Design Method of Zen-Style Bracket Sets Recorded in the Japanese Carpentry Manual Kamakura Zoei Myomoku (Part 1): A Comparative Study with the Chinese Manual Yingzao Fashi – A Secondary Publication

Abstract

Through a comparison with the traditional Chinese manual Yingzao Fashi (Technical Treatise on Architecture and Craftsmanship), this paper analyzes the composition and design methods of Zen-style bracket sets described in the Kamakura Zoei Myomoku, a technical document inherited by the Kawachi family of carpenters at the Kenchoji Temple in Kamakura, Japan from the 13th to 19th century. As a result, the paper suggests that there were some similarities between Chinese and Japanese modular designs, which both used the cross-section of Gong as the basic unit, while other techniques like the use of a baseline for equal spacing and the rafter size as the basic unit, are considered to be Japanese innovations.