Main Quad

The church’s axial alignment focuses Qi toward the altar, providing spiritual clarity along a “strong longitudinal axis... ideal for sacred architecture” (Brown 53). The semicircular apse symbolizes Heaven, “enhancing cosmic harmony and collecting qi” (Brown 53). Side chapels and aisles distribute Qi evenly, balancing yin and yang and fostering inclusivity (Brown 53). Its materials (sandstone) and rounded design embody Earth and Heaven elements, reinforcing spiritual grounding and celestial resonance (Brown 53).

The Main Quad’s strong north–south symmetry, which runs through to campus drive, mirrors ancient cosmological planning, facilitating "the natural course" of Qi across space (Brown 53). Memorial Church anchors spiritual energy at the north, echoing the concept of a stabilizing mountain, or kao shan, in feng shui (Brown 53). Open green spaces like Memorial Court and the Inner Quad serve as Qi reservoirs, much like voids in Chinese courtyard design that “store and collect qi” (Brown 53). Architectural elements — red tile roofs (Fire), rectangular Earth-based forms, and gardens (Wood) — create elemental balance suited to a scholarly environment like Stanford (Brown 53).

We analyze a similar quad-based structure during the Edo period of Japan.

The central keep of Edo Castle functions as the symbolic and spatial heart of the complex, aligned with principles of centrality and balance. This aligns with how fengshui compasses (luopan) were used to align human structures with cosmic principles.

“From the Ming period if not earlier, the geomantic compass came to contain many encircling layers of cosmological correspondence… These circular spheres correlated direction, time, heaven, and earth within a single instrument used for calculating the auspicious placement and orientations of structures.” (Brown 2024)

The concentric structure of Edo Castle—layered moats and gates culminating in the central keep—mirrors these cosmological layers, establishing a symbolic center aligned with heaven and earth. Brown shows that fengshui was applied to many kinds of built environments, from graves to public works, reinforcing its flexibility.

“A luopan might be used for charting river flows, building and construction, and measuring the forces of yin and yang—sometimes within the same public works project.” (Brown 2024)

The positioning of Edo Castle relative to water (moats) and flow likely reflects careful attention to landscape fengshui—enhancing qi containment and protection. Brown notes how fengshui adapted across time and place, including debates over how to assign the twenty-eight astral lodges on the compass.

“What should the assigned values of the twenty-eight lodges be? And in what order should the twenty-eight lodges appear on the compass?” (Brown 2024)

Although Japanese castle design was not identical to Chinese fengshui, the influence of shared East Asian cosmology (including the twenty-eight lodges, Bagua, and cardinal orientation) would still inform Edo Castle’s layout—especially its south-facing orientation and layered defenses. The concentric layout of walls and moats forms progressive Qi refinement zones, defending the inner sanctum while filtering energy inward.

The tallest structure is placed centrally and elevated, asserting dominance and symbolizing Heaven’s axis — the pole around which authority and qi revolve. Unlike Chinese axial symmetry, Edo Castle follows asymmetrical Feng Shui rooted in dynamic flow, allowing qi to meander like natural rivers — a principle from Japanese fusui practices. Carefully nested courtyards reflect social and energetic hierarchy, channeling Qi inward through order, ceremony, and spatial discipline.

The Forbidden City uses axial symmetry and layered design to symbolize imperial authority and cosmic order. Its orientation is purposely skewed west of true north to align with magnetic feng shui, a decision Baratta and Magli describe as “intended,” not accidental (20). Artificial landscape features like Jingshan Hill and the Golden Water River were added to replicate the feng shui ideal—“a feng shui landscape where there is no feng shui landscape” (112). Altogether, the Forbidden City becomes not only an important government building but also “an architectural expression of Heaven’s mandate,” tightly containing and concentrating Qi in service of the emperor (Baratta and Magli 21).

The Temple of Heaven is a fantastic example of cosmic harmony, with its round temple placed within a square compound to “symbolize the connection between Heaven and Earth” (London). Designed along a strict south-to-north axis, its layout mirrors ritual purification and divine alignment, guiding Qi upward through tiered platforms and stunning open space. The blue roof tiles reflect Heaven’s color (the color of the sky), and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests was built “entirely of wood, without a single nail,” emphasizing purity and balance (London). As Baratta and Magli explain, these choices “create a ritual and geomantic alignment across the city,” turning the temple into a sacred conductor between the emperor and celestial forces (16).

The jade carving’s motifs—flowing forms that resemble water or fish—can be interpreted through the lens of fengshui as expressions of cosmological harmony and qi flow. 

As Brown notes, the human world and broader celestial things was seen through “calculating the auspicious placement and orientations of structures." In the jade sculpture, flowing water symbolizes wealth and the movement of qi, while the Earth element of Jade and wooden base embodies stability, grounding, and the five phase system.  

Brown's emphasis on “encircling layers of cosmological correspondence," is seen through the visual contrast in the jade's carved depths and layered textures, showing the balance of elemental forces.