Akagi Jinja
At the top of a gently sloping path open to the sky stands a shrine composed solely of a roof and columns. As one ascends the slope and feels the body rise, a moment emerges when the natural surroundings suddenly open — offering a quiet invitation to spiritual experience.
The design of the shrine facilitates this moment. Its exterior features Renji-kōshi latticework, created by aligning unpainted square hinoki timbers with their corners facing forward, carefully modulating the threshold between interior and exterior. The roof adopts the traditional Yamatobuki style — composed of alternating overlapping plates — reinterpreted here using folded steel sheets.
A residential building on the same site is designed to integrate harmoniously with the shrine and its surrounding trees, gently enveloping the entire precinct. Its aluminum screen, finished in a Yamato-bari pattern that recalls the texture of unpainted wood grain, echoes the Yamatobuki roof of the shrine. L-shaped aluminum elements are arranged in varied orientations, reflecting light and landscape in subtly shifting ways. The aluminum angle railings resonate with the shadows cast by the shrine’s lattice and the trees along the approach, expressing a quiet sense of natural order and diversity.
*not available for publication
