TOTO Gallery Ma
The highlight of the Japan chapter in spring was the one-day bus tour from Tokyo to the Enoura Observatory at Odawara Art Foundation, proposed by Ms. Yumiko Yamada, our 2024 President. It has become one of the most famous museums for the collection by Hiroshi Sugimoto. Enoura Observatory, designed by Hiroshi Sugimoto, has become one of the most famous museums in his collection, attracting visitors from all over the world.
Located on a warm, beautiful, hilly area covered with orange and citrus groves, Enoura Observatory overlooks the beautiful Sagami Bay in the calm and isolated Enoura area of Odawara, often referred to by locals as the “Riviera of Japan.”
Contemporary Artist Hiroshi Sugimoto created a forum for disseminating art and culture within Japan and to the world. The observatory comprises a gallery space, a Noh stage, a revived late 16th century Tensho-era tea ceremony room built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the restored 14th century Muromachi Period Meigetsu Gate originally built at Meigetsu-in temple in Kamakura, and a strolling garden. Sugimoto aims for visitors to be inspired by art, contemplate their own lives through time, culture, and history, and reconnect with nature at Enoura Observatory.
Enoura Observatory
We also held another visit to TOTO Gallery Ma, a major architectural gallery in Tokyo. Mr. Shigenori Uoya kindly provided us with a special guided tour of his ongoing solo exhibition titled “Re-Weaving Urban Fabrics”.
Shigenori Uoya has renovated over 120 Kyo-machiya (traditional townhouses in Kyoto) based on his research on the urban context of Kyoto and other cities, and has been engaged in architectural practice focused on preserving urban context. In Kyoto, historic cityscapes are on the verge of extinction, with machiya (townhouses) and nagaya (rowhouses) being demolished and replaced with condominiums and parking lots daily. In this context, Uoya strives to preserve not only the architectural legacy of machiya but also the alleys and allotments.
Finally, we are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Fumihiko Maki, Hon. FAIA,
AIA Gold Medal 2011, at the age of 95. Mr. Maki was a strong supporter of AIA Japan from its inception. We would like to express our deepest gratitude and respect for his great contributions to the world of architecture during his lifetime, and we pray for his soul to rest in peace.
Yasushi Leo Nishimura, AIA
Past President, AIA Japan and Chapter Representative, AIA International
