Sustainability of Japanese Traditional Architecture Viewed Through Visualization of Seismic Behavior

Abstract

  Dougongs have been used in many old Japanese architecture. They are components that act as brackets between the capitals and the round beams. However, their behavior during earthquakes has not been clarified. To clarify the behavior of old architecture during earthquakes, we conducted dynamic loading tests on dougongs. In dynamic loading tests, it is difficult to grasp the behavior using displacement meters due to installation issues. In this experiment, we therefore used motion capture to visualize the behavior of dougongs. We also considered the sustainability of old architecture by comparing the results of dynamic loading tests using new dougongs of the same specifications and dimensions made of cypress. The results of the experiment confirmed that the dougongs had the same performance as new dougongs even after about 150 years. It was inferred that dougongs are less susceptible to the effects of aging in wood by using details whose main component is friction resistance.