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Bundle 76: Heian Architecture, Both Grand and Practical

The Heian era (794–1185) left its mark on architecture. Temple halls and towers are the representative structures of the period, which is when the Japanese likely invented pagodas (塔) of two and five stories. Traditional Heian-era palatial-style architecture includes a roofed corridor (廊) connecting two buildings. As the 栽 essay shows, one style of palace combined residential buildings, gardens, and connecting corridors. After all this grandeur, the 蔽 essay brings us down to earth by mentioning features of a regular Japanese house, including partitioning screens, immovable walls, fusuma (sliding doors), and shoji (sliding windows).
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栽
plant
JOK: 1289
The Japanese excel at farming. Find out what they're up to with organic and pesticide-free cultivation, particularly since 2011, when the Tohoku disasters made people anxious about food safety. See where the Japanese have experimented with growing olives. Learn how to coax secrets out of bonsai. And read plot summaries from the TV show "Weeds” about growing marijuana!
塔
pagoda
JOK: 1651
This gorgeous photo essay explains the origins of the pagoda; presents historic pagodas in Japan; tells you how to talk about pagodas with 2, 3, or 5 tiers; and explains the "cosmology" of stone pagodas. From the Leaning Tower of Pisa to the literal and figurative Tower of Babel, you'll find out about towers, also discovering what it means to call someone a control tower.
廊
corridor
JOK: 1938
Lose yourself wandering down rustic wooden covered passageways that connect buildings at shrines and temples, keeping people dry while providing psychological benefits. See how such corridors qualify as cloisters when they wrap around courtyards or even seawater! Also learn about a Japanese writer who had connections to the Marquis de Sade and Yukio Mishima.
蔽
cover
JOK: 2104
This kanji can pertain to visual barriers (e.g., curtains or partitions) but more often relates to cover-ups. Read crazy conspiracy theories about Japanese nukes and a downed flight. Learn to say, “That company hid the fraud,” “hidden responsibility for the war,” and “The prime minister tried to cover up the scandal, but that just made it worse when the newspapers discovered the truth.”
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