From the bookshelf of IKIMONO ARCHITECTS
This exhibition is directed by Junichi Komi who is director of F-ritz art center in Maebashi prefecture, Gunma. Selecting the books which has affected the designers, and selling it in temporary book store.
Name : 「ほんやずき：Honya-zuki」
Venue : F-ritz art center Gallery
Principal-in-charge : Fujino Takashi
Design : 2013.05
Dates : 2013.05.11 - 2013.06.09
Exhibits : books
My selected books are as follows.
01.A Foray into the Worlds of Animals and Humans with A Theory of Meaning
(Original: Streifzüge durch die Umwelten von Tieren und Menschen: Ein Bilderbuch unsichtbarer Welten)
(Author: Jakob von Uexküll, Georg Kriszat)
This book was recommended by the staff from my firm. There are many answers of my unclear distress that I've been thinking since I established my firm. At the same time, I was reading ”Witches" and "Children of the sea" drawn by Daisuke Igarashi, so I had synergistic effect with them. I thought I want to tell people about magnificence of coexistence of a lot of kind of thing.
02. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Author: Hayao Miyazaki)
This manga is probably the most influence manga for me that how to express the drawings, to capture the world, to tell the story and more thing. These impacts appear clearly when I hold my exhibition. After reading it during in junior high school and high school days, I think my preferences in daily life were decided by it. By the way, actually, my most favorite film of Studio Ghibli is Spirited Away, not Nausicaä.
03. SHINKENCHIKU March.2011 (Author: SHINKENCHIKU)
The first memorial magazine which is printed our work "ATELIER TENJINYAMA" by IKIMONO ARCHITECTS. From day of publish of magazine, 11 days later, the Great East Japan Earthquake happened. The last SHINKENCHIKU before disaster. After earthquake, atmosphere of the Japanese architecture world has changed. The ATELIER in magazine looks young, is object to compare between figure of nowadays. This is record of one cut of TENJINYAMA. After then,what kind of meaning it will have .
04. Architectural design manual and standards (Author: MARUZEN)
Probably, this book is the most frequent reading one. This is like axis of practical architectural design and enormous accumulation of scale studies until today.
05. Sentimental Journey, Winter Journey (Author: Nobuyoshi Araki)
I met this book at bookshelf of my former boss Sei Haganuma.
I felt the greatness of photographer that the life is consist with the expression, and Sei Haganuma's very honest life style are overlapped each other I thought that the beauty is resolution. I would like to read on a rainy day.
06. War Begins Beyond the Sea (Author:Ryu Murakami)
I had the desire of breakdown during living in Tokyo. I often read the book written by Ryu Murakami in over crowded train. The imagination from book words resists to displeasure which my body was feeling. Let explode and chop the absurdity lying on our daily life. When I thought about this book, I start hearing the music of Ringo Sheena "Shōso Strip" in my head and recall the stink like vomit of the last train.
07. A Wild Sheep Chase (Author:Haruki Murakami)
The book which is indicating ostrichism when I living in Tokyo. The Haruki Murakami for escaping from the insanity of commuter train.(I didn't used to over crowded train because I never live in Tokyo.)
I really recall this transparency of story. After I moved to Ginza without informing to company and stopped commune by train, I was fine without books. Instead of it, I often have walked Hama-Rikyu and imagination starts melting with reality. I want to re-read it little by little with drinking whiskey.
08. Architecture Without Architects: A Short Introduction to Non-Pedigreed Architecture (Author: Bernard Rudofsky)
The book I found at studio in my school. This book invited me to the world of Bernard Rudofsky. I recognized the academic architecture which I was learning then was just only a part of architectural history.
It also made me to be interested in inevitable relationship between people and architecture.
09.Architecture 20th Century Part 1.2 SHINKENCHIKU January.1991 extra magazine (Author: Hiroyuki Suzuki, Takeshi Nakamura, Terunobu Fujimori, Kengo Kuma)
When I was in senior, I purchased these books for exam of master degree. After I started reading it, I was attracted in architectural history and completely quit the other categories of study like a structure and environment, thus these are sinful book. By the way, I've passed the exam somehow.
10. The Beatles Lyrics: The songs of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr (Translator : Kumiko Uchida)
When I was in high school, I was crazy about the Beatles and frequently went to music shop called Shinseido in Takasaki to practice their music playing displayed piano. And there is also the bookstore. It sells a lot of music score book and lyrics book. I was eager to find the best interpret of lyric of each music and discussing with friends like a "Mr X's translation is good at this part" or "This translation is quite ambiguous ". In that time, Ms Uchida's Translation was my best one.
11. Chaikuro (Author: Ei Takada)
The illustrated book which is read during in my childhood. When I recall my indelible childhood scenes, Chaikuro and picture of Chihiro Iwasaki go through in my head. During thinking about them, the feeling like warm sunshine fill me and I can avoid the depressed feeling for certain time. The interesting shapes, colors and tales like a tales of Japan and other countries, a recitation tapes, an encyclopedia, a book of drawings and a small books given by kinder garden are clearly still in my head. I want to read these books on the ｇrass plane with blooming flowers.
12. Story of the Eye (Original: L'histoire de l'oeil)
(Author: Georges Bataille)
I met this book in library of my university. I was interested in philosophy and looking for some good books. And then It appears in front of me. Surprisingly, I've got impact that the printed book can provoke people so much. I read this book when I was not aware of curiosity and tolerance against impulsive thing and ephemeral thing, and this book opened my desire to go to dismal things. This is my connection line to Tokyo. The Shinkai of Mr.children is playing behind this book.
In fact, I was feeling really eerie while continuing to read this book, therefore, eventually, I don't read till end of story.
13. The Little Prince (Original: Le Petit Prince)
(Author: Antoine de Saint‐Exup´ery, Translator: Aro Naito)
When I was in junior high school, I read this book, and wanted to draw the scene of crash of air plane in watercolor. Because of the picture of this book is totally strong impression, I had difficulty to forget the impression of it and to recompose my idea about The Little Prince. At the end, the world which I drew looks similar to the world of Akira Toriyama. At that time, my imagination world was ruled by Studio Ghibli, Akira Toriyama, Osamu Teduka, so many of what I saw or heard are filtered by them. Now, perhaps, I can read more objectively.
14.Existence, Space and Architecture (Author: Christian Norberg-Schulz, Translator: Kunio Kato)
My reference book of the thesis in master degree. The book written by Schulz who is famous as author of Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture. The people are feeling the space in five phases, Schulz said, and I could understand and organize about prehension of space of human being. After knowing the idea of prehension of space is like moving on the Excel sheets, I thought this idea, in other words, imagination goes through the space and time, is also like going across on the coordinates of the points of mathematics too dreary. Today, I think it facilitates to organize the idea, although, makes me to lost the own interpretation. The possibility and limit of description. At present, I saw "A Pattern Language" written by Christopher Alexander more profound one.
15. In Praise of Shadows (Author: Junichiro Tanizaki)
This book makes me to feel I am glad that I was born as a Japanese, and I always feel it when I read book written by Junichiro Tanizaki.
I can't recall when is my first time of reading it. I'm sure that there are description of various lights in text of Nakayama house designed by Arata Isozaki, from there, I reached to this book. I totally adore the sentence of expressing that putting the yokan into his mouth. The book which I want to read inside of Japanese bedquilt.
16. Best of Navi talk1984-1992 (Author: Georges Bataille)
When I was freshman in university there is no architectural classes yet, so rather than architecture, I was much more interested in the art club and the birds club. Beside that, I had no architectural books.
During this period, I was eagerly reading many magazines and books about a motorcar. Particularly in magazine called "NAVI" and "The full of mistakes of car choice", Tokudaiji's characteristic review are so fun and I bought all books which were in used book store. Review about my favorite Honda Beat and Eunos Roadster makes me very excited. I learnt the reviewing and text are kind of entertainment from his magazine before learning the architecture. I recommend "I was born as ugly man" (Bu otko ni umarete) as well.
17. A Field guide to the birds of Japan (Author: Georges Bataille)
I was in the bird club during in university, and went to watch the birds to everywhere. I have climbed the mountain, gone to the island, fallen down the river, gone to hear the bird's tweet in dawn sometimes, investigated about greater white-fronted goose in Izu-numa, Miyagi where is registered at Ramsar Convention. Furthermore about nidification of Golden eagle in Zao, Yamagata. I enjoyed the nature of Tohoku with finding the bird. Every time at the end of club, we had "Toriawase". At Toriawase, we report to each member about each birds we watched. This book contains all birds of Japan.
18. The Tree (Author: Iela Mari)
The picture book which is written about the world of creatures around of the big tree. The drawings expressing under of ground is beautiful. It definitely influenced me and that appears when I make the sectional model, often draw the root of trees.
19.The Neverending Story (Original: Die unendliche Geschichte)
(Author: Michael Ende, Translator: Maniko Ueda)
My first thick book that I was able to read through in 5th grade of elementary school. At that time I was difficult to read long sentence, only books that I could finish reading was Manga. Nevertheless, I had borrowed this book from my teacher and it attracted me so much, I could read it to the last. It gave me the confidence I can read the thick book. Moreover, this is my first book which I was conscious of its sounds, scent while reading it. Afterwards, I drew the scene of the Sphinx. Then, the Momo came.
20.The capricious robot (Author: Shinichi Hoshi)
In my junior high school days, when I had a free time, I was lying on the floor or the bed and read this book, which is one of ShortShort of Shinichi Hoshi. I adore to read the science magazines such a Newton in that time, and I was interested in the physics and the astronomy, though, in order to balance with the real science (today, I should say it may not be real as real.) ,it was essential book to me as an fantasy world.
21.The house (Author: Tadao Ando)
I frequently read and passed this book among classmate in drawing room. Although, the architect hardly write readable text, Mr Ando usually write readable, understandable one. It is strong like his architecture. I want to write about the architecture like his way. The plans in the books are simple expression.
22.The Temple of the Golden Pavilion (Author: Yukio Mishima)
During in Aizu, I borrowed this book from my former colleague. In here, the hero was written as person who starts to personify and deify the architecture. As my own issue, at that time, I was thinking probably an architecture (a house) was extension of sense of body like a cloth. Reading it in cold burn at Aizu, I was excited about story that not only my feeling but my mind were be able to layer on the architecture. The expression is theoretical, and also has strangeness that writing the love and hate coherently logically.
23.Phoenix (Author: Osamu tezuka)
The concept of Phoenix that looking carefully at small world, it connects to big world, and these circumstances are circulating in our world, was terribly impressed in my heart in childhood. The dynamic way of drawing and fearless deformation of Osamu Tezuka influenced me even my drawing in working. It is so difficult to chose one from its tales, I was in two minds about them, but to conclude, I chose A tale of the future rather than A tale of the Hō-ō.
24.Kicchomu-san. (Author: Teruo Teramura)
In childhood, I often read this with my young brother. I chose it because I very often recall it, I don't know why, though. When I see the sunset, the crows of this book flies in my head.
25.Kenchiku no kaitai (Author: Arata Isozaki)
I bought it when I was doing my thesis of BArch. I was studying about Metabolizm, and correcting various discourses of the great architects such a Tange, Kikutake, Kurokawa, Isozaki and Maki in young age. Particularly, Isozaki's book was abnormal, seems like the prophecy of coming age. The book which expanded my architectural concept for many directions.
26.El Croquis OMA (Author: El Croquis)
Generally, I have looked over it for many time when I was student. The architecture students who has studied in 90's, probably, are influenced by Rem Koolhaus whether more or less. The drawing book stimulates everyone even who don't know about architecture.
It makes me feel nostalgia. Thom Mayne and Enric Miralles , whose drawinga and the presentation are characteristic was my favorite
27. Kazuyo Sejima (Author: Kazuyo Sejima, Yukio Futagawa)
Generally, I have looked over this book for many time when I was student. My classmate brought it to short interchange program in UCLA, then the students from there wanted to see it very much because this book was not in sale in US yet. I still reread it when I doubt my design. For me who was in Sendai and no experience of internship at office in Tokyo at that time, this book was heuristic that not only description of works but how she talks or deals with her staffs and how she thinks and makes decision of things.
28.Kokoro (Author: Soseki Natsume)
There is extract of this book in textbook in high school. Having read it, I want to read thorough it and bought it. Afterwards, I have read some books of Soseki Natsume. I felt that the nature of human being in extreme difficult situation was truly dreadful. Beside it, I have mental conflict that between affirmation and negation of the nature of human at that time. The word hurts people and they would bleed. For long time later, I was thinking about this story, replacing its situation to situation which I was then, to have a decision for things.
29. IKIRARETA IE (Author: Koji Taki)
This is the book which I want to read most. I never read through it precisely. My architect friends would say "Haven't you read it yet?". I'm thinking to buy this book in here as well.
30.Night on the Galactic Railroad (Author: Kenji Miyazawa)
My favorite one, Kenji Miyazawa. I have read it in junior high school days, drawn the flying ｓteam train as well. When onomatopoeia appears in his book, I have eagerly wandered what kind of sounds or movement. I think that best time to read this book, because It is written as author draws the imaginary world in succession, is under the dim light of night. Furthermore, sitting down against the bank by the river, reading the Ame ni mo Makezu encourages me as always.
