Design and Craft: The Building and Ecology of the Ise Shrines

This course investigates the relationship between the built environment and the human cultures that create them. The focus is on the Ise Shrines in Japan, which we will visit. The study of their history and architecture will allow us to identify how celestial orientation, materials, form, craft and ritual can all play important roles not only for shrines but simple storehouses and granaries, temples and churches, and modern museums.