Toward Beautiful Houses

2023/07/11

There still seem to be few people aspiring to study architecture at Keio University. While there are now laboratories where one can study architecture in the Faculty of Science and Technology and the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, back around 1968, when I was a student at Keio Senior High School wanting to enter the world of art, the path was even narrower. At that time, the Faculty of Letters had aesthetics, but it was far from architecture. It was an era when the fact that Waseda had no School of Medicine and Keio had no architecture was said to be one of the seven wonders of Japan's educational world.

Architecture... despite being most closely related to our daily lives, it might be something we aren't very conscious of. In other words, is it like air? No, that's not it. I think it is the difference between so-called buildings or "structures" and "architecture." ...However, if I were to explain that difference here, I probably wouldn't be able to introduce this manuscript—my book—so I will save that for another occasion. I will just add one thing: when you go on a trip and ask, "Did you see that?" what you are usually referring to is architecture.

Similarly, even as I work as an architect, what makes things difficult is largely due to Japan's (unique) social structure, which makes it hard for people to understand what an architect is. ...That is why I began writing the book "Toward Beautiful Houses," using the "house"—the most relatable form of architecture for everyone—as an example. I broke down the experience of feeling "Wow, that's beautiful!" (not limited to architecture) and applied it to houses, explaining light, wind, windows, furniture, fittings, and what it means to be Japanese or modern. I have explained these concepts clearly, interspersed with episodes involving clients I met through my actual work.

However, while I was supposed to be unraveling how an architect thinks about what is necessary for beauty, the discussion gradually shifted toward Japan's unique social systems. Why don't Japanese streets become as beautiful as those in foreign countries?

Why are areas like Den-en-chofu, Shoto, Seijo, and Ashiya, which were once called high-end residential areas, becoming less beautiful now?

Conversely, why are such buildings being born? I couldn't help but ask: are these buildings born because they were desired?

Toward Beautiful Houses

Ken Yokogawa

Sayusha

240 pages, 2,860 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.