ABSTRACT
The first signs of an increasing need to reconsider the role of tradition in architecture were already apparent by the end of the 1880s simultaneously with the growing disillusionment with the early consequences of modernization. Among professionals, some began to question the validity of wholesale adaptation of Western architecture. At the academy, Japanese architects gradually replaced Western instructors, and historians have engaged again with Japanese architectural heritage. As one of the representatives of this shift, Chuta Ito (1867–1954) participated in a thorough field survey of premodern Japanese architecture, while simultaneously fighting with other members of the architectural community for the reappraisal of the values of traditional Japanese architecture. Through his studies, Ito confirmed his presumption that premodern Japanese architecture—as a reflection of Japan's unique culture—still has relevance in the practices of contemporary Japanese architects. Moreover, he encouraged the formation of a new architectural style—commonly identified later as "Nihon shumi" (Japanese taste)—that incorporated both Japanese and Western elements.
