Lit. medieval architecture. Temple and shrine buildings erected during the Kamakura, Nanbokuchō, and Muromachi periods when two new styles of architecture were introduced from China.
The first was the daibutsu style *daibutsuyō 大仏様, which was initiated by the priest, Chōgen 重源 (1121-1206) who had spent time in south China (1167-68). He was responsible for purely daibutsu style buildings. These included: Jōdoji *Jōdodō 浄土寺浄土堂 (1192) in Hyōgo Prefecture, Tōdaiji *Nandaimon 東大寺南大門 (1199) in Nara, and Daigoji *Kyōzō 醍醐寺経蔵 (1198) in Kyoto; this last structure burned down in 1939.
Tōdaiji *Shōrō 鐘楼 (early 13th century) is attributed to Yōsai 栄西 (1141-1215) and has a mixture of the daibutsu and Zen styles. Zen style architecture *zenshūyō 禅宗様, flourished during the first half of the 13th century. One prominent exponent was Dōgen 道元 (1200-53) who drew up the plans for Tōfukuji 東福寺, but the Butsuden 仏殿 was not completed until 1299.
The term *wayō 和様 became widely used to distinguish buildings that retained the Japanization of architectural methods and characteristics imported from China in the 7th-8th century from the two newly introduced styles.