Walking with Architects: A Cultural Property Stroll #01 | Himonya Enyuji Temple and Hachiman Shrine
Hello everyone. This is Yoshida from Theatre Inc.
Around the time the cherry blossoms were in bloom, I visited Enyuji Temple and Himonya Hachiman Shrine in Himonya, Meguro Ward, together with Mr. Saiga and Ms. Yagi from the architectural design firm "wyes architects".
wyes architects is a company that conducts various architectural designs, surveys, planning, and exhibition designs based on their experience in the preservation and utilization of cultural properties. They are involved as professionals in temples, historical buildings, and facilities that everyone has likely heard of at least once.
In the real estate field, the term "renovation" has become common, and I personally have many opportunities to come into contact with old buildings. On the other hand, while there are countless buildings in religious facilities like temples and shrines that have been carefully protected for 50 or 100 years or more, they are generally not subject to buying, selling, or leasing, so I have almost no professional contact with them. While I have been interested in the temple and shrine buildings that have been a familiar part of my life for a long time, I haven't had the opportunity to learn about them. This project came about thanks to the coincidence that our offices were right next to each other.
This column is composed of two parts: Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 introduces our actual visit to Enyuji Temple and Himonya Hachiman Shrine, and Part 2 features an interview with wyes architects.
When you think of the temples and shrines we usually visit as architecture, they start to look different. It was also very interesting to pay attention to the dates carved into guardian dog statues and stone monuments. In the interview, we also asked about the cultural properties they are deeply involved with in their work, incorporating the perspective of a real estate company.
I hope you will read it to the end.
Introduction to wyes architects
wyes architects LLC
Website: https://wyes.jp/
Eijiro Saiga
Kanami Yagi
*Titles omitted
[Business Content (Excerpt from website)]
An architectural design firm by Kanami Yagi and Eijiro Saiga. Based on our experience in the preservation and utilization of cultural properties, we explore the value inherent in the architecture itself during surveys of existing buildings. Then, we update the architecture to what it should be now. We believe that this process leads to the architecture surviving into the next era.
[Major Awards]
<Eijiro Saiga>
Japan Society for Finishing Technology Award (Work Award, Architecture Category) 2023 (Co-recipient with Jun Kinoshita, Akio Sato, Mikio Yamanaka, and Takayoshi Koyama)
Architectural Institute of Japan Prize (Work) 2022(Co-recipient with Hidetoshi Saito and Tsutomu Kimura)
→Our company also visited ( http://theatre-inc.com/wp/theatre_column_004/ )
Architectural Institute of Japan Prize (Achievement) 2022 (Joint recipient as an organization)
Japan Spatial Design Award 2021, Gold Prize (Museum/Cultural Space) → Interview
Lighting Design Award, Excellence Award (2021, co-recipient with Chieri Iizuka)
[Major Ongoing Projects]
Maruki Gallery for the Hiroshima Panels (https://marukigallery.jp/)
Tomioka Silk Mill (https://www.tomioka-silk.jp/)
Zenko-ji Temple (https://www.zenkoji.jp/)
etc..
Himonya Stroll (Himonya Hachiman Shrine)
Theatre Yoshida (hereinafter "T"): We have arrived at Himonya Hachiman Shrine. It is about a 10-minute walk from our office.
wyes architects Saiga/Yagi (hereinafter "w"): Do you come to Himonya Hachiman Shrine to pray?
T: Yes, I do. Especially at New Year's, I come to get an amulet and stand it on a shelf in the office.
w: We also came here for our first shrine visit of the year.
T: It's very quiet compared to New Year's.
w: Isn't that the case for many shrines? Unless it's a very famous one. However, Enyuji Temple, which we will visit later, and this area were apparently tourist spots in the latter half of the Edo period (1780-1800). For example, it seems people would walk the Himonya Road from Shinagawa, look at the Nio statues, eat, and go home. Nowadays, even if people go to places like Nakameguro or Jiyugaoka, not many people come here (Himonya) for sightseeing, right?
T: When you come to a shrine, where does your gaze go?
w: In addition to the architecture, we often look at the various things made of stone in the precincts, such as stone walls, Tamagaki (sacred fences), and stone lanterns. For example, we look at those things because it is written when they were donated. Also, parts that look a bit damaged when you look at them now—for example, they should have been level when they were originally made, but parts that don't look level might be affected by tree roots. We also look at such "damaged" areas. If these fall over or become dilapidated, the local parishioners will talk about having to do something, collect donations, and have them donated. Then the donor's name is carved. You can read such relationships from the precincts. By the way, it is written on that (part of the Tamagaki) when it was donated, isn't it?
T: I have never really paid attention to the dates carved into stone before. The guardian dogs in front of the main hall say they were born in Meiji 42 and donated in Heisei 5. By the way, who decides the shape of things like this?
w: Usually, it's discussed with the person making the donation. Once they decide to donate, they consult with the priest about which stonemason to hire and discuss what kind of shape it should have. In some cases, there might be a request to make it look like a reference piece. It's a process of consulting with the stonemason, the priest, or the head monk if it's a temple. You see there are other guardian dogs over there, right? Depending on the shrine, there can be multiple sets of guardian dogs. Sometimes, because the donation dates are different, they might have originally been near the worship hall but were moved to a previous location when a new one was donated.
For guardian dogs from the Meiji or Taisho eras, they used a technique called 'kotataki,' where they manually shaped the stone using small metal tools. For those from the Heisei era, many are made using machines.
w: These guardian dogs look older.
T: They do look older. The green is deeper on these.
w: It was written there. Meiji 26. It has a very nice atmosphere. When I come to shrines or temples like this, I often look at the inscriptions. By looking at the text, you can get a sense of whether it was all cleaned up and restored to its current state at a certain point, or if it has become what it is today through various people donating or making repairs little by little over different eras.
T: Looking at a building like this, can you tell when it was built?
w: I can't tell the fine details. I think this might be from the late Edo period or the Meiji era. I think many of the shrine buildings remaining in Tokyo today are from the modern era or later, but there are quite a few that were built after the war. This worship hall seems to be from the Meiji era, though.
T: Some parts of the decorations look new and clean.
w: It's possible that the metal fittings were replaced when the copper plates were re-roofed or replaced.
T: Sorry for the amateur question. What do you call that curved part at the edge of the roof (near the roof gable in the center of the photo)?
w: That? That is called 'minoko.' It's a part of the roof construction where you can see the craftsman's dedication. This building is roofed with copper plates, but this is originally a form of 'hiwadabuki' (cypress bark roofing). Since hiwadabuki only lasts about 30 years, people started roofing with copper or iron plates in the style of hiwadabuki.
T: This is the first time I've heard of hiwadabuki.
w: By the way, the main hall of Zenkoji Temple in Nagano Prefecture is hiwadabuki. 'Hiwada' refers to cypress bark. They peel the bark of the cypress, cut it to size, and layer it many times using bamboo nails. Since they are layering pieces about 60 centimeters in size onto the base, it's easy to express that characteristic curve. In residential architecture, you can't use hiwadabuki unless you are a very elaborate architect. You might find it in high-end traditional restaurants, though.
T: Are there any parts of buildings like this that remain in current designs or have influenced them?
w: I don't think there is no influence at all, but shrine and temple architecture is religious architecture. So, if you ask if there is a direct influence on modern housing or public architecture... I don't think you can say it's used directly as a design element.
T: So, it's not really the case that things we see in daily life actually come from shrines, then?
w: I don't think it's a vocabulary used in everyday architecture.
T: Lastly, the torii gate. It was inscribed with the year 1983. It's been a little over 40 years, but it's very clean.
w: That's true. 40 years ago, it might have looked like this.
T: Does the type of stone used change depending on the era?
w: It might change. We don't really get large stones in Japan anymore. By the way, since this pillar is made of a single stone, it's quite magnificent.
T: So, they must have quarried a stone of this size from somewhere and brought it here.
Himonya Stroll (Enyu-ji Temple)
T: We have arrived at Enyu-ji Temple.
w: This is the main event for today. Regarding this gate, when the previous gate became dilapidated, the head priest at the time reportedly received a gate that was in Shinagawa.
T: You mean they received a gate?
w: It was relocated. It seems to have been in 1950. Moreover, it was said that it had been brought to Shinagawa from Hyogo. It was relocated to Enyu-ji from a private residence that was in Shinagawa. An old newspaper article mentioned that they persuaded the owner.
T: So it was a magnificent gate from a mansion.
w: That's right. It looks old, but I had thought that its atmosphere was slightly different from the other buildings at Enyu-ji. It's interesting, isn't it? To bring a gate from elsewhere that suits one's own temple. By the way, this gate is in the form of a 'shikyakumon' (four-legged gate). You can see legs in both the front and the back, right?
T: 'Shikyakumon' as in four legs.
w: I think it said the Tenpo era. The Edo period. The original was (built in Hyogo).
T: When relocating, is the process to take it apart once and then reassemble it?
w: Yes. Wooden structures allow for that. For example, castles had very large grounds before the Edo period. Compared to their state when they were at their largest, they are a bit smaller today. Land that was at the edge of the castle grounds was sometimes sold off. There were gates in those places too, and it is rare, but sometimes they were sold off and used for private homes. Gates are surprisingly easy to relocate.
T: Do the blueprints remain as well?
w: Not many, but there are cases where they remain. Also, if it's a temple, there are sometimes records of when and from which castle it was received.
T: This is a stunning temple. It has a magnificent bell as well.
w: The bell has a history of its own; it was made around the same time as a temple that was in Yanaka during the late Edo period. Look at the roof—this copper plating is thicker and looks heavier than the one we saw earlier (at Himonya Hachiman-gu Shrine), isn't it? This shape was originally based on a thatched roof. Cypress bark is thin and sharp, but thatch has more volume. The roof of the Enyu-ji belfry is copper-plated now, but it was originally based on a thatched design. Thatch tends to have a slightly larger presence compared to cypress bark roofing.
w: This is the Nio-mon Gate. It was apparently extremely popular back in the 1780s and 90s. Some people even traveled here and stayed overnight. Also, the Nio statues are designated as Tangible Cultural Properties of Tokyo.
T: It's a magnificent gate. And the Nio statues are enclosed in glass. Isn't glass unusual for this? I've seen them behind lattice or netting before. It says here that it was donated in 2022 and uses low-reflection glass. It's even lit up.
w: So, the structure itself is old, but the glass is a recent addition.
T: And based on what you've told me so far, the roof here was also originally thatched, right?
w: And this is the Shaka-do Hall. That is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property.
T: It's a beautiful building. According to the Enyu-ji website, it was built in the early Muromachi period and is the oldest wooden structure in Tokyo's 23 wards, and the second oldest in all of Tokyo. This might be a naive question, but are buildings like this safe when an earthquake hits? I assume they must be, since they're still standing, but still.
w: Well, if you were to perform a seismic assessment, in most cases, the results would indicate that reinforcement is needed. Since this Shaka-do is a fairly square building and not that large, I imagine that even if it were damaged, it might be limited. Generally speaking, taller buildings like the Nio-mon Gate might be more problematic.
T: But if you say that, it sounds like almost any temple or shrine would be flagged for something if you inspected it.
w: That's usually the case. This one (the Amida-do Hall behind the Shaka-do) is also 50 years old, so it might get flagged for something as well.
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Thank you for reading until the end.
This article is reprinted from the column on the official website of Theatre Inc. (Original article here)
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