木工職人・中川周士の手仕事と禅庭

This installation reinterprets the traditional teahouse (chashitsu) and garden (niwa) space in a modern way, with a special focus on the Wood Tub Teahouse by Shuji Nakagawa of Nakagawa Mokkougei. The “teahouse” itself is the Oke-chashitsu, a structure built without a single nail or drop of adhesive, using only traditional wood-tub techniques. The “garden” is a video artwork that fantastically fuses two masterpieces with high-definition digital technology: the sliding screen painting Pine and Moon by Sansetsu Kano (owned by Keishun-in Temple) and the nationally designated historic site and scenic spot, the Garden of Shinnyo.

Furthermore, Kyoto Tower, viewed from the plaza, is incorporated as “borrowed scenery” (shakkei), uniting the ancient capital’s aesthetics with the modern urban landscape. Please enjoy this unique space that weaves together traditional craftsmanship, Japanese art, contemporary technology, and urban scenery.

特別協力

立命館大学アート・リサーチセンター

文化財のデジタル化と公開において国内最高峰の実績を誇る、立命館大学アート・リサーチセンター様には、桂春院の文化財の超高精細データをご提供いただきました。その先進技術が、過去と現在、そしてリアルとバーチャルを繋ぐ本企画の根幹を支えています。心より感謝の意を表します。

Special cooperation

Ritsumeikan University Art Research Center (ARC)

Ritsumeikan University’s Art Research Center, which boasts Japan’s leading achievements in the digitization and publication of cultural assets, provided the ultra-high-resolution data of Keishun-in’s cultural properties for this project. Their advanced technology forms the backbone of this installation, bridging the past with the present, and the real with the virtual. We express our sincere gratitude.

「木桶の茶室」

木桶が持つアーチ構造と建築の親和性に着目した中川周士氏が生み出した《木桶の茶室》。伝統的なタガ締めの技法のみで作り上げられた本作は、巨大な木桶そのものです。清々しい香り立つ檜のまっすぐな木目は、日本の美意識を象徴し、こぢんまりとした空間は京町家を彷彿とさせます。木桶の丸みが人をやさしく包み込み、一歩足を踏み入れれば、外の喧騒を忘れるほどの静寂が広がります。木と人が織りなす新しい関係を、心ゆくまでご体感ください。

Oke-chashitsu (The Wood Tub Teahouse)

Created by Shuji Nakagawa, the Wood Tub Teahouse focuses on the affinity between the arched structure of a wood tub and architecture. Crafted using only the traditional tagajime (hoop-tightening) technique, this work is a gigantic wood tub itself.

The refreshing fragrance and straight grain of the hinoki cypress symbolize Japanese aesthetics, and its compact space is reminiscent of a kyomachiya, or traditional Kyoto townhouse. The roundness of the tub gently envelops you, and a single step inside brings a silence that makes you forget the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

We invite you to experience this new relationship between wood and people to your heart’s content.