Japanese design and culture have longed played a role in the shaping of American domestic architecture. In Portland, this influence is most often seen in early 20th century styles such as Prairie, Bungalow/Craftsman, and American Four-Square.

The history of Japanese settlement in Oregon goes back almost as far as that of Europeans in Oregon. The first Japanese settler in Multnomah County arrived in 1880. He built a sawmill South of Gresham near what would later become known as “Orient.” Other Japanese immigrants would arrive in the area over the next 25 years. Many found work in the railroads, truck farming, canneries, and mills. By 1900 a thriving “Nihonmachi” (Japan Town) had developed in the Old Town district of Portland. Sizable Japanese communities could also be found in and around Hood River, Ontario, and Gresham.

In 1905 the “Gentleman’s Agreement” between the U.S. and Japan curtailed further adult male migration, though women and children could still arrive. Despite this and other restrictions, the Japanese Community in Oregon grew and prospered during the first few decades of the 20th century. A sad part of Oregon’s (and the nation’s) history occurred during World War II when U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to live in internment camps in inland states. An exception to this federal decree was granted Japanese-American citizens of Malheur County in Eastern Oregon.

It was thought that the removal of Japanese-American agricultural workers would cause a collapse of the county’s sugar beet industry. In a number of cases, Japanese workers and families from other areas were given permission to move to Malheur County as an alternative to the internment camps. Many stayed on after the war, giving the county perhaps the highest concentration of Japanese-Americans in the state today. Though still significant, the Japanese-American community in Portland is now dispersed, Japan Town having fallen victim to the internment period.

In 1962 the city of Portland authorized the construction of the Japanese Garden in Washington Park. The garden is considered to be the most authentic and beautiful Japanese Garden outside of Japan. In addition to its many beautiful landscapes, the garden contains several buildings and pavilions built in the most traditional of Japanese styles.

While the presence of a substantial, thriving Japanese-American community in early 20th century Oregon perhaps provided fertile ground for Japanese-inspired design to take root, the actual seeds of the style were planted by American architects inspired more by far-reaching national and international design trends. The first American architectural style to show influences of Japanese design was Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie House Style (1900-1920). The wide, over-hanging eaves and the long, horizontal sweep of the Prairie houses can be seen in many Japanese buildings as well — including the main pavilion of Portland’s Japanese Garden. These long flat surfaces also reflect the shape of the Midwestern Prairie, but their original inspiration was Japanese. Frank Lloyd Wright visited the Japanese Pavilion at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1892 and later admitted that it had forever influenced his approach to design.

The Greene and Greene brothers, best known for their rustic Southern California bungalows, were also heavily influenced by Japanese design. On a cross-country trip in 1892 relocating from Boston to Pasadena, the brothers stopped off at the Chicago World’s Fair and saw the same Japanese Pavilion that had so intrigued Frank Lloyd Wright. In Portland, the Reid Mansion on SE Stark St. is perhaps the best example of a Greene and Greene style bungalow. It was designed in 1914 by Frances Bacon, who reputedly had apprenticed at the Greene and Greene Studio in Pasadena, CA. The beauty of the structure comes not from any applied decoration but from the intricate balance of the exposed wooden structural members. One can see the same pattern in a number of the buildings in the Japanese Garden — especially in the large entry gate near the lower parking lot. Other, smaller, Greene and Greene style bungalows are scattered throughout Portland, their architects and origins largely obscured through time.

One intriguing concentration exists, however, on a Laurelhurst block bounded by E Burnside and SE Ash. These seven Japanese-style bungalows were the model homes for a subdivision to have been called “Bungalow Fairyland.” Unfortunately, the models were built immediately prior to the U.S. entrance into World War I. All building construction halted during the war. When the G.I.s came home at war’s end, the earth had shifted and housing consumers were no longer favoring bungalow-derived styles. The remaining subdivision was then built out with conventional 1920s housing types (presumably under a different subdivision name).

Of particular note in the still-existing Bungalow Fairyland models are the three “Japanese Aeroplane” houses that have “pop-up” second-story rooms in the middle of the house. These were thought to resemble the cockpit of an early airplane looking out over the low-pitched wings. Thousands of these aeroplane houses were built in Southern California in the early “teens” (1910-1915). San Diego in particular still has many intact examples in its older neighborhoods.

Another early 20th century house style that demonstrates stylistic Japanese influence is the American Four-Square. These two-story, squarish houses, usually have plain unadorned surfaces and pyramidal or hipped roofs. Many four-squares are hybrids, combining four-square simplicity with design elements of another style. The Four-Square/Prairie hybrids with their sweeping horizontal lines and wide overhanging eaves have a particularly Japanese look to them. The plain, unadorned facades of all four squares likewise convey a certain Zen-like balance of simplicity and form.

In Portland, a walk through any older Portland neighborhood reveals a wealth of Japanese design features. Note especially the large number of Japanese porch lanterns that are being installed to these period homes. One could even make the case that Japanese design influenced the angular Mid-Century Modern houses built in the 1940s to 1960s. Even some early ranch houses appear Japanesque with their long horizontal lines and low pitched roofs. If you consider then that Japanese design has found expression in American architecture, in some form, from 1900 to 1970, the Japanese must be considered one of the most enduring design influences in American history. Who knows how our future buildings may be influenced by them as well.