As Zen Buddhism made its way to Japan, so also did the influence of the Chinese on Japanese culture. The previous style of architecture in Japan had become very nationalistic, and was known as wa-yo, or Japanese style. However, the spread of the Zen sect among both the upper and middle class made its influence felt in literature, manners and customs, as well as the art and architecture of the time. The new style of architecture, kara-yo (Chinese style) mixed with the older styles of wa-yo and tenjiku-yo (Indian style) in many different ways. In the architecture of some Zen temples tenjiku-yo was pushed completely aside while kara-yo and wa-yo dominated, while in others, such as Tofukuji, an interesting blend occurred between the simplicity of kara-yo and the decoration and color of tenjiku-yo.

After two centuries of internal conflict in the Heian period, Japan almost wholly cut herself off from China. With the dawn of the Kamakura period, Zen Buddhism made its way over to Japan not only in the form of religion, but in the styles and customs of the Chinese as well. This was not the first time Chinese influence became apparent in Japan, in fact it is often known as the second period of Chinese influence (Harada18). The architecture of the time received a new vitality, reaching its last phase of greatness before the first trace of decay showed itself under the Tokugawa shoguns (Cram 55). Two types of buildings were characteristic of the Kamakura period, influenced heavily by the Chinese and Zen Buddhism; the Zen temples and palace pavilions of Kyoto.

The Zen architecture brought from China was called literally the “Chinese style”, kara-yo, because it bore striking resemblance to Chinese palaces as depicted in screens of famous artists of the time (Cram 59). The earliest extant example of a building in this style is the shariden of Englakuji in Kamakura (completed in 1285), but many more were completed later in the Kyoto area. Kara-yo was developed in Sung China and deviated greatly from old types of architecture, especially that of the wa-yo style of the past. Zen temples designed in the kara-yo style rarely had pagodas and were arranged very differently from Buddhist temples of the past . The temple and preaching hall stand one behind the other at the center of the main enclosure, and there is usually a great gate, called the sanmon, at the main entrance (Cram 57). This gate is also referred to as the “mountain” , “enlightenment” , and “main” gate of the temple complex, and was a new innovation of the time period. The two-storied gate often resembled the Great South Gate of Todaiji in Nara, but with new structural properties.

The buildings of Zen temples are nearly square, and unlike the long, low temples of the Heian period (derived from Korea) Zen temple buildings are lofty inside and contain an extremely complex and elaborate system of bracketing (Cram 58). The Zen buildings were set on a stone podium, and had a solid stone tiled floor, contrary to the raised wooden floor prominent in wa-yo architecture (Harada 18). The supporting posts sit on carved stone blocks and are beveled on the top and bottom, brackets not only rest above each post, but in the intercolumnar spaces as well (Hozumi 20). Almost all brackets were exposed, no longer the confined version of the wa-yo style. There was also an increase in decorative details on the exterior of buildings, including carved decorations for both gable ends and the ends of beams (Harada 18). However, while the exteriors became slightly more decorative, the interiors of Zen temples were simplified.

While architecture of the Kamakura period gave rise to kara-yo, other earlier styles did not completely vanish. Elements of tenjiku-yo, or Indian style, as seen in the decorative interiors of earlier Buddhist temples (especially the temples of Nara) became apparent as well. Japanese carpenters combined elements of kara-yo with those of the earlier architectural forms of tenjiku-yo and wa-yo for an “eclectic effect” (Hozumi 9). Together the three styles existed side by side until wa-yo and kara-yo merged, and tenjiku-yo failed to make headway during the later Nanbokucho and Muromachi periods (1337-1573) (Harada 18). The Tofukuji sanmon is one example of the “eclectic” mixing of styles that occurred during the Kamakura period.

The sanmon bears significant structural resemblance to the Great South Gate of Todaiji, a structure of tanjiku-yo style. One of the great temples of Nara, Todaiji uses a system of multiple tiers of brackets sunk directly into the great columns, much like the bracketing system of the Tofukuji sanmon.

Though the sanmon was created during the height of kara-yo architecture, there seemed to be an apparent influence of tanjiku-yo also in the heavy decoration and carving of the sanmon’s second floor. The interior of the upper story is painted in bright colors and the flat-board ceiling is painted with angels while the rafters, pillars, and beams are decorated with brightly painted carvings of flowers, dragons, clouds, and waves (Tsuda 403). Very decorative and ornate, this large room of the sanmon seems to be contradictory to the basic principles of Zen Buddhism, simplicity and non-attachment. However, this could just be one of the complexities of the architecture of the time.

Throughout time Japanese architecture takes on many forms, lending itself to and from other cultures. The mixture and blending of the kara-yo, wa-yo, and tenjiku-yo forms of the Kamakura period make for an interesting assortment of Zen temples in and around Kyoto. While Tofukuji may be the most intact temple in the Kyoto area, it only gives us a glimpse into the power of Zen on art and architecture in Japan.

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