Synthesis of National and Western Tradition in Early Examples of Japanese Modernism (The Case of World Peace Memorial Cathedral in Hiroshima)

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the existing influences of traditional Japanese architecture in the modernist World Peace Memorial Cathedral in Hiroshima built after the atomic bombing in Hiroshima on the site of the Noboricho Catholic Church destroyed by the explosion, designed by the architect Togo Murano (using some of the competition ideas of the Kenzo Tange project). According to the results of the study, it was found that the architecture of the World Peace Memorial Cathedral in Hiroshima in Hiroshima represents a synthesis of the traditions of European Romanesque, the Japanese tradition of temple building, and the actual style of modernism, transformed through the prism of the creative manner of the talented architect of Japan of his time, Togo Murano, who had a huge experience in creating architecture with reminiscences of various , both Japanese and European styles of the past and present. In particular, it was established that the general planning and composition of the cathedral is close to the style of basilica churches of European Romanesque, taking into account the simplified global forms of modernism. At the same time, the appearance on the facade of the cathedral of its frame structure and a number of decoration elements refers to the tradition of ancient Japanese architecture, which is especially noticeable in the decoration of the main facade in the form of Japanese carved partitions, which, however, in accordance with the ideas of modernism, are made of concrete. From the results of the work, it is generally clear that Japanese modernism, from the very beginning of its spread in Japan, fundamentally differed from Europe, as it did not accept the idea manifested by European modernism of a complete rejection of traditional form-making. On the contrary, modernism in Japan actively used the national tradition as a basis for ideas.