Pre-world war ii Manchurian ancient architectural research by Japanese architectural historian Murata Jiro

Abstract

Research of Manchurian ancient architecture was initiated by the Japanese people during Japan's colonial expansion prior to World War II, particularly architectural historian Murata Jiro. His long-term and systemic organization of the historical origins of Manchurian ancient architecture enabled us to understand the unique appearance of Manchurian buildings. Murata's efforts also contributed to the first edition of “Manchuria Architectural History.” In 1924, Murata worked as a teacher in the South Manchuria Industrial Technical School in Dalian, and his ancient architecture surveys would become the most significant achievements of his life. In 1928, Murata first issued the “Summary of Manchuria Architectural History” to outline the appearance of ancient architecture. Manchuria Architecture, published in 1935, was the first ever completed Manchurian architectural history compilation. Moreover, in 1931, based on his Manchurian study, Murata published the “Historical Discourses in the East Asian Architectural Systems,” which transcends academic conventions to construct an innovative “cultural geography conception of architectural history.” Because of the dearth of research related to Murata Jiro that has been conducted at present, the authors analyzed the data provided in the Journal of Manchuria Architectural Association to investigate how Murata implemented his studies during the Manchurian period and evaluated their results.