Buildings have artificial glistening surface, kind of modern beauty, but also kind of traditionality of Japanese culture. Features are not only man-made structures but also natural things. Such as blue sky, slightly waving surface of pond, reflection of light, and pebbled open space. These are also raising the speciality of this space, furthermore, made us feel we are traveling inside something not real. Horizon is highlighted all around, mathematically sophisticated beauty, and ....
Art collections are paintings of Hirayama Ikuo (平山郁夫), sculptures of Sato Cyuryo (佐藤忠良), tea wares of Raku Kichizaemon (樂吉左衛門). It was opened at 1998, about twenty years ago. The name, 'Sagawa' is from a famous shipping company. Sagawa-kyubin (佐川急便) company capitalized their fortune, and now it is true to be called the 'edifice of art'.
The art collections are all made by most eminent artists, but, we are interested in the space itself, not in the art collections. This museum was planned and constructed by Takenaka-koumuten (竹中工務店), the most major construction company in Japan. Tea house is attached to the deep side building, and the concept of this tea house was sketched by Raku Kichizaemon. (Raku is also a famous tea master.) However, who gave form to the sketch is architects in Takenaka-koumuten company.
Edifice of beauty
We heard the phrase, 'edifice of beauty' several times. We think it's appropriate to use the phrase for this museum, because it has the practical beauty.
We walk from the entrance gate for a while, and go through an approaching path imitating a bridge to the museum. The facade of the front building is a relatively wide square which is placed under the big gable roof. At the square, a statue of a nude female of Sato Cyuryo is welcoming us, with her both hands wide open. From the square to the entrance of this building is a corridor. It has dozens of meters long, and is a wide corridor under the eaves. That is one way, so we don't get lost, our left hand is the wall and the right hand is a wide pond which point the way we are going.
We are being overwhelmed by well premeditated production of beauty until the entrance of the building. Like movie heroes who are stalking along a long straight road in a huge swamp. On the other hand, we have no fear to get lost on the way, we can confirm we are walking in the right course.
There is another statue of a nude female of Sato Cyuryo in front of a wide entrance hall. If we express our feeling at that timing, entranced the luxury of the room. Exhibition room is wide enough, each room is independent, so, we don't feel fussiness.
Then, we like the cafe placed behind the courtyard inner pond. Tasting a royal hot chocolate made in Austria, we are deeply appreciated luxury of this building. Japanese tearoom
Japanese tearoom was added about 10 years after the completion of the first construction. If we describe the difference between the firstly-made museum building and the secondly-made tearoom building (another exhibition room is under the tearoom), the firstly-made museum is a modern building inherited traditional beauty, and the secondly-made teahouse is a traditional building based on modern technology.
When we visit this tearoom, we go down a stairs. The exhibition room of tea wares of Raku Kichizaemon is placed underground. Only low tearoom is above water surface.
From the very start of tearoom, it was made narrow. Then, the meeting in it was limited in several ways, for instance, few people were invited to the ceremony, the participants couldn't move freely in it. On the other side, that was why they were forced to understand production by the tea master.
Because they could only look at the production points.
Looking at the production of this tearoom, we easily find it, such as excavated rocks and placed tatami mats. That means cleverness, so, if you ask whether we like or not, we can't say we like it. However, there is no tearoom except this tearoom.
If you hear the reputation of the great tea master, Sen-no Rikyu (千利休), the expression is same as this tearoom. It's only one but to aggressive. That is the essence of the tea ceremony?
