ABSTRACT
An assumption of the inherent otherness of Japanese architecture made it not only proof of the apparent universality of Western architectural theories but also a seemingly endless source of new ideas. The Western image of Japanese architecture has many of the characteristics of a chimera—a mythical hybrid constructed of disparate parts. In itself, that image has never been “true” in the strict sense of the term, but its effects have been significant. Such constructions are important in understanding individual and collective human identity, and so too is recognizing them as myth rather than historical fact.
