Publication“Kagurazaka ‘Wakana’” 2025.12.24
We are pleased to announce that Kagurazaka ‘Wakana’, authored by the Bansei Research Institute, has been published by Sanseido Shoten.
Reflecting on the fading legacy of “Wakana” — Yoji Yamada
Leading the regeneration — Kengo Kuma
Infusing life — Toshio Ohi
For more details, please visit here.
I was asked by director Yoji Yamada—who had written film scripts, including those for the Tora-san series, at the small wooden ryokan Wakana in Kagurazaka—to take on the project, including the search for a new owner. After many difficulties and dramatic turns, the renewed Wakana was finally completed after about ten years. The entire process and its full scope have now been brought together in the form of a single book.
For the first time, I was able to speak at length with Yoji Yamada. From his encounter with young Arata Isozaki at the Komaba Dormitory of the University of Tokyo, to episodes involving the legendary screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto, and even reflections on the similarities between filmmaking and architectural design, the conversation ranged widely and became an unforgettable dialogue.
(Kengo Kuma)
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