Module 6: Design and Architecture in Asia

Question 1

crest rail

Answer 1

the top rail of a chair back that is sometimes elaborately shaped and carved

Question 2

dansu

Answer 2

a variety of storage chests and also stands for Japanese wood furniture in general

Question 3

feng shui

Answer 3

literally means “water and wind”. It is the Chinese art of placing buildings, building elements, furniture and burial sites based on the workings of mysterious earth forces

Question 4

rotunda

Answer 4

circular area beneath a dome

Question 5

shoji

Answer 5

sliding wall panels

Question 6

splat

Answer 6

a plain or carved vertical strip of wood used to form the center of a chair back

Question 7

tansu

Answer 7

a variety of storage chests and also stands for Japanese wood furniture in general

Question 8

tatami

Answer 8

a rice-straw floor mat that measures 3 by 6 feet

Question 9

kaolin

Answer 9

a white clay used to make true porcelain along with minerals that fuse together at high temps

Question 10

chü-che

Answer 10

curved roof

Question 11

Four Chinese basic building elements

Answer 11

courtyard, orientation via north-south axis, symmetry, and walled enclosures

Question 12

Sumptuary laws

Answer 12

Sumptuary laws existed in China in one form or another from the Qin dynasty onwards (221 BC). The Confucian virtue of restraint was embodied in the scholarly system central to China’s bureaucracy and became encoded in its laws. Some laws concerned the size and decoration of graves and mausoleums. China, enforced Confucian notions of hierarchy, modesty, and restraint and limited the display and spending of the wealthy.

Question 13

Korean Architecture was…

Answer 13

Defined as being in harmony with nature, making best use of materials and taking into consideration the immediate surroundings

Question 14

shikinen-sengu (Japanese)

Answer 14

Japanese also created the custom of recycling and salvaging materials and rebuilding structures every 20 years, a practice developed with Shinto shrines called shikinen-sengu

Question 15

Shinto

Answer 15

a belief structure associated with the agricultural of the Yayoi period in Japan. rituals included elements of harvesting and planting of food

Question 16

tô

Answer 16

became the most important feature that eventually had three, five or seven receding stories with an umbrella-type structure topping the last and highest section, reminiscent of the stupa of India.

Question 17

The basic Chinese construction system

Answer 17

built using wooden columns that supported beams with bracketed connections, often richly carved, and without the use of nails, with pitched roofs and projecting eaves. Sloping roofs covered with tiles, and buildings were often only one story high.

Question 18

Pagoda

Answer 18

an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, and were often located in or near viharas (a Buddhist monastery)

Question 19

An advantage of Chinese construction systems

Answer 19

its resistance to earthquake damage, as the wooden elements and joints (mortise and tenon) can flex without breaking.

Question 20

Foundations under Chinese built structures:

Answer 20

Due to the lightness of the materials, there was no need to dig deep foundations; however, each structure was raised on a base or podium; the higher the base, the more important the building.

Question 21

one of the most striking characteristics of Chinese architecture

Answer 21

is the vivid colors and patterns used to decorate a space, leaving virtually no surface without color

Question 22

The Forbidden City in Beijing, China,

Answer 22

was begun circa 1406 CE; it is a surviving example of a vast palace cluster; a city within a city. It was the seat of the imperial government from 1421-1911 and reserved for the emperor’s family and court.

Question 23

The open plan of a Japanese house was made possible because of the_______________.

Answer 23

shoji

Question 24

The _______________ were in the custom of rebuilding their important structures every twenty years.

Answer 24

Japanese

Question 25

_______________was not important in traditional Japanese interiors.

Answer 25

Furniture

Question 26

Chinese furniture was made in wood with _____ joints

Answer 26

mortise tenon

Question 27

The balance between space and objects in Japanese interiors is based on

Answer 27

Ma

Question 28

A prang is an architectural feature found in temples located where

Answer 28

Cambodia and Thailand