Ueno Toshogu Shrine

This was our first shrine. As an architect it's critical to understand that we are creative artisans patronized by those in power or with the financial backing to create the impressions of our culture. Buildings like this show us that history is written by the winners. But in this case after the abandonment of the old ways, this property was given back to the people as a national park. Not only to show that a new inclusive government was beneficial to all, but also a way of preserving a national heritage for an inhabited sculpture once with access only for the wealthy ruling class. The artisans of their time created this architecture with the intent to out live their proprietors. They may not have known that the end of their era would not bring about the demise of these national treasures, but impressed by the will of the people, they were respected and saved. Unlike the monuments of Egypt, which at the change of a Pharaoh's reign, the previous rulers deity artistic references were scratched away, pillaged and destroyed, the Japanese culture grew based on a cultural respect, something the west has long abandoned in exchange for selfishness and immediate gratification and personal ego as most western design architects exhibit. This is why Japanese Craft is so astonishing. They care little for their own labor, and more for what their wares can do to build up the collective value and beauty of their culture. It's also why for me as an American architect, I had to see Japan for myself. My appreciation and respect for their culture has greatly increased with the visit to my first Japanese shrine. Can't wait to see Kyoto, for their craft is surely the pinnacle of this beautiful culture.