HAL ROTH: Good
afternoon, everybody.
AUDIENCE: Good afternoon.
It's really wonderful to see
such a large audience here
today.
My name's Hal Roth.
I direct the Contemplative
Studies program,
and I'd like to welcome you
on behalf of the Contemplative
Studies program
and the Advancement
Office of the university.
HAL ROTH: I'm kind of
curious as to how you all
found out about--
[LAUGHTER]
--this event.
So let's see.
Did you find out about
it on a Brown website?
AUDIENCE: Urban Studies.
HAL ROTH: On the Urban
Studies website excellent.
SPEAKER 1: History of
art and architecture.
HAL ROTH: History of
art and architecture--
How many?
And Contemplative Studies--
[LAUGHTER]
--mailing list?
So we have a mailing list.
I want to say a few words
about Contemplative Studies
before we get going.
We're one of the--
maybe the newest
concentration, or one of
the newest concentrations,
at Brown.
And we're kind of
a unique program.
We study this particularly
interesting and fascinating
range of human experiences.
We call them
contemplative experiences.
And we study them from
scientific, from humanistic,
and from artistic viewpoints.
And we approach the study
of contemplative experiences
as they occur on a spectrum,
from the rather common
experiences that many
of us have absorption--
complete absorption--
in an activity,
to the deliberately
cultivated, and
profound, transformative
experiences
that occur in religious
and spiritual traditions.
We consider these on a
spectrum and on a continuum.
And we think that they're
really worthy of study,
because they have the
potential to give people
a sense of meaning and
purpose in their lives
which they would
not have otherwise.
So we feel it's really
important to study these
from scientific points of view,
from artistic points of view,
from humanistic points of view.
One of the other things that
we think is very important
is that we approach the study of
human contemplative experience,
of course, not
only from the kind
of at a distance third
person approaches that
are common throughout
higher education and that
are extremely valuable, to
study them at a distance--
but we also feel that it's
very important to study
these experiences from
not just the outside in,
but from the inside out.
To study contemplative
experience
in what we call a critical
first-person manner.
In a critical
first-person manner,
as opposed to a first-person
manner, to study
contemplative
experience that you
might do if you go to
a religious practice
center of many different kinds.
In both the classroom and
contemplative religious
practice center, we learned
a contemplative practice.
We learned the cognitive
framework in which
that practice is embedded.
But in Contemplative
Studies, we don't ask you to.
We don't expect you to.
We don't even want to
accept the veridicality
of that cognitive framework
without investigating it
for yourselves.
In fact, you don't have
to accept it at all.
It's completely open to
empirical investigation.
And that's part of what
we do, is, we discuss.
We read contemplative
text in translation.
We look at theoretical works on
the history and culture context
of those contemplative
practices,
on the scientific literature on
those contemplative practices--
but we also try them
out in the classroom.
And then we talk about the
difference between what
we experience in the classroom,
and what the tradition
says will be experienced, and
what the scientific literature
says is going on when we have
certain experiences that we
have.
We became an official
concentration four years ago,
but we also guided independent
concentrators before that.
And to this point,
37 students have
graduated with either
formal Contemplative Studies
concentrations, or
independent ones.
We're also working closely with
the newly developing Center
for Mindfulness that Eric
Loucks is heading up,
and which will continue
to develop and expand
in the next few years.
And we also have a website.
If you haven't
yet found it, it's
a tremendous collection of
resource materials detailing
what our program is, what
our concentration is,
what the rationale it is,
what courses we're teaching,
what faculty members
are part of our group.
Also, we have a lot of
videos of past lectures
that we've sponsored.
So please visit the website.
There's also, there, information
about different grant programs
that we have, including what
we call contemplative practice
grants, which support
students going
on contemplative
workshops, practices,
retreats in contemplative
practice centers
from any contemplative
tradition.
This fall-- two
weeks, three weeks?
Three weeks from today.
Or is it four weeks?
July 17th?
In this room, we will have an
evening of traditional South
Asian contemplative music
with Professor Srinivasan
ready on sitar with tabla
and drone accompany.
And then this fall, we will have
visiting meditation teachers
in lectures, including Lama
Rod Owens, Professor Charlie
Hallisey, who has
studied the Therigatha--
the collection of poems
of Buddhist nuns, women,
from the very earliest
strata of Buddhism in India.
And we'll also have an
Intro to Zen workshop
with Misaki Matsubara.
And in the spring, yoga experts
James Mallinson and Mark
Singleton from the School of
Oriental and African Studies
will be coming for
a week to Brown
under the auspices of the
Interlandi lectureship series.
And also, the very
famous author, Pico Iyer,
will be also coming to Brown in
the spring under our auspices.
So that's kind of a bit of the
background of Contemplative
Studies.
And I'd now like
to say a few words
about our speaker this evening,
the Reverend Shunmyo Masuno.
He was born in Yokohama
in 1953, the eldest
son of the 17th Abbot
of Kenko-ji Temple.
In Yokohama, he graduated
from the Tama Art university
in 1975.
And he did the formal intensive
Zen training in the Soto Zen
tradition at the
monastery, called
Soji-ji, one of the two main
monasteries for training Soto
Zen monks and abbots.
Was founded by the second
great patriarch of the Soto
tradition, Keizan Jokin.
He's a great systematizer
of the teachings of Dogen,
who founded the Soto tradition.
He began designing
landscape gardens--
really, a hallmark
of Zen temples
and monasteries the world over.
Became a Professor of
Environmental Design at Tama
Art university in 1998, and
was a visiting professor
at University of British
Columbia, and also lectured
throughout his career as SOAS--
School of Oriental and
African Studies in London,
at Cornell, and at Harvard.
He began designing contemplative
gardens in Zen temples,
but when his brilliance
as a landscape architect
came to be realized,
he came to design them
in private and public
spaces the world over,
including a major
public park in Berlin,
the Canadian embassy in
Tokyo, and the University
of Bergen in Oslo.
One of the extremely
important but often overlooked
aspects of
contemplative practice
is the space in which
contemplative practice occurs.
The space helps engender a state
of calmness and tranquility
in whomever enters that space.
And as Reverend
Masuno once said,
the Zen garden teaches the
suchness, or intrinsic value,
of each thing--
the connectedness, harmony,
tranquility, and sacredness
of the everyday.
Developing a sense of
respect for all things
is no small step in becoming
an ethical human being,
both with respect
to other humans,
and to the environment at large.
Please join me in giving
a warm Brown welcome
to Reverend Shunmyo Masuno.
[CLAPPING]
SHUNMYO MASUNO: Thank you
very much, Professor Roth.
Very important.
Thank you very much for your
introduction, Professor Roth.
Thank you very much,
distinguished guests,
for coming to my presentation.
Also, thank you very much to
everyone being here tonight.
I'm Shunmyo Masuno.
It certainly is an honor to be
here in Brown University today
to speak on Japanese garden.
I am a Zen priest as well
as landscape designer.
My speaking English is poor,
so I prepared my speech draft
on paper.
This is.
[LAUGHTER]
And please forgive me for
giving the speech by reading it.
Our art-- our whole family
rooted in Zen Buddhism.
The breakup of Japanese
society during World War II
was brought about and controlled
by the government, in part
through religious beliefs
and understandings
of the population.
After the War, one of the
main demands of the society
was separation of
religion and politics.
People lost trust
in their religion.
This may also help explain why,
today, Japanese fear something
missing when it comes
to spirituality.
The fundamentals of Zen
still play a dominant role
in the arts, such
as tea ceremony.
In these years, there has
been spotlighted in the world
and becomes foundation
for people's hearts.
Let's take a quick look
at the main characteristic
of Japanese garden
before we begin our talk.
The tradition of Japanese garden
is natural landscape style.
It is essential.
Mic is OK.
SPEAKER 2: Are you
looking for the slides?
SHUNMYO MASUNO: No, no.
It's OK.
The traditional Japanese garden
is natural landscape style.
It is essential that the
compilation be unsymmetrical.
The main concentration
of the garden
is natural, scenic beauty.
This is in contrast to
the traditional gardens
of the West, where the
emphasis and appreciation
has being on beauty of
symmetry and geometric form.
Natural materials, such as
trees, shrubs, rocks, and water
are used to emphasize
or symbolize
form and feature of
the natural landscape,
thereby artificially creating
a special, natural beauty that
is harmony and unity.
It is not simply our
affection of nature,
but rather, the freedom of
mind expressed as nature
in the garden.
Of late, an interest
among Westerners
has dramatically
been increasing--
allow this interest in Japanese
culture and Japanese gardens.
Actually, I have
received inquiries
from people wanting to build
Japanese gardens abroad.
So to have publishers
requested my works be included
in their publications,
such occurrences
have caused me to realize
high degree of interest
in these things.
Along with being the head
priest of my Zen temple--
a Buddhist temple--
I am a designer of
Japanese gardens,
and teach art at
Tama Art University.
Fine Art University.
Long ago, in China there was a
Zen Priest named [? Hakujo ?]
[? Ikei. ?] He said, if
you do not create on a day,
then you don't eat on that day.
[LAUGHTER]
I, too, spend my days trying
to couple my own knowledges.
And discipline in
the making my works.
Though we only have a
limited amount of time,
I hope to somewhat
deepen your understanding
of Zen and Japanese gardens.
Today, I have included
visual elements in order
to make this presentation a
little easier to understand.
Thus, as you view the
images, I will go on
with the presentation.
So, shall we start?
[INAUDIBLE] To
begin with, I draw
to a parallel sense
of beauty and value
in both Japan and the West.
To understand this, Japanese
gardens and their beauty
are linked to understanding Zen,
according to their philosophy
of creating that beauty.
I will begin with myself--
that this is a picture of me
opening the gate at my temple.
Approximately 20 years
ago, the airline ANA
took this picture for an
[INAUDIBLE] special edition
magazine article.
As the picture shows,
I am opening the gate,
and invite you to enter
my world of beauty.
Next image shows a
Milan Duomo in Italy.
As you know, European buildings,
all the time, all the buildings
constructed of stone.
Buildings were constructed
by fine-cutting and setting
stones.
It becomes a building in which
the road is supported by walls.
Thus, the wide openings
cannot be made.
As for the openings, they
made a [INAUDIBLE] portion
into arches that acted as
wedges j to hold the load.
Naturally, the
weightest one could
make the opening was limited.
So with respect to this type
of building construction,
creating wide opening
was impossible.
As you can see, this image
all over the opening,
are narrow and tall.
So it becomes structure
of many walls.
On the other hand,
in Japan's case,
timber construction is
built around main supports.
This image shows
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto.
In this building's
construction the load
is supported by pillars,
beams, and stresses.
Thus, wall are
virtually non-existent.
In essence, it is
an open structure.
Because it was open, there
was no concept of windows.
Just looking at
these two buildings,
there exists a greater
difference between the method
of construction.
One could say that Europe
is a culture of stone,
and Japan is a culture of wood.
Next, look at special
characteristics [INAUDIBLE]
of these two buildings.
A building at that
represent the type of town
that I spoke of earlier,
has this type of roof.
This is dorm-type
roof, because center
of European religious
faith is Christianity.
There is this idea of wanting
to be as close to God in heaven
as one possibility can.
Naturally, because of a
building are made of stone,
there was no need to
worry about rain and wind.
This is showing the louver
at the cultural emperor
[INAUDIBLE].
Because of tradition,
Japanese buildings
are mainly built with
wood, earth, and paper.
They are prone to
wind and the rain.
Therefore, there
needed to be long
canopy to protect the building.
Japanese summers are
extremely hot and humid,
so the canopy needed to broke
the strong summer sunlight.
And in order to actively
bring in winter sunlight,
the suitable depths of the eaves
was taken into consideration.
This large canopy has
special characteristics
of Japanese building.
This is a corridor
in Venice, Italy.
though the left side of this
corridor is [INAUDIBLE],,
the many walls portray
a feeling of enclosure
throughout the entire building.
Also, exterior and interior
find some common ground.
On the whole, it has more
than interior feeling to it.
This is Tofukuji
Temple air corridor,
an exterior corridor raised
off the ground, in Kyoto.
I explained area
because this is built
with pure beams and trusses.
There are no walls.
It is needed to
be related space.
Though the roof looks
[INAUDIBLE] the space
is, without doubt,
part of the exterior.
One key in Japanese
space construction
is to maintain that connection
between the interior
and exterior space
of a structure.
Now, shall we compare gardens?
This is a part of
villa [INAUDIBLE]
estate Western garden.
Western gardens are
made to be looked
upon from the second or
third story of a building.
Accordingly, the special
attribute of this garden
it is that when is
viewed from above,
this is considered beautiful.
It was considered
principle to have
contrasting greenery patterns
on either side of the garden.
It was also principle
to prune the shrubs
into the shape of the family
crest, or the tied ribbon.
By incorporating
colors into the garden,
many flowers were used
incorporating the colors.
On the other hand, in Japan,
with the exception of a castle,
buildings were generally only
one story, or flat structures.
So as I previously mentioned,
a building have few walls,
and as their special
attribute was,
they're overwhelmingly
open feeling.
One element of making Japanese
place is creating a garden.
I think you
understand what I mean
in looking at this image or
[INAUDIBLE] imperial villa.
Now, let us close here with
something a little closer
to oneself.
This is [INAUDIBLE]
porcelain teacup.
Every aspect of it
is made beautifully,
uniformly and without
a flaw in its shape.
It is made in such a way
that would be virtually
impossible to image this
teacup any more sophisticated
and [INAUDIBLE] detailed.
Now, here is a Japanese
tea ceremonial bowl.
The shape is warped.
The exterior gaze
is not uniform.
Yet, we Japanese
call this beautiful.
Why would this be?
For the West, they are looking
for something that cannot be
more perfect, and
then call that beauty.
I refer to this as
perfection of beauty.
In contrast, the basic
thought of all Japanese beauty
is that if the shape
is perfect, there
is no room left for the
artist's spirit and humanity.
On the contrary, when we take
this tea bowl in our hands,
we rejoice in the fact that we
can feel the artist's thought,
spirit, and humanity
in the shape of bowl.
Also, within the fundamentals of
the Japanese sense of beauty--
[INAUDIBLE] the
feeling of transience,
and expression of the beauty.
I call this an imperfect
beauty, beyond perfection.
Within this imperfection,
there is a possibility
that it will be left to
spread into eternity.
In Japan, the moment, the
artist, the materials,
and the time become one.
The piece is complete.
Therefore, we feel that
beauty in that shape
as it's change over time--
this is the Japanese
sense of beauty.
When we apply this to
paintings, the style
that represents the West
would be oil paintings,
where a sketch is a
starting point of painting.
To create an initial
sketch, we continually
redraw until we get a good
design, after which the oil
paint applied.
And one can apply color over
and over to the painting.
One continues this until
it is thought to be
satisfactory and complete.
This also shows the
motive to create--
that perfection of beauty.
However, Japanese
Sumi-e paintings
have no initial sketch.
As an artist is
making the ink, they
are painting the image in their
mind, 10 or even 100 times,
with a blank paper
in front of them.
As I said before, when the
spirit of the artist and time
merge, they lower the brush to
the paper, and, all at once,
create an image.
In some instances,
the time spent
making the ink is
longer than the time
spent painting the image.
Sumi-e is an extremely
spiritual art form.
We can compare the Japanese and
the Western culture and art.
And I am sure that you now
see that it is apparent
that the sense of
beauty and value differ.
And now, what could that
special sense of Japanese beauty
and value be?
It is Zen.
The pathos of Zen is
to find your true self.
This is a Buddhist
philosophy that
tells of your heart
teachings, that
is seeking spiritual stability.
The basic Zen teaching is
to find that path of truth,
understand it and capture
your own sacredness.
This path of truth is
called [INAUDIBLE],,
which is in each one
of us, not outside.
To find the one true self, we
have disciplinary practices,
the center of which is the Zen.
Zen cannot be seen, but when
one expresses Zen in a tangible
form, a model of Zen is created.
One puts oneself in a
state of nothingness,
and beauty is Zen decided.
This is a Zen culture.
Japanese arts have come to
be greatly influenced by Zen.
Zen ideas and the Japanese
arts inseparable relationship.
This image is what the Zen
looks like at the Dai Gohonzon
Soji-ji Temple, where I
performed ascetic practices.
Ascetic Zen is a practice
with many people.
At times, a large
gathering could
include nearly 100 prayers.
[INAUDIBLE]
This is a simple diagram
to understand Zen.
Young children hold up a
purity in their hearts.
As you can see, on the
diagram that purity
would be a white, vacant space.
Over time, as people
grow, we enter a state
without the purity,
because of our tenacity
to deal with other
people's opinions,
society's standards, money,
and other various things that
affect us.
The paths surrounding, you
with a white, vacant space
are these things.
It is like a body
fat of the spirit.
And Zen tries to thin
that spiritual fat
using ascetic practices.
Let's look at two
or three examples
of the developed arts that
have been influenced greatly
by them.
First of all, calligraphy.
Primary example of Zen
prius is called Bokuseki.
Here is an example of a prius
[INAUDIBLE] calligraphy.
This is wooden statue
of a prius [INAUDIBLE]..
This is a Zen garden.
This is mosque temple, the
[INAUDIBLE] dry landscape
garden--
[INAUDIBLE] garden--
dry landscape garden
representational of Zen gardens,
the distinctive Japanese form
of gardens.
This garden art form was
developed in the late Kamakura
Era to Muromachi Era,
by Buddhist priests.
Almost all famous
temples garden in Kyoto
are dry landscape gardens.
This picture is Muso
Soseki, the Japanese creator
of the first dry
landscape garden in Japan.
He is a Zen priest
that I most respect.
He's the most famous Zen
priest and garden designer.
This is a Sesshu Toyo ink
painting, with respect
to [INAUDIBLE] painters.
This is the most
famous ink painting.
This is a self-portrait
of Sesshu.
Shall we look at what
Japanese gardens are?
In the wild, they
can be described
as a natural landscape garden--
natural landscape-type gardens.
The design motif seeks
natural landscapes,
and sometimes it
symbolizes things.
This is a forest floor
of the beech tree
grove in Northeastern Japan.
This is natural scenery.
This image is of the garden
at Hakone Art Gallery.
Perhaps you can find
something in common
with the previous
shown pictures.
This is an image of Lake--
Lake-- more natural scenery.
This is a garden at
the Motsuji Temple.
It is of the later half of
the Japanese Heian period.
And can you see that it
has something in common
with the previous images?
This is [INAUDIBLE]
waterfall in Neko.
This is a waterfall in
Rokuonji Temple's garden,
famous due to Kinkaku-ji
Golden Pavilion in Kyoto.
Within Zen, waterfalls are
part of the ascetic practices.
Therefore, incorporating
waterfall into the garden motif
are favorable.
From this point on is an
introduction and a description
on my own works.
First of all, this is the
Gionji Temple's garden.
And this temple is
historic Zen temple
that [INAUDIBLE] commissioned.
With this temple, it has a large
division of its two gardens,
but along with design
of both gardens,
I simultaneously supervised the
design of the entire building.
Along with that, I
thought about how
to strengthen the connection
between the garden and interior
space.
I also considered how to
coordinate the positioning
of the garden and the building.
First, this is a garden
at [? Shibuntai, ?]
which is used to
entertain all the guests.
Behind the front
wall in the space,
I built a garden and a building
that differ in appearance.
At the time I look
at this image,
the building and the garden
have not yet been completed.
This garden is a traditional
dry landscape garden.
It is named Rumontei.
Next image is of phase
two in construction
of the building and garden.
This building is called a
[INAUDIBLE]---- visitor hold.
It is a waiting room, a parlor,
for general visitors attending
a Buddhist memorial [INAUDIBLE].
This is the garden looked
upon from that building.
This garden-- we
looked at the before--
I positioned it
behind the front wall.
Has air corridor
connecting these buildings.
Most gardens are
dry landscape style,
but with different
design flavors.
This garden has few
stones, and it is peaceful.
This is a same garden seen
from the different angle.
Next is a garden at the
Kojimachi Conference Hall.
It's the Japanese government's
Ministry of Home Affairs,
has jurisdiction
over this hotel.
Presently, the name
has been changed due
to [INAUDIBLE] Kojimachi.
And as you might expect, there
are two gardens in this hotel
as well.
One of those garden is
a part of this picture.
This is a courtyard on
part of the fourth floor.
The garden's only 11
square meters in size.
Naturally, because
it is a false floor,
it is a garden built on
the artificial foundation.
Present day, a building
mainly constructed
of metal, concrete, and glass
are extremely large in size.
Traditional materials, such
as moss and rusted stones,
are no longer suitable.
Thus, they tend to use granite.
In planning the
building's balance,
buildings other than
these are traditional.
This picture is taken from
the inside of the lounge
at the front of the garden.
This is a garden made to be
looked upon from all four
directions, but this picture is
from within the Japanese style
room.
It is designed so
that once the shoji--
sliding paper door-- are open,
the garden can be viewed.
I was asked to design Seizan
Ryokusui Garden so that people
living in this busy society
can, within the silence,
retrieve their
true inner selves.
This is a false floors garden.
This is a garden
constructed [INAUDIBLE]
facing to the coffee lounge,
even though the adjustment
building is only
about 5 meters away.
There, I created a
space over the alcove.
This running water down
the surface of the wall,
creating the waterfall effect.
Of course, I thought not
only of the scenic element,
but considered sound as well.
Though the sound of the
water, the waterfall,
has taught us of blocking out
surrounding noises, though
slight adjustment to the
position of the rocks,
one can produce shadow.
In creating Japanese
space, shadow's
extremely an important element.
This image is looking at
a garden from the side.
Actually, the wall that
forms the waterfall is
an underground parking
lot exhaust duct.
I purposely
incorporated that would
be considered a negative factor
from a design point of view.
You probably wouldn't know
it was an exhaust duct
unless you were told so.
This is a guest house
for the company.
It is used for reception for the
guests, and training new staff.
Here, I completely designed
the building and the garden.
It is not designed
by the architect,
but by myself, a
landscape designer.
So I designed a
building that would not
be complete without a garden.
The building is constructed
from reinforced concrete.
This image shows
portion of the gate.
I thoroughly pursued every
minute detail of the garden.
I made the building simple.
The relationship between
the garden and the building
interior; the light
and the shadow;
the picture framing
of the garden;
and the interior relationship.
This is the image of entry.
The part that is in the duct
is a place where one enter.
This is entry part
of the building.
This portion of the
building simultaneously
functions as an entrance
and a small arbor.
As one strolls
through the garden,
one can take a rest at
this place in the garden,
and then continue to
stroll along the garden.
Typically, arbor are made up
of a louver and the piers only.
This is a modern space
with air conditioning.
From here, one can
gaze upon the garden
as though it is a picture.
As for the water level, it
is made 40 centimeters higher
than the floor.
The order to heighten the
effect of the water's existence.
This is the same
part of past scene,
from the outside of the garden.
This waterfall is a Zen
waterfall called a [INAUDIBLE]..
The height of the wall is
approximately 2.5 meters.
As one near it, one can
enjoy the invigorating sound
of the water.
This place is called
[INAUDIBLE],, grand hole
or rotunda.
This space is built
so that, as you
open the shoji on the either
side of you, the dry landscape
garden spread out [INAUDIBLE].
In front of you lies
an alcove, which
make use of rocks and rice paper
painted with parchment juice.
This is a dry landscape
garden on the eastern side.
It is built using
traditional techniques.
This is the other
dry landscape garden.
We made it so that you
can feel its large scale.
Modern dry landscape
garden, using large boulders
and [INAUDIBLE] stone as
large as a fist instead
of white sand.
Both garden make use of
the Japanese tradition
of floor and eave
frame to complete them.
This is an image of the
waiting room in tea house.
For when one sit down
to the tea ceremony,
this has been made into
the completely traditional
Japanese space.
This is for use
when participating
in the tea ceremony.
This is a water basin in
which you wash your hands.
It is impression in
the flow of the water.
This is looking
out at the garden
from within the tea house.
Though it is a tea house,
it is not small room.
And it has spacious floor
of eight tatami mats--
about 13.2 square meters.
There has been small
moon viewing table
added to tea house, making the
connection between the garden
interior all the more deep.
Next, this space is the lobby
and garden of the Cerulan Tower
Tokyo Hotel in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Here I designed the space
over the garden, and lobby,
and lounge, as the one entity.
This image shows the
coffee lounge and as
an outdoor garden.
This image shows a
view from the lobby.
In the center, I designed
a carving of stone, also
one with a garden.
That serves the function of the
both water basin and the flower
vase, in order to control
the feeling of the garden.
I used the idea of snow
being shoji, a shoji in which
is the bottom half
strode upward,
in order to view outside screen
through the grass behind it.
This is the stone carving
that I just spoke of.
This is an image
looking at the garden
from outside of the building.
In the left portion of
the scene, is [INAUDIBLE]..
And behind it, it lays the load.
There is a difference
of two to five meters
between the floor level of
the building and the garden.
But I solved the design problem
by building retaining wall
posts for the earth.
The general design
gives a feeling
that there is a wave
pushing towards--
a wave being pushed
towards the building.
This is an image of the garden
as seen from the coffee lounge.
Because the garden was
designed with a water motif,
I chose a carpet with a water
pattern for the coffee lounge.
I included a very large
boulder in the garden.
This boulder was
originally 18.5 tons.
And naturally, there
was construction
underneath this garden.
It was a hotel banquet hall.
Thus, this garden
project was buttressed
against weight stress.
To make this boulder lighter,
the center was carved out.
This is the front counter
of the hotel lobby.
Stone and wood were
used in its design.
This is the Canada
embassy in Tokyo.
I was asked to design
this in such a way
the people that visit
the embassy, as well
as the employees,
would think in order
to bridge the gap
between Japan and Canada.
What should we do now?
When I designed the
garden, I based that design
on that image of the
transcontinental railway
from Vancouver to Toronto,
from when I traveled along it.
This part of the image
represents the Canadian Shield.
This is also more than
dry landscape garden.
This is one part of it.
Because this garden is
also on the fourth floor,
on top of the designing, there
was the large issue of weight
to solve.
This is its view
from the inside.
In order to unify the
interior and exterior
space as much as
possible, I finished it
without using any
framework around the glass.
The end product of the Canada
architect I came up with
was frame the glass with a
large eave and a floor surface.
This is a [INAUDIBLE]
garden that is
to be viewed from
the main angle,
as you walk along
with path around it.
This is Berlin, Germany that
I built called "Yu-sui-En."
This is the image of the gate.
I was asked to design the garden
representing the true sense
of unity of German people.
Though 10 years had passed since
the unification of Germany,
there still exists
the unconscious gap
between the old East
and the West Germany.
This is the scenery after
one enters through the gate.
The gardener and the
tea house carpenter
went to Germany from Japan.
And with the cooperation
of the German people,
built this garden and building.
This building is a tea
house, but without using
any tatami mats.
It is designed so that
you can sit in a chair
and gaze at the garden.
So that one can see each
facet of the garden's scenery,
we have put up partitions to--
this is one part of the scenery.
This hanging scroll is also
something that I wrote.
This is the main
part of the garden.
Though all of the supplies
used in this garden
are from Germany,
if no one told you,
you do not probably think that
this was a garden in Japan
by looking at this image.
This is an image of the
detail part of the garden.
This is Samukawa shrine, which
is in the mid part of Kanagawa
prefecture in Japan.
This is [JAPANESE], garden gate.
The reason for
that innovation is
that the new shrine blocks the
view of the tree groves behind.
To solve this problem, I divided
the original of the shrine.
This is a place for the ritual
cleaning of hands and mouth
with water when visiting shrine.
This is made of
stone, which used
as a foundation
of this facility.
A torii.
A torii is a gateway at the
entrance to a Shinto shrine.
Along, a courtyard with
winding path and pond
is designed to connect
with the mountains.
This courtyard includes a
kneeling tea room and a sitting
tea house and a small museum be
built along the winding path.
The pond at the
center of the facility
will bring a visitor to
the enjoyable journey.
This is upper pond.
Next is a waterfall.
[INAUDIBLE] the waterfall.
This is a tea
ceremony house you can
perform with tables and chairs
instead of sitting on tatami.
Looking out from the large
windows of the teahouse,
you can enjoy a panoramic
view of the courtyard.
This is another
tea ceremony house.
This is interior of
the tea ceremony house.
This is a three-steps waterfall.
This is one overseas work,
One Kowloon, office building,
garden and garden and
interior in Hong Kong.
Entrance, ornamental stone,
and this is main garden.
Service counter and
waterfall in entrance hall
as an interior design.
Waterfall is 9.5 meter height.
Waterfall and ornamental stone.
This is the service counter.
And bench, and garden.
This is another project.
This is a condominium
project in Singapore,
located just in front
of the Japanese embassy.
I designed all exterior space,
and some of the interior.
This is a drop off in
front of the entrance.
Two ornamental stones
were put symbolically
in the water basin.
I designed guard house itself,
located in the entrance.
Guard house is always located in
the entrance of every facility.
Guard house itself sometimes
gives impression to facility.
So I created the wall of
this guard house as an art.
This is a window in the
wall that is for checking.
This is the drop off.
This is composed of
lumber, coated steel,
and natural stone,
but naturally a lot
is created Japanese image.
This photo is a landscape area,
surrounded by the condominium.
There is a waterfall,
pond, and stream.
This photo is from the
waterfall to the stream.
Ornamental stones are put in
the entrance of each unit.
Each unit [INAUDIBLE]
each unit [INAUDIBLE]..
This is a walkway, and the
design wall in the side.
The wall change from the natural
stone to the processed stone.
This is a roof garden--
another project--
this is a roof garden and a
Zen cafe for Tsurumi Station
building, owned by the
East Japan Railway company.
This Zen cafe has
authentic teahouse.
This space is for dispatching
Zen and Zen culture as a source
of Japanese culture.
Usually, this place
is used for cafe.
I produced and designed
this whole space.
This is a complete
interior space.
I designed all items, such as
chairs, tables, lighting, et
cetera.
This is a tea house in
the cafe that ceremony
can be enjoyed here.
This is a roof garden.
Though this place was originally
considered as a recreation
space, I created a garden.
This space is designed
freely to fit to many events.
This is a Kare Sansui garden,
as a traditional Zen garden.
Many people [INAUDIBLE] daily
work visit and sit here.
From now, I'll try to also
give a brief introduction
of design and construction
process when I create a garden.
Firstly, I go and
visit the site,
and then I have design
meeting in atelier,
and we discuss design details.
There are sketches
and design plans
drew by hand to
express design ideas,
and models to study
special relationship.
Before the construction starts,
I go and check the materials.
This is when I was checking
local stone in Germany.
Also I chose trees in nursery.
This is a process called dry
lay, assembling important stone
arrangement.
As I place this, before
[INAUDIBLE] construction
starts, and then I do the
detailed stone arrangement
on site.
These two photos shows dry--
These photos show the dry
lay, and the stone arrangement
on site.
This is example of water.
This is dry lay and
this is completion.
Same stone arrangement.
This is an example
of a dry garden.
I also dry lay--
I also do a dry lay and give
the instruction on site,
during the real
stone arrangement.
The last is after
construction completed.
This is a dry lay.
This photo is my directing the
scene at the construction site.
So thorough supervision
at a construction site
is very important
to create artwork.
I always stand at the site at
the time of stone arrangement
and planting important trees
and direct to the gardeners
in detail.
Thank you very, very
much for your patience
in listening to my poor speech
[LAUGHTER]
And my--
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
A little bit more.
And now, journey
ends in the world
of the creation of
a work of art that
has centered upon the world
of Zen and Japanese culture.
At last, it's time to
move next to program.
Thank you very much
for your kind attention
to my lengthy talk.
It is time to close.
Thank you very much.
[APPLAUSE]
