Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Kawaramachi Jokyoji

In Japan, Kyoto is home to a particularly large number of temples, which serve as spiritual centers for local people. However, small temples face a crisis of survival due to aging buildings, a lack of successors, and a decline in worshippers. This project is a new model case for the rebuilding of the 190-year-old Torodo Jokyoji Temple, where a temple and a hotel have been integrated into a single development project to pass on the historic temple to the next generation. As the Torodo Jokyoji name suggests, the main hall is a solemn space of light and shadow created by 48 torodo (stirrupped baskets). The hotel's interior design also creates an enveloping, serene atmosphere. The lobby, guest rooms, public baths, and restaurant are all decorated in single black & white color tones, as are the furniture and artwork, to express a sense of light and dark aesthetics. Crafted architectural elements, such as an elephant's nose, nail covers, and shishigawara ("lion tiles"), saved from the prior building's demolition, were placed throughout the new facility to add depth with shadows following many years of use. In addition,Kinbyobu (gold-leafed folding screens), Kakejiku (hanging scrolls), kochizu (ancient maps), and Nagamochi (lacquered storage trunks) were reproduced as art to add color to the space.