Works

Niwa of Chikaramachi -Inhabiting a garden-

 The oblong plot of land, acquired for the garden by a curious turn of fate, was already rush with greenery. Although the client felt a dilemma whether to cut them down, we kept it alive to blend them into the new garden. Sitting in the living room, which has a low eye-level, you can see a vast expanse undergrowth over the terrace. Looking up from ground level, you see the thicket spreading out­­–dogwood, large-leaf dogwood, hornbeam, Chinese-quince, Himalayan-ash, and Ogatama(Michelia compressa).

 Flowers bloom, fruits ripen. Green shoots brought by birds or the wind sprout spontaneously around the trees. A landscape full of rustic beauty begins to unfold in this garden. Nature accepts this mixture as it is, flowers just bloom and fall. The resilience and vitality of plants are robust, and we can’t wait to see how the new flora will go through changes in the future.

 The garden, which is assumed to be unfinished, keeps evolving towards completion. Time flows, the wind plays, and light dances. Away from the hustle and bustle, residents live in a forest that appeared in the city. Slumping into the favorite chair, in the quiet sunlight filtering through trees, is a blissful moment of quality time. At the moment the mind is released, the garden changes from figurative to abstract. Then it dissolves back into the light.

photo by Tadayuki MINAMOTO