The Ekoin temple is located in the downtown Tokyo
So it covers a narrow land
In order to expand the area as much as possible
I designed a 3-storey building in the temple
The floors are connected by corridors outside
It’s quite modern in terms of design as a temple
Tokyo | Ekoin Temple
Normal temples expand horizontally
But it’s difficult to have spacious land in downtown Tokyo now
There’s nearly no open space
There were 3 buildings
Now I make the 3 into 1
On the first floor there’s the main hall
Which is used for benefactors to hold assemblies
In addition, I also want it to be a multi-functional venue
For example to display treasures of the temple
Like a museum
Flowers and plants of 4 seasons are painted on the ceiling
The 4 seasons form a cycle
Implying the “samsara” in Buddhism
Bamboos are grown in the sky corridors on the 2nd floor
There are bamboos on both sides of the worship passage at the entrance
I want to make the corridors a continuation of the passage
The temple is located in the busy downtown
Bamboos work as a separation from the hustle and bustle
And thus form a very quiet space
It’s like an oasis in the city center
There’re Swarovski crystal strings hanging in the bamboo forest, 108 beads for one
Each string contains a big bead
In which the buddha worshiped in the temple is carved by laser
Buddhist classics mention that on the way to the pure land
There’s a place called “Forest of 7 Treasures”
So I replace with the 7-color light refracted by crystal
I hope when people walk in the corridors and worship
They can feel the pure land
The 2nd floor is the guest hall
Where benefactors can rest during memorial services or mourning
The Great East Japan Earthquake happened during the construction of the room
A lot of lives were taken
The well-known painter Mr. Hiroshi Senju drew on the sliding doors of this room
To pray for the victims
It’s named the Falls of the Pure Land in the hope of easing grief
In ordinary times it’s also used for multiple occasions
Like practices for tea ceremony
Lectures or seminars
The building won the Good Design Award of Japan in 2016
Temples rarely appear in the winning list of the award
“Is it good to build a temple in an unconventional way?”
Such question exists all the time
But the abbot said
“So-called temples are built with the most advanced technologies at the time”
From this perspective, I think it’s okay to make it a modern building
In order to better adapt to the habits of modern people
We need to build the best temple
With the fullest functions and greatest convenience