Takasugi-an by Terunobu Fujimori
- By Ina
- Architecture
The academician and architect Terunobu Fujimori is the designer of a special tea house in Chino, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. For building it there were cut two chestnut trees from the mountains and brought on this land. The access to the house is possible through some free-standing ladders.
Designing and building your own tea house was not only Terunobu Fujimori’s wish, this is in the tradition of tea masters. The project’s name Takasugi-an means “a tea house [built] too high.” The designer sees his creation “like a piece of clothing” due to its extreme compactness.
The teahouse is build over a patch of land that belonged to his family. He maintained total control over the construction and he refused to involve any architects or skilled carpenter that would be considered too ostentatious.
His expressive piece of architecture is based on simplicity and it can be considered a tree house. Inside, the room is padded with plaster and bamboo mats so at the midway point visitors had to take off their shoes. The window of this small house displays the town where Fujimori grew up and his first project, Jinchokan Moriya Historical Museum.