Japan and the West. An Architectural Dialogue.

Beautifully illustrated, this is the first comprehensive history of the architectural interchange between Japan and the West over the past 150 years.

Based on extensive research, Japan and the West provides a synthetic overview that brings together the main themes of Japanese and Western architecture since 1850 and shows that neither could exist in its present state without the other. It should be no surprise that Meiji architecture drew heavily upon Western precedents, or that Le Corbusier was strongly influenced by the Japanese minka. In considering these histories, this book demonstrates the mutual inter-dependence of both architectural cultures while, at the same time, acknowledging their differences.

Includes insightful analysis of the Japanese influence on Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Le Corbusier, the Smithsons, Archigram and Carlo Scarpa, as well as the Western influence on Maekawa Kunio, Itō Toyoo, Isozaki Arata and Maki Fumihiko, amongst many others.

In conclusion, the book moves beyond style and structure to the Japanese concept of ma — the pause or the space between, and demonstrates how this concept has found a place in Western architecture.