Prospectus Draft

This is it, the big post. Here is the full draft of my prospectus, barring the schedule and citations. It is a long post, so I’ve omitted images for this one. Enjoy!

Introduction

            This capstone will be analyzing Japanese joinery. By synthesizing an understanding of its social and developmental history, as well as a physical understanding of its execution, this capstone will propound a new context for this historical artform. This new context will consist of a modern application for Japanese joinery, which will utilize the advantageous properties of Japanese joinery in a construction in lieu of modern joinery methods such as glue or nails.

Theoretical Context: An understanding of Japanese joinery

            Japanese joinery is an art form which originated over 1,000 years ago. As a result, there exists a rich history of joinery typologies, applications, and surviving examples of them. What makes Japanese constructions unique are their exclusive usage of wood-to-wood connections. The traditional Japanese carpenter did not have access to glue, nails, or screws, so Japanese joinery relied on friction and geometry to make stable connections possible. As a consequence of this methodology, Japanese joints are readily disassembled, allowing for the replacement of components, without need for outright destruction (Sato).

            Beyond this, the traditional carpenter also lacked access to the modern power tools that today expedite the woodworking process. As such, the carpentry was a highly skilled, time consuming, and respected discipline which held esteem in Japanese society, dissimilar to contemporaries in Europe for hundreds of years to come.

            There are a handful of essential applications for joining wooden members: compression, tension, torsion, shearing, and bending. There are these five primary applications as a consequence of physics, but there are around thirty main Japanese joinery typologies with countless variations for any conceivable structural, and sometimes purely aesthetic, application. In this sense, Japanese joinery, and the manufacture of it, are equal parts an artform as they are a practical means to an end. They are applied in varying degrees within Buddhist temples, Shinto Shrines, and residential architecture, usually being specialized in their exigence; few joinery typologies are found in all three applications (Seike).

            As an artform, Japanese joinery has evolved and become refined over hundreds of years into the historic discipline we have come to appreciate today, and it has allowed for the construction of remarkably resilient wooden structures. Many Japanese wooden constructions have stood for hundreds of years, some aging well over a thousand. The oldest wooden structure in the world is constructed using Japanese joinery. Even with modern technology and materials, such a feat in an area prone to earthquakes, flooding, and storms is a daunting task, yet it has been achieved on multiple occasions in Japan.

Justification: The significance of this capstone

            There is a practical and cultural value in the preservation of Japanese joinery as a craft. While mostly wooden constructions are often built today, they seem to lack the longevity possessed by purely wooden Japanese constructions. This is due to the tectonic nature of Japanese joinery, as I will elaborate on in the “Background” section. While wood may subconsciously lack the sense of durability we attribute to concrete, steel and glass, we can see in multiple case studies that this does not have to be the case. When executed properly, when assembled using Japanese joinery, purely wooden constructions can prove to be just as, if not more resilient than others made with modern materials and construction methods.

            The exigence of this Capstone is to find and explore a modern application for such highly specialized joinery beyond their traditional context; outside of specialized applications in traditional Japanese temples and homes, there is a potential application for Japanese joinery methods to exist as prefabricated and/or multipurpose structural elements. It is in this change of context that this inquiry truly lives, as it will be assessed whether or not Japanese joinery continues to lend itself well for construction in such a change of context.

Project Type: What kind of study will this be?

            This project, as will be elaborated upon in the “Method” section, will be a Creative, Artistic Inquiry. In the process of examining the potential of Japanese joinery in a multipurpose or prefabrication context, I will be reporting on the inspiration, process, and outcome of my inquiry into Japanese joinery which will consist of experimentation and a potential final representative assemblage representational of my findings.

Exigence: Three overarching questions to be answered

• Is something so refined and specialized as Japanese joinery usable in a modern prefabrication or multipurpose context?
• Can Japanese joinery retain its structural characteristics outside of its traditionally specialized situation?
• Will Japanese joinery still be suited for disassembly in this new context?

Capstone Statement:

            Due to its lack of irreversible assembly processes, Japanese joinery, even outside its traditional context, enables the construction of structures which are readily disassembled, and which can be made of entirely prefabricated components.

Background

            In this background section, I will establish how it has been possible to construct such resilient wooden structures using Japanese Joinery. Beyond this, I will explain how the structural and qualitative aspects of Japanese joinery can be exploited in a more modern context.

            We will assess four main lenses through which to understand the form, history, uses, and application of Japanese joinery. These are through tectonics, durability, the discipline, and disassembly. Along the way, I will use relevant literature and case studies to substantiate these findings, in order to provide a foundational understanding of Japanese Joinery upon which I will be able to extrapolate potential new use cases for the artform.

Discipline: The art, the history, the craftsman

            We must first understand the history and discipline of Japanese joinery and the traditional Japanese craftsman, in order to develop a necessary appreciation for the craft as a whole and an understanding of it as an artistic expression. Historically, the Japanese carpenter, or Daiku, was equal parts architect and engineer, as well as a craftsman and woodworker. He played a monumental role in shaping Japanese society through his work, practically and culturally speaking (Seike).

            Iron tools were first used in the Yayoi period, 200BC-250AD, which unlocked a revolution in joinery and architectural capability in Japan. Now, mortises and tenons could be created, arguably the first element of Japanese joinery. From here, the number of typologies and their respective capabilities exploded (Seike).

            Methodologies, both their creation and execution, emerged as closely guarded family secrets, as family guilds of carpenters competed for prominence across Japan through innovation and refinement. The nature of these exclusive carpenter’s guilds maintained the high status of craftsmen in Japanese society, as the methods for the finest constructions were maintained in such secrecy (Seike).

            Lastly, there is an appreciation for the process in the philosophy surrounding traditional Japanese joinery. The craftsman understands the process of making to be equally as important as the final product itself. There has existed little desire to expedite the process with modern conveniences like power tools, as the precision and quality of a master craftsman is unrivaled. This desire to achieve such precision is beneficial not only for the aesthetic quality of a joint, but its structural capability. Tight tolerances prevent natural movements and shifts of load from damaging a structure. This has remained particularly true in the more culturally and aesthetically sensitive role Japanese joinery exists in today, both in the context of architecture and fine woodworking for furniture (Russel).

Tectonics: Typologies, use cases, structure

            Why were wood to wood connections so prevalent in Japan? We know now of their effectiveness, but their longevity could not have always been known to people thousands of years ago. It was initially by chance that a scarcity of workable metals in Japan meant metal fasteners like the nail or early screws could not be feasibly used for construction, even if desired. Because of this scarcity, metals were reserved for applications in weaponry, armor, and tools, very much unlike what would be seen in Europe at the same time. The conservative usage of metal products was taken so seriously that they even became the subject of control by imperial law, and it was not until the development of fine woodworking tools that Japanese joinery methods were developed (Gowland, William).

            Unlike metal, wood is a renewable resource, which by comparison requires much less effort to collect and manipulate. After the introduction of tools made such sophisticated manipulations of wood as required by Japanese joinery possible, construction using wood to wood joinery exploded.

            The four hundred-plus joinery methods can be categorized into two fundamental groups. The first is Tsugite, or the end-joints, where two components are joined end to end, in alignment. Think of extending a beam along its length. The other is Shiguchi, the angled or connecting joints. In Shiguchi, perpendicular or otherwise angled connections are made. The hundreds of joinery methods can each be classified as one of these two categories, independent of their application of compression, tension, torsion, shearing, or bending. Naturally, joints were not made, then given an application. Rather, they were developed for the increasing satisfaction of a potential application. Their remarkable strength is a result of this process of identification and gradual refinement (Sato).

            As Japanese architecture became more sophisticated, progressively more physically demanding and specialized structural applications emerged. Rather than an arrangement of plates and bolts holding any conceivable member together like in modern construction, an entirely specialized and novel joinery method emerged for these applications. Given the remarkable complexity of Japanese structures, particularly that of later Buddhist temples, it is clear why so many unique variations of joints have been created.

Durability: Fastener corrosion, and resistance to storms, earthquakes, and fire

            Fastener corrosion is a serious concern for modern day joints between structural members. As the joint often relies entirely on the strength of a metal fastener, sheath, clamp, or bracket for their strength, many failure points are introduced, and fastener corrosion is one effect by which a failure can occur. Fastener corrosion is a consequence of moisture introduction in wood to metal connections, and if improperly treated, will inevitably result in the failure of a structural member, to varying degrees of severity. It is for this reason that it is perhaps lucky that the Japanese craftsman did not have access to nails, as corrosion of these elements would serve as a catalyst for the decomposition and subsequent destruction of the old wooden structures Japan and many other East Asian countries are known for today. Thanks to their wood to wood connections, Japanese structures do not face some of the corrosion issues that a modern structure would (Zelinka).

            It can be hard for many to imagine wood as a stronger material than modern options such as concrete or steel, but comparing them directly is only half the story. When one considers strength by volume-weight, even a weaker wood species such as white cedar possesses a tensile strength four times greater than steel, and a compression resistance six times greater than concrete. While outright weaker than these modern materials when comparing elements of the same size, wood’s relative lack of weight for its strength proves more relevant in purely wooden Japanese constructions (Seike).

            These structures have survived countless earthquakes of varying magnitudes as well. Laying directly on the ring of fire, Japan sees around 1,500 earthquakes a year, accounting for 20% of the entire world’s earthquakes of a magnitude 6.0 or higher. With such great frequency, then, how have so many wooden towers survived for hundreds of years? This is again thanks to the wooden structure of pagodas. It is thought that the central mast or Shinbashira helps to absorb horizontal loads. Storms generating high winds also have failed to fell the towers, as they bend like the trees they are made of in the wind, without breaking. Due to the structural form enabled by Japanese joinery, such resistances are possible even in such a seismically volatile region (Hanazato).

            Horyu-Ji is considered the oldest surviving Japanese Temple. It was reconstructed over 1,300 years ago after being damaged by fire and has survived in this current form to this day. It is the world’s oldest wooden building, and the site includes a five-story building made entirely of timber joined with wooden connections. The age of this structure speaks for itself, and represents perhaps the greatest structural triumph enabled by Japanese joinery (UNESCO).

            Fire is not necessarily the danger to wooden constructions and the lives of inhabitants as we may first think, either. While it may seem counterintuitive, wood constructions are actually fairly fire resistant, and able to remain structurally sound after burning. Wood degrades when exposed to high temperatures, even before combustion. Because wood is such a poor conductor of heat, however, it is possible for the surface of a wooden beam, for example, to burn and char over into non-combustible carbon while the core remains at a stable temperature. This allows a wooden member to remain structurally sound for a long period of time, meaning the recoverability of burned wooden structures is possible, and destruction is not inevitable (Ross).

            Early Japanese constructions rarely suffered fire damage as a result of woods’ resilience, It was not until gas stoves and fireplaces entered a more densely packed urbanized fabric of wooden buildings that fires became a serious issue for wooden buildings (Seike).

            Herein lies the brilliance of Japanese joinery. Despite being essentially forced to use wood to wood connections, the Japanese craftsman was not hindered in his task to create durable structures. Wood has surprising strength characteristics, outcompeting many modern equivalents pound for pound. It possesses strong fire resistance for a combustible material, thanks to its insulative properties. It has enabled the construction of towers that have stood for over a thousand years, and is not so readily corroded thanks to the nature of a homogenous use of wood, not metal.

Disassembly: To deconstruct or to destroy? Disassembly vs Demolition  

            During the Yayoi period, Shinto shrine construction began. The Ise Grand Shrine is considered Shintoism’s most sacred shrine. It dates back to the third century, and has been ceremoniously deconstructed and reconstructed every 20 years by Shinto monks, taking breaks only in times of civil war. The techniques used are naturally very old, as the 20 year periodic reconstructions are quite faithful to the original as constructed in the third century. (Akima)

            It is in the ceremonial disassembly and reassembly of the Ise Grand Shrine that we find a key aspect of Japanese joinery. Because no irreversible chemical or physical processes are used to assemble the Shinto shrines, they are easily disassembled and reassembled time and time again. Design which is capable of such a feat fosters the recycling of materials if a building is to be deconstructed permanently. It also, however, aids in longevity as damaged members can be replaced periodically without the need for radical demolition and entire reconstruction.

            Modern constructions use many irreversible processes to join elements, like welding and gluing. As a consequence, deconstruction must instead become demolition, as the only way to take a building apart is to destroy it. Each element is more difficult to recycle, with many being impossible to do so. Designing for disassembly is an emerging design consideration that can learn from the tectonic lessons of Japanese joinery, particularly as seen in the Ise Shrine (Ciarimboli, Guy).

            Needless to say, the ability of anything to be recycled, rather than hauled away to a landfill is a consideration of increasing importance today. Again, because no irreversible chemical processes will have occurred in the construction of a structure assembled using Japanese joinery, it is possible for the structure to be disassembled in the reverse order of its construction. This allows the structural members to be easily recycled, or replaced in such a necessary event to improve longevity, or to make modification. In addition, it would be possible for these members to be mass produced and pre-made for a quick assembly on-site, just as they could be quickly disassembled and reassembled like what is seen every 20 years at Ise. So long as all structural members are present and the order of construction is understood, nothing prevents the prefabrication and potential mass-production of such wooden members.

Approach

            At this point, we understand Japanese joinery to be an artform. One which dates back over a thousand years, with a rich history of development and refinement which was closely linked to the social and economic context of Japanese society. Throughout hundreds of years of refinement, some of these joinery methods became so sophisticated and so specialized that a specific joint may only exist in exactly one position, in one type of building. The tectonic qualities of Japanese joinery emerged organically and evolutionarily, as rising structural complexity required increasingly more performance out of these connections. Through the method of this Capstone project, I will assess whether or not a selection of these joints could exist in a modern multipurpose or prefabricated context.

Method: How I will study Japanese Joinery

            This inquiry into Japanese joinery begins with practical research of the joint typologies and their respective applications. This would involve an assessment of their qualities and use in a purely historical context. This will be in the format of a secondary literature review, focusing sharply on these joinery methods, their history, application, and how they are made. After this period of data collection, I can select 4-6 of the fundamental joinery methods to examine in greater detail for the purposes of this inquiry. This number is dependent on my perceived ability to properly experiment with them within the timeframe of the project, which will be informed by my knowledge of the joints after the literature review of the typologies. This selection will most likely be made based upon the following criteria: Suitability for repeated disassembly and reassembly, strength, rigidity, constructability/ practicality, and aesthetic quality. The results of this selection are integral to the results of this project, and as such they may be subject to change as the experimentation phase takes place.

            Next, I will engage in a more personal, physical approach. I will make the joints out of real wood using only the tools available to the historic Japanese craftsman, and in doing so, gain a much deeper appreciation and insight into their qualities and application. The goal of this stage is to not only understand the geometry and history of these joints, but the process, just as the traditional craftsman would have. I will be informed through this pragmatic, historical research and the personal, hand craftsman’s experience, which will provide me with the knowledge and ability to proceed.

            A selection of the most appropriate fundamental joinery methods has now been made based on their tectonic qualities. I now understand and have executed the process for their manufacture and function. After becoming so acquainted with these joints, I will possess a taxonomy of joint typologies and applications to be assessed in a kind of matrix. These five joints may be taken out of their typical application of compression, tension, torsion, or twisting in order to identify potentially unexpected relationships, from which I can draw upon for the final assemblage.

            The next step is this final assemblage. Its form is entirely determined by the findings of this taxonomy of joint types, and as such I cannot speak to exactly how it will turn out at this stage. The goal would be to create a furniture piece of some sort, perhaps a stool, table, or chair, that can be disassembled and reassembled into multiple other forms because of its usage of Japanese joinery. Its parts could be standardized and replaceable. The legs and seats of multiple stools could be disassembled and reassembled to form a long bench, or a table and chair set, for example. This would be possible due to the tectonic nature of the joints as used throughout the assemblage, which would not be possible with modern standard fasteners like screws, or glued joints. Such a piece would only be achievable using Japanese joinery methods.

            After the experimentation and synthesis is complete, the final part of the project is documentation, which will first include a summation of my findings from the literature reviews. The results of my personal executions and practice with the joint typologies is next, with an emphasis on demonstrating a development of physical skill and a respect for the craftsman’s process. The results of the experimental phase will follow, with the aim of providing a detailed outline of what has informed the design of a potential final assemblage. Finally, documentation of the final assemblage and a detailed outline of the design process, and results will conclude the document.

Logistics: Why I have chosen this scale

            It is infeasible to attempt a physical construction as called for by this inquiry on the scale of an entire building, but the scale of a furniture piece is fitting for a project of this ambition. Even though Japanese joinery evolved as an architectural necessity, the final assemblage will likely be a furniture piece of some sort, or at least, on the scale of one. Even in the scale of furniture, the applications for Japanese joinery are well understood and highly specific. While initially invented for the most practical of structural purposes, many Japanese joinery techniques have found their way into the furnituremaker’s arsenal, as their structural potential and desirable aesthetic qualities free from unsightly fasteners have made them a high-end industry standard for woodworkers.

            Where many furniture designs must go out of their way to hide fasteners, or settle for a permanent glue bond, Japanese joinery creates the opportunity for a celebration of the joint and the proud expression of its tectonic nature and craft. As such, it is understood to be a finer method of assembly in furniture as in architecture. Due to this, the scale of furniture serves as a fitting and practical medium for my findings, one which does not sacrifice the validity of my findings in the name of practicality. This scale and the final product as a whole are not the drivers of this study, they are simply a practical means of validating my assertions.