| Historical Narrative of Shofuso Chapter 10 THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SHOFUSO 10.1 Shofuso as a Unique Example of Shoin-zukuri in the United States Shofuso is significant for at least three reasons, which are described in this chapter. One, it is a unique example of Shoin-zukuri in the United States. It may even be the only example of this architectural style outside of Japan. In Portland, Oregon, for example, there is a Japanese garden with a tea house and pavilion run by the Japanese Garden Society of Oregon (see Figure 10-1). In the Fort Worth Japanese Gardens of Fort Worth, Texas, there is a pavilion. On the campus of Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, there is a teahouse which was originally on temporary exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. As mentioned earlier, one teahouse was even designed by Shofuso’s architect Yoshimura in 1961-62 for the Rockefeller compound in New York. Although there are several authentically designed Japanese sukiya (tea house) and pavilions in the United States, there are no other known Shoin-zukuri buildings in this country. 10.2 Shofuso and Modernism While at MoMA, what appeared to be an odd entry in a series of modern houses, was actually very appropriate. As Drexler noted, "Modern Western architects have borrowed so many ideas from the traditional architecture of Japan, that the exhibition of an actual house would show to American(sic) the origin, in it’s(sic) purest form, of all those ideas and technics(sic) we have so long admired." For centuries before the dawning of Modern architecture, the Japanese were already constructing buildings with non-load bearing walls, a strong connection between the interior and exterior, flexible plans and ornamental quality achieved by the structural system through the Shoin style. As Marjorie K. Sieger of the Philadelphia Museum of Art noted, "[Shofuso] is probably the only building of an ancient style in America that is uniquely relevant to contemporary Western architecture." A Shoin-zukuri house was chosen as the third house in this series of Modern houses in the Museum’s garden because of these close associations to Modernism. Earlier American architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, and Greene and Greene had keen interests in Japanese design, incorporating elements from it into their own work. Much of the details of their interior design and decoration had Japanese influences. For example, Wright’s trademark wide overhanging horizontal roofs from his early twentieth century works, such as the Ward W. Willitts House (1902) (see Figure 10-2) and the Frederick C. Robie House (1908-10) (see Figure 10-3), were directly influenced by Japanese examples. The Japanese House and Garden also drew the attention of numerous architects, interior designers, interior decorators, artists and landscape gardeners, and was influential to many of them. In an interview with the Nippon Times, Arthur Drexler noted that just about every important architect had come to study Shofuso. It had an important influence on American interior design and decorating. Apparently Marcel Breuer, who had earlier designed his own house as part of "The House in the Museum Garden" series, declared his enthusiasm for Shofuso, and that he now felt inclined to only design Japanese influenced structures. At the same time Shoin-zukuri was becoming influential to western architects, it was quickly becoming extinct in Japan. In fact, the decline of such traditional architectural styles, and the rise of western influenced design began exactly a century before the construction of the Japanese Exhibition House, with the coming of Commodore Matthew Perry and his Black Fleet on July 8, 1853, into Uraga Harbor to open up Japan to western trade. After returning to the United States, Perry came back to Japan the following year to open up trade negotiations, thus beginning the westernization of this eastern country. By 1868, the Meiji Restoration signaled the official end of feudal Japan and the coming of change. The display of the Japanese Exhibition House could be seen not just as a celebration of Modernism, but also as an homage to a dying art, and as one of the last opportunity to showcase the artistry and intricacies of Shoin-zukuri to both Japan and the rest of the world. 10.3 Shofuso and Its Influence on American Culture Shofuso in New York was also important for its influence. Showcased at MoMA, it was widely publicized and highly praised. The house played a strong part in introducing Japanese art, architecture and culture to the east coast after World War II. According to Yoshimura, before the War, the east coast had little knowledge or understanding of these Asian things. For many, this was the first time they had seen a traditional Japanese house, and had the opportunity to understand it and to relate it to their own lives. In the 1950s, there was a rise in popularity of things "Oriental" and Shofuso played a good role in this. The House proved to be an effective ambassador to the United States. Many visitors to the House were enamored by it, and they in turn implemented ideas from it into their homes and other buildings. For example, as part of their expansion efforts in 1956, the Saks Fifth Avenue on Miami Beach in Florida, created a "formal salon," which came from an idea by Adam L. Gimbel, President of the department store, who had visited the Japanese Exhibition House. The New York City architectural firm of Leavitt, Henshell and Kawai was hired to design this salon for designer dresses, which was a Shoin style room with such elements as a tokonoma and shoji. The House also inspired average Americans who began to incorporate screens, lanterns and Japanese prints into their interior decor. The basic elements of the Shoin style, such as an open plan and skeleton frame construction, were already beginning to show up in the average home and workplace, through the trickling down of Modernism from the realm of theory and high art. In fact, when asked to compare the post-war ranch style home to the Japanese Exhibition House, Yoshimura was quoted as saying, "Actually, if you remove the detail, the principle is the same." The average American, being influenced by the shift towards Modernism after World War II, appreciated the clean lines and simple elegance of the Japanese Exhibition House and found the Victorian clutter of earlier tastes distasteful. Comments such as "Why don’t they tear down all the old brownstone houses around here and build these [Japanese houses] instead?" were quoted in contemporary newspapers. Unlike the Japanese buildings at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, Shofuso was seen less as something exotic, and instead as something somewhat familiar. What helped the Japanese Exhibition House to be influential was the widespread media coverage through such sources as newspapers, television and magazines. Newspapers from across the United States from as far away as the Oklahoman of Oklahoma City, and the Peninsula Herald of Monterey, California, covered the House. International publications from other continents, such as Europe and Australia, also featured the House. The youthful medium of television showcased the house; NBC, CBS and the now defunct DuMont telecast, often live, from the Japanese Exhibition House (see Figure 10-4). Even women’s magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar featured the Japanese Exhibition House, with models showing off the latest fashion designs, and the House in the background (see Figure 10-5). This widespread publicity brought the influence of Shofuso outside of the immediate east coast area, and to the rest of the United States and the world. Click here to go to Chapter 11 |
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