East Asian Architecture

A Few Important Points

Japanese Pagoda

• Horyu-Ji Temple

Naga PrefectureSeven Great Temples

Japanese Pagoda

Major diff. Between Japanese & Chinese

Chinese Pagoda

Jinlong Canyon Hanging Monastery, Shanxi Provence, China (YUAN)

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China (TANG)

Japanese Pagoda

Horyu-ji Temple, Nara Prefecture, Japan

Korean Pagoda

Snake dancing five-storied pagoda

Example of lateral movement in a pagoda during an earthquake. The lowermost box-like structure leans to the left, the one above it to the right, the one above that one to the left, and so on, something like a person doing a snake dance.

The yajirobe balancing toy principleThe weights at the two ends of the cross arm of a yajirobe balancing toy exert equal forces from opposite sides of the fulcrum, keeping the arm level. If the weight on the left side is pushed downward, the horizontal distances from the fulcrum to the two weights become unequal, (see (1) and (2).

Because distance (2) is now longer, the weight on the right will exert more downward force and bring the cross arm back into equilibrium. Thus, every vertical displacement of the weights finally results in a return to horizontal.

Mongolian Architecture

• Yurt