Designed by renowned Japanese architect Togo Murano and completed in 1979, the Yatsugatake Art Museum features a distinctive domed structure that evokes the image of a futuristic spaceport. This architectural form was not purely aesthetic; it was shaped by the constraints and possibilities of the construction method and materials available at the time, including the innovative use of reinforced concrete to create a unified and expressive shell.
Yatsugatake Art Museum Technical Information
- Architects: Togo Murano
- Location: Haramura, Japan
- Project Year: 1979
- Materials: Concrete
- Typology: Cultural Architecture / Museum
- Images: Flickr Users © Tokyowings © Wakiii
Japan’s modernist architecture bridges the gap between the country’s traditional buildings and contemporary architecture, giving Japan its unique aesthetic character.
– Tomas Maier
Yatsugatake Art Museum Photographs
Interconnecting Domes
Yatsugatake Museum of Art is at the foot of Yatsugatake Mountain, 1,350 meters above sea level. It opened in 1980 as one of Japan’s few art museums in a village. The building was designed by Japanese architect Togo Murano. Its unique design, a continuous dome shape like a spaceport, makes one imagine a mountain range.
One of Murano’s primary concerns when designing the Yatsugatake Art Museum was to avoid disturbing the natural environment. With that in mind, he created the building with circular elements which were arranged in identical sized semicylindrical units. The shape of the roof was designed as a series of interconnecting and intersecting half domes and semicircular vaults.
The building materials and the construction method also determine the unique character. Walls are made of unfinished concrete blocks in a reinforced concrete structural frame. The domes and the vaults of the roof are assembled from precast concrete elements whose continuous and smooth outer surfaces have been left unfinished. Inside, however, the space is soft and has a translucent fabric.
Nowadays, the museum has bronze sculptures and pictures by Takashi Shimizu, a sculptor who led Japan’s sculpting art world after World War II. It also exhibits works by Kakusen Tsugane. Both of these artists are from this town (Haramura). It also has exhibits that introduce artisans working at the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains and planned exhibitions for each of the four seasons: Quilts, dyeing, weaving, sakiori weaving, etc. The adjoining Haramura Folk Museum exhibits earthenware and stone tools discovered in local excavations so that you can learn about life in Yatsugatake 4,500 years ago.
Leaving the museum, there is a walking path with outdoor exhibits of sculpture works by Takashi Shimizu, as well as bronze sculptures made by local junior high school students. While strolling, you can sense a beautiful harmony of art and nature and enjoy the mountain plants of Yatsugatake, which changes its face with each season.
Yatsugatake Art Museum Plan
About Togo Murano
Tōgo Murano was a Japanese architect born in 1891 in Karatsu who completed over three hundred projects throughout his life. Although his work lacked a distinctive, singular style, he was recognized as a master of the modern interpretation of the Sukiya style. His work included large public buildings, hotels, and department stores, and he has been recognized as one of Japan’s modern masters.
Other works from Togo Murano
