In line with the previous two texts, the much earlier article, “Architectural History or Landscape History?” by Dell Upton (1991), proposes instead of a single architecture history, having a landscape of architecture histories. The author looks into the nineteenth century creation of architecture history based on aesthetic universalities and “timeless” architecture. This elitist approach divides architecture into high and low, considering the vernacular as low, and has a narrow interpretation of what constitutes architecture. The main focus in this early modern understanding of architecture is the relationship maker: the object. Upton’s concept of landscape history focuses on “the human experience of its own landscape” (1991, p.198) and asks for inclusion of as many representations possible, whether they are physical or imagined. The presented studies discuss the pre-modern and modern history of architecture, but the problem also extends beyond the contemporary field of architecture. The landscape of the entire architectural history today is still very much Eurocentric. The Euro-American discourses still are “the sole yardstick to measure the beginning and end. (Duanfang 2012, p.238). While the field of architecture has raised attention about the value of local cultures and are sensitive to regionalist approaches to design, the theoretical debates are still dictated by Western thought. Architecture media dominates the concept of maker and object, centered on the figures of starchitects, their image of creative genius and their discourse. Today, Japanese architecture has a unique historical positioning. More than ever, Japanese architecture has the attention of the world. Media, particularly from internet sources, is saturated with designs coming from Japan. What is noticeable is the absence of discursive and paradigmatic approach in this presentation. Even without clear discourse Japanese architecture remains distinct, manifesting a unique approach to architecture that doesn’t come from the Western paradigm. Fifty years ago, Japanese architecture was understood in an entirely different context. Japanese modernists were subjected to Eurocentrism as their work was considered to be the product of European influences, and the studies of Japanese traditional architecture were
27