英文版 寺社建築の秘密 - The Genius of Japanese Carpentry

出版者:講談社インターナショナル

作者:アズビー・ブラウン

页数:156

出版时间:1995-01

价格:JPY 36.75

装帧:ペーパーバック

isbn号码:9784770019783

具体描述

0ver a thousand years ago in Nara, Japan, anonymous carpenters erected a number of temples and pagodas for a newly founded Buddhist monastery known as Yakushiji. Not only is one of those pagodas still standing today, but also surviving are the dedication to quality and the technical skill of its builders as seen in the work of modern-day craftsmen. The Genius of Japanese Carpentry focuses on such practicing carpenters, who combine in their work the timeless past and the living present.

What precisely is a Buddhist temple, what a temple carpenter, and what relationship do they have to Japanese woodworkers and carpenters in general? S. Azby Brown raises and answers these questions before taking up the subject that lies at the heart of the book: the construction of the Picture Hall, one of the temples lying within a sub-compound of the Yakushiji monastery. Founded in the eighth century and subject over time to the depredations of fire and warfare, the Yakushiji is now in the midst of a complete renovation that will, by the year 2030, restore its original appearance. As one part of this project, the construction of the Picture Hall has now been completed, employing the methods, the architectural style, and to a large extent the technology of its Japanese historical predecessors.

From the day work commenced on the Picture Hall to the day it was finished, the author was at the site, camera in hand, recording its step-by-step erection: the selection of wood, the fabrication of parts, the detailing, the joint-making, the laying of the foundations, the pillars and beams going into place, installment of rafters and struts, the laying of the roof and roof-tiles, and, finally, the holding of the festive ridge-beam ceremony. In addition to documentary photographs, the book is remarkable for the author's drawings, based on the plans of the master carpenter himself. The combination of photos and drawings so clarifies the process of erection that the ambitious reader might imagine, for one heady moment, that he or she might undertake the building of just such a temple if only provided with the proper tools. While far from the truth, this illusion is eloquent testimony to the lucidity of the author's presentation. While it is thus the construction process itself that forms the center of the book, another important element, the human element, is never slighted. The carpenters themselves are continuously present, patiently going about their work, concentrating on the job at hand. It is perhaps from their example, as much as from the description of the stages of construction, that the modern reader will derive inspiration, discovering a common bond of sympathy that bridges both time and cultural boundaries.

用户评价

这本书的排版和视觉呈现也做得非常出色，每一页都像是一件精心设计的艺术品。那些高清的图片和详尽的图解，对于像我这样的非专业人士来说简直是福音。我特别欣赏作者是如何将复杂的工程学原理，用如此直观和易懂的方式呈现出来。比如，当他解释某个特殊的屋顶支撑系统是如何分散重量和抵抗地震力的时，配合着剖面图的讲解，即使是初次接触这些概念的人也能豁然开朗。这本册子拿在手上就有一种厚重而珍贵的感觉，纸张的质感、墨水的色泽都透露出对品质的坚持，这本身就是对“匠人精神”的一种致敬。我甚至会时不时地停下来，只是翻阅那些精美的细节照片，那种对称之美和比例的和谐感，让人感到心神宁静。

这部书简直是打开了新世界的大门，让我对日本建筑的理解提升到了一个全新的高度。我一直以为自己对日本文化有点了解，但读完这本书才发现，原来那些精致的寺庙和神社背后蕴藏着如此深邃的智慧和令人叹为观止的技艺。作者的叙事风格非常吸引人，不是那种枯燥的学术说教，而是像一位经验丰富的匠人带着你穿梭于历史长河之中，娓娓道来每一个结构、每一块木料背后的故事。尤其是关于木材选择和榫卯结构的描述，那种对自然的敬畏感和对精度的极致追求，让我由衷地感到震撼。读到某些章节时，我甚至能想象出古代工匠们在烈日下挥汗如雨，一丝不苟地完成那些复杂连接的场景，这种沉浸式的体验是其他书籍难以比拟的。它不仅仅是关于建筑，更是关于一种生活哲学，一种人与环境和谐共生的态度。

这本书给我带来的最大影响，是改变了我看待“持久”和“美学”的方式。在如今这个追求快速迭代和新潮设计的时代，这本书提醒我们，真正的永恒之美往往建立在对基础、对原理的深刻理解之上。它没有追求花哨的语言或故作高深的理论，而是用一种近乎虔诚的态度，去解构和赞美那些经过时间考验的结构智慧。它像是一份详尽的指南，不仅教你认识建筑，更引导你去感受建筑背后的时间和精神。合上书本时，我感到了一种知识上的充实感，同时也激发了我想要亲身去体验和感受这些建筑的强烈愿望。这是一本值得反复阅读和珍藏的佳作，其价值远超一本书的范畴。

最让我印象深刻的是，作者似乎没有放过任何一个可以深入挖掘的角度。他不仅仅停留在介绍“是什么”，更着重于探讨“为什么”。为什么日本的木结构如此偏爱某些特定的连接方式？为什么某些寺庙的布局会严格遵循风水和天文学的原理？这些深入的探讨，让原本可能显得冰冷的建筑知识变得有血有肉，充满了人文关怀。书中对不同历史时期建筑风格演变的比对分析，非常到位，清晰地勾勒出了时代背景如何塑造了建筑的形态和功能。读完之后，我再去参观任何一座日本的传统建筑时，都会不自觉地带着一种全新的“透视镜”，去观察那些隐藏在表象之下的结构逻辑和文化密码，那种发现和理解的乐趣是无与伦比的。

坦率地说，这本书的深度足以让专业的建筑师感到满足，但它的广度和清晰度又完全适合普通爱好者。我身边一些对东方文化有兴趣的朋友，即使对建筑本身了解不多，也被书中的文化背景故事深深吸引。作者的笔触中流露出的那种对传统手工艺的深深敬意，是极具感染力的。他让我们明白，这些看似古老的建筑，其实是无数代匠人经验积累和智慧结晶的体现，是活着的历史。特别是关于材料处理的部分，比如如何让木材历经千年而不朽，那些看似简单的步骤背后，蕴含着多少经验的传承和对自然的顺应，读来令人深思，也让人对手工艺的价值有了更深刻的认识。