Momochitaru-kan

百千足館

Kyoto, Japan

 

   Momochitaru-kan was built as a shop and office headquarters for Kurochiku, a company that produces traditional handicraft gifts. Designed to fit into the traditional Kyoto streetscape, a two-story traditional wooden building along the street conceals the five-story steel-structure building behind it.

   The alleyway that leads back through the site, and the two courtyard gardens along the way, are typical of traditional Kyoto townhouse (machiya) layout.

  The first courtyard garden features a S-curved rammed-earth wall and a pine tree. The second courtyard has a small grove of bamboo. Pine and bamboo relate to the paintings of the Noh stage that is on the 2nd floor of the rear building, connecting the architetcure and gardens through artwork.