Beyond Time and Space: Conceptual Traces from Tradition to Contemporaneity in Japanese Residential Architecture

Authors : Zeynep Gökaydın Yenal, Can Mehmet Hersek

Pages : 453-465

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Publication Date : 2025-09-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study investigates the conceptual and spatial continuities between traditional Japanese residential architecture and its contemporary reinterpretations. Drawing upon principles such as spatial permeability, integration with nature, ritual-based spatial use, and material minimalism, the research analyzes how these elements persist and evolve in the works of contemporary architects including Kengo Kuma, Tadao Ando, Kazuyo Sejima, and Sou Fujimoto. Rather than viewing traditional spatial configurations as aesthetic remnants, this study approaches them as dynamic cultural constructs that continue to inform design logic, user experience, and spatial identity in contemporary architecture. Using a comparative architectural analysis method, the study identifies key interior components such as tatami flooring, shoji screens, fusuma partitions, engawa platforms, and tokonoma alcoves, and examines their conceptual transformations in modern projects. These elements, while often visually reinterpreted, preserve their symbolic functions and contribute to the sensory, meditative, and social dimensions of residential space. The findings reveal that the notion of “contemporaneity” in Japanese architecture is not a rupture from tradition, but rather a sustained dialogue with it. This process of reinterpretation offers valuable insights for global architecture, including Turkish residential architecture, where cultural references are often marginalized. The study argues that architectural continuity—rooted in local tradition and recontextualized for present needs—can foster both cultural memory and sustainable spatial innovation. By emphasizing conceptual resilience rather than stylistic mimicry, this research contributes to the discourse on architectural identity and proposes a culturally embedded yet future-oriented design paradigm.
Keywords : Japon mimarisi, Geleneksel ilkeler, İç mekân donatıları, Kültürel süreklilik

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