Its checkerboard street layout used the Chinese capital of Chang'an as a template for its design. Influence from the Chinese Sui and Tang dynasties led to the foundation of the first permanent capital in Nara. The introduction of Buddhism in Japan during the sixth century was a catalyst for large-scale temple building using complicated techniques in wood. Influence from Han Dynasty China via Korea saw the introduction of more complex grain stores and ceremonial burial chambers. The earliest Japanese architecture was seen in prehistoric times in simple pit-houses and stores adapted to the needs of a hunter-gatherer population. Since the 19th century, however, Japan has incorporated much of Western, modern, and post-modern architecture into construction and design, and is today a leader in cutting-edge architectural design and technology. People usually sat on cushions or otherwise on the floor, traditionally chairs and high tables were not widely used until the 20th century. Sliding doors ( fusuma) and other traditional partitions were used in place of walls, allowing the internal configuration of a space to be customized for different occasions.
Japanese architecture ( 日本建築, Nihon kenchiku) has been typified by wooden structures, elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or thatched roofs.
Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto, originally built in 1397 ( Muromachi period)
