A comparative study between Japanese and Korean urban space.

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This project was a comparative study of the urban fabric of Japan and its neighbour, Korea, undertaken from a historical spatial standpoint. In Japan, the cities considered were firstly the three great metropolitan centres, Kyoto, Osaka and Edo, and then the castle towns in every region. In Korea we considered Seoul, and a range of other important fortified towns. In terms of period, the study was centred on the mediaeval and early modern eras. We examined these urban entities from a range of standpoints, such as the scale of the settlement, the form of street and urban block layout, the layout of buildings on their plots, their construction, planning and external appearance. By undertaking specific comparative studies of this kind, with the general context of East Asia as a backdrop, we endeavoured to elucidate the character of urban the relative character of urban space in both cultures. The study was a joint one with paticipants from both cultures, and it culminated in a highly productive symposium held at Tohoku University, at which the essence of urban space in the two cultures was discussed fully. We hope to pursue the study furtherin the context of a research society for the comparative urban history of Japan and Korea.