A Legacy to Build On: Japanese Architecture in the Po Ai Special District

Living in the city we have become accustomed to the rectangular shapes of our high-rises. But putting oneself in the Po Ai district, which is surrounded on all sides by "modern" buildings, is like going back in time--sometimes 400 years, some times as far back as classical Greece and imperial Rome. But don't assume that the history of these abodes goes back that far! Instead, these buildings--mainly built for government use--represent what Japanese of the early twentieth century defined as "progressive" and "modern."

In the late 19th century, Japan passed through the "Meiji Restoration" and a period of learning from the West. This period produced a group of "technical specialists in Western architectural terminology" (roughly equivalent to architects). Because most citizens remained wedded to tradition, these draftsmen found few opportunities to display their newly acquired skills. It was only in 1895, when the Japanese empire gained its first overseas colony--Taiwan--that these technicians had a laboratory in which to experiment.

Employed by the Office of Construction of the Governor-General's Office, they traveled over the sea to Taiwan. Having arrived, they set to work on a variety of projects designed to both glorify the regime and accommodate the rapidly growing colonial administration.

Kuo Chao--lee, chairman of the Department of Architecture at Chung Yuan Christian University, relates that the structures built between 1900 and 1920 copied their fundamental form from the "Second Empire" style of France under Napoleon III. This in turn drew on the neoclassical style that appeared in Europe in the mid-18th century. That style emphasized "reason" and rationality, which designers of the period found embodied in the nearly pure geometric shapes of classical architecture. This trend, combined with the cultural exchange that came from colonial expansionism and the rise of archaeology as a field of study, produced new structures in Europe that incorporated a number of classical themes into a single building.

In colonized areas, the nostalgia felt by expatriates for their homeland reflected itself in a growing romanticism and meticulous concern for form, symbolism, and detailed embellishment in the external appearance of the buildings they constructed. This came to be known as the "Imperial" mode, a mode which became increasingly fashionable in European academic circles after the mid-19th century.

Japan was one of the last nations to jump on to the imperial bandwagon. Indeed, England's occupation of India had already reached its sunset stage by the time Japanese leaders conceived of their dream of an "East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere." The imposing and ostentatious character of the Imperial style was just the thing for Japanese architects to mimic in order to make a display of the power and wealth of the empire of the rising sun. It could also impress the colonized peoples by serving as a symbol of authority.

The Japanese described this type of construction as "pattern architecture," because an architect could choose from a large vocabulary of patterns and styles and employ them according to personal whim. This "pattern architecture" produced a cornucopia of different expressions.

Huang Chun-ming, an associate professor of architecture at Chung Yuan Christian University, cites three designers--graduates of the Department of Architecture at Tokyo Imperial University--as being representative of this era.

The first to come to Taiwan was Nomura Ichiro. He inclined toward classical Greek and Roman styles. His first work was the residence of the governor-general (today the Taipei Guest House), which was the first "pattern" construction in all of Taiwan. Alas, when the building was constructed in 1901, its roof was made of wood, and thereafter suffered repeated termite infestation. The building was consequently refurbished in 1912 following a design by Moriyama Matsunosuke, another architect, so that it is now impossible to see its original appearance.

Nomura's most representative work is the "Kodama Goto Memorial Hall" (now the Taiwan Provincial Museum), designed in cooperation with Araki Eiichi and completed in 1915. The building is marked by a white exterior, a line of Doric columns, triangular gables at the main entrance, a domed ceiling in the main hall, symmetrical wings which serve as display halls, and an interior finished with marble purchased from Europe. It is in its own right "classical" in the sense that it is a classic example of the pattern style. The earliest Taipei train station and the Bank of Taiwan (both renovated in 1938) were also produced by Nomura.

Kondo Juro, on the other hand, was strongly influenced by Britain's Victorian style. His works combine classical and Gothic features. His buildings are mainly red brick decorated with white lines. In what is today the Po Ai district, he designed the Lottery Bureau offices (later the library of the Governor-General's Office). This edifice, now gone, was located at the current site of the Po Ai Building. If you want to see some examples of his work, the Hung Lou Theater in Hsimenting or the Chienkuo High School (the First Middle School under the Japanese) on Nanhai Road would be good choices.

Moriyama Matsunosuke is recognized as the designer who made the single greatest contribution to pattern architecture in Taiwan. He brought in an even richer variety of forms, such as exaggerated "Mansard" roofs from France, and he reached new levels of maturity in the combination of pillars, Wings, and roof designs and in the handling of materials. Today the only one of his works still extant in Taipei is the renovated Governor-General's Residence mentioned earlier.

Huang Chun-ming brought up a story when talking about Moriyama. When the Governor-General's Office first held an open competition for the design of the new building in 1906, Moriyama's plan passed the first review, but was washed out in the second round. The architect then figured out a way to get into the Office of Construction as what we would today call a "construction site director," thereby gaining the opportunity to draft the renovation plan. However, it is rumored that he brought his blueprint back to Tokyo to be revised by others, so that it remains a mystery exactly who participated in the design.

Taipei architecture entered a new phase after 1920. The 1923 Tokyo earthquake shattered people's confidence in brick construction. Steel and concrete as well as techniques that separated walls and pillars replaced brick as the main bearers of the weight of a structure. Unfortunately, this also meant that the well-ordered appearance of mortared bricks was lost. Therefore, until a new aesthetic could be developed to catch up to the new technology, builders widely adopted porcelain tile facing. This marked the birth of "eclectic" architecture.

At first the tile facing was very dark in color, but it later became more pale, evolving toward the international fashion for white exteriors. The High Court building, completed in 1934, with its light green tile facade on the second and third stories, can be seen as a turning point. In addition, the central tower of the building is capped with a helmet shape, the symbol of Japanese militarism, a style that came to be called "Imperial Crown" or "East Asian Renaissance."

A leading candidate for the most mature eclectic structure is the Public Meeting Hall (now the Chungshan Hall), laid out by Ide Kaoru. From the side, the building looks like a pile of cubes on top of one another. The front, on the other hand, presents a smooth surface, with windows and different depths of tiles to preempt any sense of monotony.

The Directorate-General of Telecommunications (DGT) is located on a street corner behind the presidential offices. The DGT building has rounded corners, lines wrapping horizontally under the window sills (rather than vertical lines which carry one's eye up and down the building), rectangular windows instead of arched ones, bright coloring, and a complete absence of decorative embellishment. All these features declare that this is an edifice composed after 1920 and linked to European "modern" architecture. Completed in 1938, this is one of the important landmarks in Taiwan's march toward modern architectural styles.

Though Japanese architects had room to experiment, they still had to keep function in mind. Huang Chun-ming notes several examples within the Po Ai district. Courts are supposed to represent the democratic rule of law, so most adopt the styles of classical Greece, homeland of democracy. Banks prefer to emphasize integrity and reliability, so many have a row of pillars, as well as a narrow, high-ceilinged interior. Schools, on the other hand, owing much as they do to the Christian tradition in the West, often have structures after the Gothic or Romanesque manner (which have deep religious roots).

It is worth pointing out that at no time in their 50-year rule did the Japanese attempt to integrate Taiwanese traditions into their architecture. This is understandable insofar as their buildings were intended to demonstrate the superiority of the incoming culture.

Comparing the colonial-era designs to the structures built in Taiwan since the end of the Japanese occupation, Wang Chen-hua, director of the Teh Chien Academy, contends "the Japanese still seem to have been more clever." He points to the design of the Japanese era High Court's hallways, with their light green and earth tone tile facades. These colors recall the special climate and soil of Taiwan, and wandering around them can evoke many remembrances. "In comparison, today's Supreme Court is just an empty box."

Another example is the construction of buildings so that the second floor and above hangs out over the sidewalk, which suits Taiwan's rainy climate. In fact, the colonial authorities passed a law requiring all roadside buildings to include an overhang.

Deconstructing the symbols and ideology of authority, the structures of the Po Ai district reflect the transplantation of the Western experience to the Japanese. It must be regretted that the Japanese erroneously equated things Western with things modern, and borrowed heavily from the Western architectural vocabulary without regard for the origins of the styles. Still, comparing their works to the buildings of the Po Ai district designed after the end of the occupation era, the opinion of Wang Chen-hua rings true: "We still have much to learn!"

[Picture Caption]

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Even in the Japanese occupation era Taipei was already an embryo of its current form. (photo courtesy of the Taiwan Branch of the National Cen tr al Library)

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The Bank of Taiwan served as the central bank under the Japanese. The original building, designed by Nomura Ichiro, was replaced by the present structure in 1938. (upper photo courtesy of the Taiwan Branch of the National Central Library, middle photo courtesy of the Historical Research Commission of Taipei City)

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The Taipei city gates were built under the Ching dynasty; they were originally Fujianese style. Of them, the West Gate was destroyed by the Japanese. The East and South gates were renovated into northern Chinese style palace architecture after World WarII. The North gate has been kept in its original form, and today it is listed as a Class 1 national monument.  (upper photo courtesy of the Taiwan Branch of the National Centra l Library, middle photo courtesy of Chang Wei-chin)

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Today's Hengyang Road was the most prosperous commercial district under both the Ching dynasty and the Japanese occupation. (photo above courtesy of the Historical Research Commission of Taipei City)

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The High Court was a central pillar of the judicial system under the Japanese occupation, and marks a watershed in the transition from "eclecticism" to "modernism" in Taipei architecture. (photo above courtesy of the Historical Research Commission of Taipei City)

The Bank of Taiwan served as the central bank under the Japanese. The original building, designed by Nomura Ichiro, was replaced by the present structure in 1938. （upper photo courtesy of the Taiwan Branch of the National Central Library, middle photo courtesy of the Historical Research Commission of Taipei City）

The Taipei city gates were built under the Ching dynasty; they were originally Fujianese style. Of them, the West Gate was destroyed by the Japanese. The East and South gates were renovated into northern Chinese style palace architecture after World War Ⅱ. The North gate has been kept in its original form, and today it is listed as a Class 1 national monument. （upper photo courtesy of the Taiwan Branch of the National Centra l Library, middle photo courtesy of Chang Wei-chin）

Today's Hengyang Road was the most prosperous commercial district under both the Ching dynasty and the Japanese occupation. （photo above courtesy of the Historical Research Commission of Taipei City）

The High Court was a central pillar of the judicial system under the Japanese occupation, and marks a watershed in the transition from "eclecticism" to "modernism" in Taipei architecture. （photo above courtesy of the Historical Research Commission of Taipei City）