East/West Comparison: Ise Shrine, Japan and the Acropolis, Greece
Writing Assignment #1
East/West Comparison: Ise Shrine, Japan and the Acropolis, Greece In the 20th century, German architect Bruno Taut famously remarked that Japan’s Ise Shrine was “the Parthenon of the Far East.” This assignment asks you to compare Ise and the Parthenon and Acropolis after viewing the YouTube video about the Ise Shrine and answer the following questions. In 5 - 6 pages answer the following questions in complete sentences. Your response should be typed, and double-spaced, 12 point font with regular margins. Answer each question separately, rather than in essay form. Your response should have your name and your teaching assistant’s name on it. It is due via Turnitin on 11:59 P.M. EST on Sunday, January 15. SOURCES: Cited via FOOTNOTES and BIBLIOGRAPHY To support your answers, cite at least once from the textbook, A Global History of Architecture, (p. 129-137 and 297-300) information or quotations from the pages on the Parthenon (and the Acropolis) and on Ise Shrine. Provide all the bibliographic information about the textbook in the footnote. Look in the book to find the name of the publisher, date of publication etc. You must also cite at least two of these additional texts posted on our Moodle site about the Parthenon (and the Acropolis) and Ise Shrine. Do NOT use Wikipedia or another online source for this assignment. The readings in the textbook and posted PDFs will be sufficient! Make sure you provide all this information in your footnote: David Lewis, “Celebrating Athena’s Birthday,” Michael Fazio, Marian Moffett and Lawrence Wodehouse, Buildings Across Time, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009, 3rd edition) p. 51. Jarrett A. Lobell, “The Acropolis of Athens,” Archaeology, vol. 68, No. 6 (Nov/Dec. 2015) p. 28-35 Jonathan M. Reynolds, “Ise Shrine and the Construction of Japanese Tradition, Art Bulletin, Vol. 83, No. 2 (June 2001) p. 316-341. You should have a minimum of three footnotes, but of course you can include more footnotes. Drawing upon these texts, answer these questions separately, rather than as one long essay or paper. You don’t need to retype the questions. Your response should look like this: 1) XXXXX 2) XXXXX 3) XXXXX 4) XXXXX Drawing upon the film and these sources, answer these questions separately, rather than as one long paper. 1) The Acropolis and Ise Shrine are both sacred sites dedicated to a goddess. How are these sites different? How did the Greeks and the Japanese respond to their surroundings in different ways? What role did the natural world play in their temple architecture? 2) How do the Acropolis and Ise Shrine include their worshipers in different ways using ritual processions and ceremonies? 3) Ancient Athens was a democracy while Ise Shrine has close associations with the Japanese Imperial family. How do these complexes reflect their political systems? 4) Both the Acropolis and Ise Shrine have been reconstructed during their long histories. How do these reconstructions epitomize contrasting Western and Eastern views about preservation?
East/West Comparison: ISE Shrine, Japan, and The Acropolis, Greece
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East/West Comparison: ISE Shrine, Japan, and The Acropolis, Greece
Question 1 Solution
The Acropolis and Ise Shrine are both sacred sites dedicated to a goddess, with the Acropolis dedicated to Athena and Ise Shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. However, there are vital differences in the architecture and design of the two sites. According to the textbook A Global History of Architecture, the Acropolis “is a fortress-like complex of buildings set on a high rocky outcropping.” The main temple on the Acropolis is the Parthenon, which was dedicated to Athena and served as a symbol of the power and prestige of the democratic city-state of Athens. The temple is built on a grand scale and features intricate sculptural decorations depicting Greek mythology scenes and promoting the city’s democratic ideals.[Francis D K Ching, Mark Jarzombek, and Vikramaditya Prakash, A Global History of Architecture, 3rd ed. (Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley, 2017), 129] [Jarrett A. Lobell, “The Acropolis of Athens,” Archaeology 68, no. 6 (November 2015): 28–35, https://doi.org//stable/i40156918.]
In contrast, Ise Shrine is a complex of over 125 shrines spread out over an expansive area, with the main shrines located in a forested area. The main shrines are rebuilt every 20 years in a ceremony called “Shikinen Sengu” as part of the main festival of the shrine, the “Reisai.” The use of natural materials such as wood and thatch is emphasized in the shrines’ construction, and the shrines’ layout follows the natural contours of the land. The shrines are surrounded by dense forests designed to blend in with their natural surroundings. The Greeks and the Japanese responded to their surroundings differently in their temple architecture. In building the Acropolis, the Greeks aimed to create a grand and imposing structure that would dominate the landscape and convey their power and wealth.
The Japanese at Ise Shrine sought to blend their architecture with the natural landscape, with the main shrines surrounded by forest and designed to blend in with their surroundings. The natural world plays a significant role in the architecture of the Ise Shrine and the Acropolis. In the case of the Ise Shrine, the shrines are surrounded by dense forests designed to blend in with their natural surroundings. The layout of the shrines follows the natural contours of the land, and the use of natural materials such as wood and thatch is emphasized. Conversely, the Acropolis has no natural landscape; it is built on a rocky outcropping; Greeks leveraged the height of the site to create a grand and imposing structure that would dominate the landscape.[Jarrett A. Lobell, “The Acropolis of Athens”]
Question 2 Solution
The Acropolis and Ise Shrine include their worshipers in different ways using ritual processions and ceremonies. The Acropolis was a religious and civic center in ancient Athens, where religious ceremonies and festivals were held in honor of Athena. These ceremonies were often grand and elaborate affairs, with processions up the steep hill to the temple, sacrifices, and offerings made to the goddess. For example, the Parthenon was the site of the Panathenaic Festival, celebrated every four years in honor of Athena, and was the most important in Athens. The festival featured a grand procession, in which a new robe was carried to the temple to be placed on the statue of Athena, as well as athletic and musical contests and sacrifices.[David Lewis et al., Celebrating Athena’s Birthday, Buildings across Time, 3rd ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009), 51.] [David Lewis et al., Celebrating Athena’s Birthday, Buildings across Time]
Conversely, Ise Shrine is a Shinto shrine, and worshipers participate in simple and repetitive rituals, such as purification and offering food, drink, and other items. These rituals are held in a secluded area within the shrine complex and are not visible to outsiders. The shrine’s main festival, the “Reisai,” is held every 20 years in which the main shrines are rebuilt in a ceremony called “Shikinen Sengu.” This ceremony is not open to the general public since only the imperial family and select priests are allowed to participate. In their book A Global History of Architecture, Francis Ching, Mark Jarzombek, and Vikramaditya Prakash assert that “at the Parthenon, the viewer is an observer, standing before the temple and looking up a...