Study on the architectural theory of 《Nature》, 《Human spirit》, and 《Cities》 of 【Contemporary Japan】 in articles by Jun Itami

Abstract

This paper is part of a study that plans to extract the characteristics of an architectural theory by the architect Jun Itami (1937–2011), based on all accessible texts from his writings throughout his life. According to this study, three major concepts constitute his architectural theory: 【Joseon period】, 【Korea】, and 【Contemporary Japan】. In this paper, three of the four concepts constituting 【Contemporary Japan】, namely, 《Nature》, 《Human spirit》, and 《Cities》are examined. Each item is further divided into subitems and sequentially examined for clarifying the following points. Within 【Contemporary Japan】, as industrialization and internationalization occur, spatial and temporal boundaries are eroded, and daily life changes day by day along with 《Architecture》; humanity has become increasingly isolated from 《Nature》, 《Architecture》, and 《Cities》. Itami approaches 《Nature》, 《Human spirit》, and 《Cities》 from his own perspective while presenting his awareness of issues relating to 《Cities》and examining the relationship between 《Nature》 and 《Architecture》 from various angles.