The discourse of the ground: a thematic investigation of the discourse of the ground in architectural design in Japan from 1975 to 1990 through critical discourse analysis

The Meiji Restoration in Japan was characterized by major land reforms and rapid modernization; the land redistribution laid the foundation for further transformation that culminated in the mid-20th century. In the West, modernism, particularly as articulated by Le Corbusier, engaged critically with the politics of land, introducing pilotis as an architectural element intended for the liberation of the land. The post-World War II period saw the emergence of the Metabolist Group, followed by post-Metabolist period (1975–1990), coinciding with Japan’s economic bubble, witnessed an intensified discourse on the ground in Japanese context, influenced by the Metabolism movement. This paper investigates the discourse of the ground in Japanese architectural design from 1975 to 1990, surveying the architects’ original statements from the Shinkenchiku Archive through the methods of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The data were analyzed methodologically using Potter and Wetherell coding methods. The results of the analysis were coded into six thematic categories. The six themes are further analyzed by employing Braun and Clarke’s framework with a focus on intertextuality and keyword analysis; the analysis indicates that “land” refers to the physical surface of the earth, while the use and meaning of “ground” fall into the six thematic categories.