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Horyuji Temple in Nara, Japan, the oldest extant wooden structures in the world, in an environment of steep cli!s and lonely 
pine trees reminiscent of the Yellow Mountains in Anhui Province in China. "is merging of scenes demonstrates the merging 
of two cultures and an expression of harmony and peace.# Although the $ve-story pagoda and the kondo of Horyuji serve as the 
main subject of the drawing, I also added a three-story pagoda on each end to reference the two pagodas at Taima-dera temple 
located south of Horyuji. "e emphasis on architecture derives from my personal interests in the wooden architecture of East 
Asia, particularly the wooden bracket sets between the columns and the roofs. I completed the scroll using only a #2 pencil over 
a period of four months in 2022 and added a short inscription in Chinese to discuss the scenery depicted in the drawing and to 
recognize the shared cultural heritage between China and Japan.

Aisthesis      Volume 15,  2024102

Horyuji of the Southern Capital

by Jason Wang


