for the achievement of perfection, the belief that man is higher than nature and the philosophical beliefs of the time were major factors in the design of Greek temples. The Shinto and Buddhist sense that nature determines the flow of human life and clearly impacts both the everyday life of Japan and the design of Japanese shrines and temples. Both the Parthenon and the Todaiji were built to honor religious deities. The Parthenon is the result of hours of planning and specific design by tactical mathematicians, architects and their multiplicity of organization. The Todaiji uses cross beam timbers rather than stone columns to help support the weight of the structure. The Japanese have developed their culture around the vast forests, torrential waterfalls and unpredictable earthquakes that influenced their everyday life in Shinto Japan. The Parthenon is a regular but articulate building; although it is a stoa it is perceived more or less as a sculpture or monument rather than a place of shelter. Because the Greek culture was obsessed with perfection, sculptures represented humans as being perfect in every way; bodies were muscularly toned and the facial features were made strikingly beautiful. First, Both Greek and Japanese engineers engaged the use of columns in their Architecture. The structure that stands today was built in the 1700's. Deep within the shrine surrounded by a colonnade is the largest bronze statue in the world; a fifty-three and a half foot tall bronze Buddha.
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