takashi okuno builds the 'temple of the future' on japanese mountain

takashi okuno has built an ihaidō (hall for buddhist memorial tablets) for the korin ji temple, located in the mountains of tamagawa-chō, imabari city, japan. first in a series of steps for the renovation of the 1316-year-old temple, the project occurs under the task of creating ‘a temple for the future’ using modern materials.

takashi okuno builds the 'temple of the future' on japan's mountains photos by shigeo ogawa

for the ihaidō, the japanese architecture studio has chosen widely-distributed, readily-available materials and simple construction methods to ensure that local craftsmen will be able to carry out necessary maintenance work for many years to come. the structure is built with replaceable roofing material, while its form expresses the spirit of shogyō mujō, a fundamental buddhist doctrine which teaches that all things are impermanent. on a steel framework, some 800 cypress rafters extend diagonally and are left exposed, much like a hakama (traditional japanese skirt-like garment), which also serves to protect the main steel structure, as the site is at times exposed to powerful winds and rain. 88 pieces of glass are fitted randomly on the surface, a number that equals to the amount of sacred spots visited on an ohenro pilgrimage route made around shikoku island. the resulting interior space becomes a corridor of light and a place for calming one’s spirit. the colors of lights shift and change throughout the year, depending on the rich nature that surrounds the temple.

takashi okuno builds the 'temple of the future' on japan's mountains

project info:

lead architects: takashi okuno

location: ehime, japan

gross built area: 396.36 square meters

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: sofia lekka angelopoulou | designboom

Takashi Okuno

jul 30, 2018

The construction is very neat and attractive. The finishing edge was very interesting to look at. Best of luck for all the traders and builders.
sudeesh says:
Jul 31, 2018
Reply

have something to add? share your thoughts in our comments section below.
all comments are reviewed for the purposes of moderation before publishing.

name (required)

e-mail (will not be published) (required)

text

comments policy

LOG IN

designboom's comment policy guidelines
generally speaking, if we publish something, it's because we're genuinely interested in the subject. we hope you'll share this interest and if you know even more about it, please share! our goal in the discussion threads is to have good conversation and we prefer constructive opinions. we and our readers have fun with entertaining ones. designboom welcomes alerts about typos, incorrect names, and the like.
the correction is at the discretion of the post editor and may not happen immediately.

what if you disagree with what we or another commenter has to say?
let's hear it! but please understand that offensive, inappropriate, or just plain annoying comments may be deleted or shortened.

- please do not make racist, sexist, anti-semitic, homophobic or otherwise offensive comments.
- please don't personally insult the writers or your fellow commenters.
- please avoid using offensive words, replacing a few letters with asterisks is not a valid workaround.
- please don't include your website or e-mail address in your comments for the purpose of self-promotion.
- please respect jury verdicts and do not discuss offensively on the competition results
(there is only one fist prize, and designboom usually asks renown professionals to help us to promote talent.
in addition to the awarded designs, we do feel that almost all deserve our attention, that is why we publish
the best 100-200 entries too.)

a link is allowed in comments as long as they add value in the form of information, images, humor, etc. (links to the front page of your personal blog or website are not okay). unwelcome links (to commercial products or services of others, offensive material etc. ) will be redacted. and, ... yes, spam gets banned. no, we do not post fake comments.