The Evolution of Buddhist Architecture in Japan, a monograph by American art historian Alexander Coburn Soper III, published in 1942, stems from his extensive pre-war field research in Japan, north China, and Korea. This work, built upon a comprehensive understanding of the Chinese and Japanese scholarship at the time, made significant contributions to the study of East Asia""s pre-modern architectural history. Notably, it explores the evolution of spatial composition and cross-cultural transmission of tradition, and strategically represents these theses in analytical drawings. Soper""s methodological innovation, which significantly broadens the investigative scope of textual, visual, and physical sources, further emphasizes the scholarly value of this monograph. However, these substantial contributions have received scant attention. This article aims to elucidate the academic thought in Soper""s writing of architectural history by tracing his educational background and research trajectory in East Asian architecture. By doing so, it seeks to highlight the uniqueness and significance of his work in the field of architectural history, providing an exceptional case study of the interplay between opportunity, ideology, and personal talent in the historiography of Chinese architecture. |