Good afternoon,
As an architect, I work on a project called "KOKORO SHELTER" in Minamisoma city which is only 23 km far from the Nuclear reactor in Fukushima.(KOKORO=Life force, mind, heart)
In Minamisoma city people live affected by the Nuclear accident.
I first learned about the situation in the media. People were living in plywood-made or cardboard-made housings,
and were jostling in school gymnasiums and classrooms.
I thought there was something really wrong with the situation. As human beings, people shouldn' t be living in such condition.
I warned the media, some of my friends and also some politicians that there was something really wrong with the situation.
However, nobody understood the problem: these people were lacking imagination.
The foundation of democracy is culture and the foundation of culture is imagination.
Japan has nurtured from the Heian period, as well as the Muromachi period, the spiritual art of the tea ceremony,
Japanese people were able to create a whole cosmos by decorating the space with a single flower,
and cultured through centuries, a space where was performed the martial art, the art of cut-flower and of tea ceremony.
A rooms where people came to face their inner-self, "KOKORO".
However, when you go to the devastated areas in Tohoku, people are living under such a bad condition.
In my long career as an architect, this was the most shameful sight. We were ignoring the dignity of the human being.
Suddenly, these people lost everything and are in sorrow. Where would their heart, their inner-self rest?
I wanted to offer a space, a housing that would be "human".
And we build the "KOKORO SHELTER"
A shelter going from one・1.6㎡to ten16㎡ tatami size, so that we could adjust to the size of the family.
We also ran some research on traditional Japanese houses nearby, to understand how houses where built in Fukushima.
And in order to understand the life style culture.
Using a Japanese traditional method called "Shinkabe", a technique that let the wooden parts in the wall to be seen.
We made the "KOKORO SHELTER" with the help of elders living in Minamisoma.
I often question myself what the most important things for a Japanese are.
For example, we say that clothing, food and shelter is the basic need. For food, I could say that a warm dish would be the necessary.
For clothing, we need the minimum what to wear.
And finally, for housing, the most important is to live in a house where you can take your shoes off,
and be able to sit in "Za"(Friendly space). We call this in Japan, "Ichi-za Kon-ryuu"(State creating close relationship and unifying people).
We used to build a small space called "Toko-no-ma", in front of the place where we sit in "Za",
which I believe was a space devoted to embracing the spiritual culture.
This is why we mainly put focus on the "Toko-no-ma" and build the Shelter.
You can decorate the space with cut-flowers, to form a space where your inner-self and Nature would face each other and converse.
Or you could decorate the space with a Japanese calligraphy art piece, or a piece of souvenir.
You could even put a painting of your choice, or art work for those who like Art.
Japan has nurtured for a long time, a tradition of spiritual culture.
And this has nothing to do with technology nor economy.
This is a picture of a junior high school classroom. 10 people used to live in the same room.
Under these condition, people would shelter themselves and shut their heart.
They would come out of the room only to eat or to go to the toilet.
But shelter themselves and close their heart in the day.
In Japan, there used to be a flooring space between inside and outside, called "En-gawa" from the meaning of "En" as coincident encounter.
By sitting on the open corridor or by taking off the shoes and going in the corridor, we feel this sensation of peace,
And if we add there a cup of tea, then naturally conversation takes life between the people who share this space.
Thinking that it would be necessary for people to have a such place, we built this.
Many people including volunteers are working on relief work.
This is a town called Yamada-machi in the prefecture of Iwate, where we are making this housing for the voluntary firefighters of the town.
In Iwate, there is a temple called "Tyu-Sonji Kon-do", in Hiraizumi elected World heritage.
In Iwate, there is a temple called "Tyu-Sonji Kon-do", in "Hiraizumi" elected World heritage.
Although, the ancient city of Kyoto was built as a model of Tyoan which was the capital in the Tang denasty, in ancient China
I believe that "Hiraizumi" was the first city which was designed in a Japanese way.
Behind its philosophy is the belief of "Jyoudo"(the Heaven of the Pure Land). The construction of the city went on for a century.
Taking this philosophy into account, I was thinking what my architecture could do to support these voluntary firefighters.
who are devoted to the recovery of there town.
Inspired from the high spirit of these firemen, I am now building a house.
Many people talk about "Out of assumption" or "Temporary housing".
I do not like these words.
Because instant is eternity. Instant is the whole cosmos.
This is a Japanese philosophy. It doesn't matter if it is a day or a month,
for those who live there, this is an eternity, an eternal space.
I would like to express the beauty of the Japanese living space through my work.
On the left is the "Tyu-son-ji", recently elected World heritage.One the right is the housing for the firemen.
During my long career as an architect, I have always valued the resonance of my work with the sky, the land the human being.
People practicing the art of cut flower will understand very well. The sky, the land and the human being.
Together form the "Ten-ti-jin"(The sky, the land and the human being).
For a long time, being part of Nature was something Japanese thought as good.
People would project themselves on Nature.
For example, this project called "Kihoku", represents a small community building.
A city which resonate with the cosmos, with the mountains of our homeland, with Mother Earth,
would be the kind of space I would like to create.
This is "Earthian Architecture" for around 70 residents.
The roof is covered with green and trees grow all around.
Imagine the whole architecture as landscape, as Mother Earth, as a farm field.
This is a "Tsubo-niwa". Japanese has nurtured a long relationship with the courtyard, often seen in Kyoto.
The "Tsubo-niwa" is a small Cosmic garden,
And would bring the Great Nature close to us.
This is "Nanohanakan" for old people. Elders tend to be seen as weak.
Although they might be weak physically, there is no such thing as oldness in spirit.
This is a housing where we can meet elders young in spirit.
This is "Shomyo kindergarten". The theme of the building is "Inori"(prayer).
The disaster which devastated Tohoku, was one of the biggest in whole Japanese history.
However, Tohoku nurtures an ancient culture, the "Jomon culture", the "Ainu culture" or event the "Matagi culture".
Going back to the medieval period, we might also find some older culture.
I would like to discover these culture.
An architecture which coexists with the richness and complexity of the Eurasian Continent.
An architecture which synchronize with the spirits of Forests, Mountains, Oceans and Lands.
No more rectangular housing , built based on the logic of economy.
An architecture with it roots based on the human and living beings.
This is the kind of architecture that I believe we need to seek for.
We tend to go for cardboard and temporary housings.
Temporary housings are awful in condition. Should such thing be allowed in one of the biggest economical country?
Even in the smallest space we can invite Nature. We call "Itigo-itie", a momentary space where we can meet an eternal truth.
We call "Itigo-itie" the fact that we can create our own cosmos and invite the great Nature even in the smallest space.
Why wouldn't we build a such space?
This is something the government, local authorities and ourselves need to consider.
We should live closer to Nature, embrace conversations with our inner heart and the human dignity.
How could we build a space where we could respect such dignity?
We should be focusing our thought on question like this as we think about the recovery of the Tohoku region.
Then, I believe Tohoku will recover and be a model to the world.
Not to focus on what is just in front of us,
But to see what comes from the heart.
Even the smallest thing counts. We can build a cosmos out of a furniture.
For example, there are lots of clue in simply redesigning a flooring, a wall or even an electric pole.
Great clue lies in our closest environment and a whole world is there lying. Why being blind to such detail?
Even in object, there is an element of human being.
Not exploiting, nor possessing the object.
How should the relationship between the object and the human being be, in order to achieve a blissful relation.
It is through a construction planning embracing such relationship that I would like to reconsider our daily life.
What is the thing mostly needed in our housing?
The smallest unit in the Japanese living space is the "Tatami"(a Japanese traditional mat).
Japan has nurtured the thought of respect because of the culture of the "Tatami".
The old traditions which we are familiar with, are to be found in our old housings,
in the tales of our grandparents or in the ancient myth.
I would like to the invite this new idea about Tohoku,
To be shared within our country Japan, but also with the whole world.
To be shared with our whole country Japan, but also the whole world.
Thank you very much.
This is a miniature of the "KOKORO SHELTER".
I start from 1/100 then goes to 1/30 and finally build a 1/1 size on the site.
I build many miniatures and consider over and over.
If you have an idea on how to create a cosmos inside your shelter,
you can build you own world.
Taking care of yourself will end up making others happy.
Please think about it.
Thank you.