Those in Tokyo over the next few months may want to drop by the Mori Art Museum for insights into the world of Japanese architecture. The brand-new Japan in Architecture: Genealogies of Its Transformation exhibition allows people to trace the development of the country's rich building heritage. 

Japan's architecture garners global attention, with names like Kengo Kuma, Ando Tadao and Toyo Ito well known internationally. Since the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan's architecture has gone through experimentation and evolution, resulting in some of the most intriguing and appealing structures in the field of design. 

The exhibition, which runs until September, goes back beyond the 19th century, spotlighting ancient works along with ultra-modern offerings. Featuring an array of architectural materials, models and interactive exhibits, the event generates an understanding of where Japan's architecture has come from, where it is now, and what it might be like in the coming decades.

Curated in association with the Architectural Institute of Japan, The Japan Institute of Architects, ARCASIA ACA18 Tokyo and the Japanese Society for the Science of Design, the exhibition features a number of highlights. One of the most exciting, for those with an interest in Japanese culture, must surely be the full-scale replica of tea master Sen no Rikyu's Tai-an Tea House. The original, a designated National Treasure at Myoki-an Temple in Kyoto, is thought to be the oldest example of a tea house in the country.

Also on display are a large-scale model of renowed architect Tange Kenzo's house (the man who designed the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Yoyogi National Stadium), historical documents such as secret Edo-era manuscripts for carpenters, and a book lounge with Modernist furniture masterpieces.

The exhibition is structured around nine concepts considered key to understanding Japanese architecture both old and contemporary: the possibilities of wood, transcendant aesthetics, the centrality of roofs, craftsmanship, connected spaces, hybridisation, international interpretations, social bonds, and closeness to nature. 

Japan in Architecture: Exhibition details

Venue: Mori Art Museum, 53F Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Hours: April 25-September 17, 2018; 10am-10pm daily, Tuesdays 10am-5pm

Admission: Adults 1800 yen, Students 1200 yen, Children 600 yen, Pensioners 1500 yen

More information: https://www.mori.art.museum/en/

By Carey Finn

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