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野村友里
Yuri Nomura -
壱岐ゆかり
Yukari Iki -
相良育弥
Ikuya Sagara
Behind the Exhibition
A journey to rediscover
traditional
Japanese food,
plants, and shelter
The travels during which they encounter people and the traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation in every region of Japan serve as sources of inspiration for Nomura and Iki. The pair traveled extensively to produce the "Food & Plants, Shelter" exhibition. They went to Tochigi in search of the landscapes where rice is planted. They went to Ehime to meet a craftsman who makes decorations from rice straw, using knowledge of straw tools and uten- sils that has been passed down since ancient times. Then they headed to Hyogo to look at the thatched roof dwellings that are the archetype of the Japanese way of living.
The travels during which they encounter people and the traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation in every region of Japan serve as sources of inspiration for Nomura and Iki. The pair traveled extensively to produce the "Food & Plants, Shelter" exhibition. They went to Tochigi in search of the landscapes where rice is planted. They went to Ehime to meet a craftsman who makes decorations from rice straw, using knowledge of straw tools and utensils that has been passed down since ancient times. Then they headed to Hyogo to look at the thatched roof dwellings that are the archetype of the Japanese way of living.
but they also become implements
and dwellings
Rice plants yield
food, but
they also become
implements
and dwellings
Nomura and Iki went first to the town of Shioya in Tochigi Prefecture. They visited Oshima Natural Farm, which has been growing rice in the area here since 2017. Nomura says that when she thought about the clothing, food, and houses that protect and shelter us, she had a renewed awareness that the materials that provide all of our clothing, food, and houses all come from plants. She realized that plants make clothing, they make food, and they make houses. Ultimately, she understood that everything was connected. The “Cloth- ing, Food & Plants” exhibition mounted in 2021 focused on “clothing,” and as extension of this, for this new exhi- bition she thought more deeply about “shelter.” Nomura explains that this is how she came to rediscov-
Rice plants yield food,
but they also become
implements and dwellings
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Nomura and Iki went first to the town of Shioya in Tochigi Prefecture. They visited Oshima Natural Farm, which has been growing rice in the area here since 2017.Nomura says that when she thought about the clothing, food, and houses that protect and shelter us, she had a renewed awareness that the materials that provide all of our clothing, food, and houses all come from plants. She realized that plants make clothing, they make food, and they make houses. Ultimately, she understood that everything was connected. The “Clothing, Food & Plants” exhibition mounted in 2021 focused on “clothing,” and as extension of this, for this new exhibition she thought more deeply about “shelter.” Nomura explains that this is how she came to rediscover the existence of rice plants within Japanese homes.
er the existence of rice plants within Japanese homes.They visited the farm during the rice planting season. They helped plant the rice seedlings that had grown with care by Kazuyuki Oshima, and they learned to plant the seedlings meticulously to ensure that they produce a good harvest. When they looked up after finishing their work, they saw the small, soft green seed- lings glittering in the sunshine. As autumn goes on, the landscape will turn to gold. After the rice is harvested,
They visited the farm during the rice planting season. They helped plant the rice seedlings that had grown with care by Kazuyuki Oshima, and they learned to plant the seedlings meticulously to ensure that they produce a good harvest. When they looked up after finishing their work, they saw the small, soft green seedlings glittering in the sunshine. As autumn goes on, the landscape will turn to gold. After the rice is harvested, the remaining rice straw will be transformed into decorations and roofs, helping people to live their lives, protecting and nurturing them.
Nomura says that as she learned about rice plants, she came to understand that rice straw has astonishingly varied uses. She observes that it can be used to make straw paper, straw sandals, or thatched roofs. She learned that it is an incredibly weak, yet strong material.
he remaining rice straw will be transformed into deco rations and roofs, helping people to live their lives, protecting and nurturing them.Nomura says that as she learned about rice plants, she came to understand that rice straw has astonishingly varied uses. She observes that it can be used to make straw paper, straw sandals, or thatched roofs. She learned that it is an incredibly weak, yet strong material.
The things that shape
the "Food & Plants, Shelter"
exhibition
Rice from Oshima
Natural Farm
01
the "Food & Plants, Shelter"
exhibition
Natural Farm
Kazuyuki Oshima runs Oshima Natural Farm,located in the town of Shioya in Tochigi Prefec-ture. Oshima was formerly a member of theteam at the little shop of flowers, and he growshis vegetables and rice without using pesticidesor chemical fertilizers. Recently there had beentalk of building a solar farm in the area whereOshima Natural Farm is located, but localpeople thought that it was important to protectthe original landscape, so the solar facility wasnot built. Oshima decided to contribute topreserving the beautiful scenery by growingrice, so he leased six rice fields (59,500 squaremeters) of this land.
that we eat,
but they
also become the straw that serves
as a material for making things
Rice plants yield the grain that
we eat, but they also become
the straw that serves
as a material for making things
The pair next headed to Ehime to visit a craftsman who makes shimenawa decorations. Kiyoshi Joko runs a rice farm in the town of Seiyo, which is in a rice-growing area. He grows rice plants to make items from the straw. Iki explains that she came across a shimenawa decora- tion at a folk crafts store that was so beautiful that she had the shop owner tell her the name of its creator, Ehime rice farmer Kiyoshi Joko. She says that he had them call him “Grandpa,” but this grandpa does every- thing—starting with making the rice straw—on his own. The process of making the shimenawa decorations begins with planting the rice in the spring. They have huge respect for this grandpa who does not compro-
Rice plants yield the grain that
we eat, but they also become
the straw that serves
as a material for making things
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The pair next headed to Ehime to visit a craftsman who makes shimenawa decorations. Kiyoshi Joko runs a rice farm in the town of Seiyo, which is in a rice-growing area. He grows rice plants to make items from the straw.
mise even one millimeter. Joko taught himself how to make the shimenawa decorations more than fifty years ago. The rice that he grows is fresh and pliant, and the shimenawa decorations that he tenderly makes by hand are incredibly beautiful.
Iki explains that she came across a shimenawa decoration at a folk crafts store that was so beautiful that she had the shop owner tell her the name of its creator, Ehime rice farmer Kiyoshi Joko. She says that he had them call him “Grandpa,” but this grandpa does everything—starting with making the rice straw—on his own. The process of making the shimenawa decorations begins with planting the rice in the spring. They have huge respect for this grandpa who does not compromise even one millimeter. Joko taught himself how to make the shimenawa decorations more than fifty years ago. The rice that he grows is fresh and pliant, and the shimenawa decorations that he tenderly makes by hand are incredibly beautiful.
The things that shape
the "Food & Plants, Shelter"
exhibition
Shimenawa decorations
by Kiyoshi Joko
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the "Food & Plants, Shelter"
exhibition
by Kiyoshi Joko
Shimenawa decorations are a product of ricecultivation, which is at the very heart of Japa-nese culture. These items were created byKiyoshi Joko, a rice farmer from the town ofSeiyo, which is in a rice-growing region ofEhime Prefecture. While the craftsmanshipwith which he manipulates the rice straw is ofcourse wonderful, Joko spends an entire yeargrowing rice in a paddy just for these shimena-wa decorations, and this commitment andpassion are reflected in the beauty of his work.
a home felt more like a nest
In the past,
a home felt more like a nest
In mid-July Nomura and Iki went to Hyogo Prefecture. They visited Ikuya Sagara, a thatcher who was working on an installation for the exhibition. He was about forty minutes north of the center of the city of Kobe by car. There was a pleasant breeze blowing across the land, which had a strong air of traditional Japan. When the wind blows over the rice paddies the swaying of the rice plants is like the swell of the ocean, and and one can feel the energy. The pair met Sagara at Hakogi Family House, which is the oldest private residence in Japan. Sagara maintains and mends its thatched roof. Stepping under this enormous thatched roof, the temperature immediately drops. The interior is dimly lit even during the daytime, and the space feels close. Sagara says that a thatched roof dwelling makes people
In the past,
a home felt more like a nest
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In mid-July Nomura and Iki went to Hyogo Prefecture. They visited Ikuya Sagara, a thatcher who was working on an installation for the exhibition. He was about forty minutes north of the center of the city of Kobe by car. There was a pleasant breeze blowing across the land, which had a strong air of traditional Japan. When the wind blows over the rice paddies the swaying of the rice plants is like the swell of the ocean, and and one can feel the energy. The pair met Sagara at Hakogi Family House, which is the oldest private residence in Japan. Sagara maintains and mends its thatched roof.
Stepping under this enormous thatched roof, the temperature immediately drops. The interior is dimly lit even during the daytime, and the space feels close. Sagara says that a thatched roof dwelling makes people feel as if they’re under a giant tree, and they were truly reminded of the feeling of coming into the shade of a tree.
The house has a thatched roof and earthen walls, and inside the floor is wood planks over packed earth. They noticed that no matter where they looked, everything came from plants. They realized that that everything was made of materials that would eventually return to the soil.
Most people do not draw a distinction between warabuki and kayabuki. The general term for plants that are used to make roofs is kaya, or thatch. Typical examples include Japanese silver grass, reed grasses, rice straw, and wheat straw. A roof built with these any of these materials is called a kayabuki (thatched) roof. Warabuki is a subset of kayabuki, referring to a roof thatched with rice straw. Japanese silver grass and reed grasses are the most durable types of thatch, with a lifespan of 30 to 40 years, depending on the region. In contrast, rice straw lasts about 5 to 8 years, so it does not last as long. However, as a byproduct of a Japanese food staple, rice straw is easy to get and it is also easy to handle, and this makes up for its short useful life. Above all, this lack of durability means that it is readily returned to the soil. Rice straw has an appeal that cannot be measured simply in terms of its durability as a roofing material.
feel as if they’re under a giant tree, and they were truly reminded of the feeling of coming into the shade of a tree.The house has a thatched roof and earthen walls, and inside the floor is wood planks over packed earth. They noticed that no matter where they looked, everything came from plants. They realized that that everything was made of materials that would eventually return to the soil. Most people do not draw a distinction between warabuki and kayabuki. The general term for plants that are used
to make roofs is kaya, or thatch. Typical examples include Japanese silver grass, reed grasses, rice straw, and wheat straw. A roof built with these any of these materials is called a kayabuki (thatched) roof. Warabuki is a subset of kayabuki, referring to a roof thatched with rice straw. Japanese silver grass and reed grasses are the most dura-ble types of thatch, with a lifespan of 30 to 40 years, depending on the region. In contrast, rice straw lasts about 5 to 8 years, so it does not last as long. However, as
of a Japanese food staple, rice straw is easy to get and it is also easy to handle, and this makes up for its short useful life. Above all, this lack of durability means that it is readi- ly returned to the soil. Rice straw has an appeal that cannot be measured simply in terms of its durability as a roofing material. As Nomura says, the enormous roof itself is like a house; the thatched roof of the Hakogi house is surprisingly large, with the eaves low and close to the ground. Sagara observes that ancient houses had roofs
As Nomura says, the enormous roof itself is like a house; the thatched roof of the Hakogi house is surprisingly large, with the eaves low and close to the ground.
Sagara observes that ancient houses had roofs that came to the ground, like pit houses. As time passed, the eaves moved higher, he notes. According to him, this house was built about seven hundred years ago in the architectural style of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. People would wake up in the morning and go to work in the fields, and then when the sun went down they would return home, eat dinner and go to bed. Because this is how they lived, home was mostly just for sleeping. It was more like a nest than a house, says Sagara. According to him, a family actually lived in this house until forty years ago. He says that as many as ten people lived in it at a time. Sagara notes that we often hear people comment that thatched roof houses were warm, but he thinks that this was because the whole family slept together in one room. That a home was originally a nest was a major revelation for Iki. This time in which humans were more animal-like is not the distant past; rather, this sort of scene probably would have been found all over Japan until WWII.
that came to the ground, like pit houses. As time passed, the eaves moved higher, he notes. According to him, this house was built about seven hundred years ago in the architectural style of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. People would wake up in the morning and go to work in the fields, and then when the sun went down they would return home, eat dinner and go to bed. Because this is how they lived, home was mostly just for sleeping. It was more like a nest than a house, says Sagara.
According to him, a family actually lived in this house until forty years ago. He says that as many as ten people lived in it at a time. Sagara notes that we often hear people com ment that thatched roof houses were warm, but he thinks that this was because the whole family slept together in one room. That a home was originally a nest was a major revelation for Iki. This time in which humans were more animal-like is not the distant past; rather, this sort of scene probably would have been found all over Japan until WWII.
The things that shape
the "Food & Plants, Shelter"
exhibition
Thatch installation
03
the "Food & Plants, Shelter"
exhibition
In the main room of the “Food & Plants, Shelter”exhibition, Hyogo Prefecture-based thatcherIkuya Sagara has created a small space fromrice straw. This is a representation of how riceplants become roofs that protects people’shomes and give them a sense of security, andhow as time passes these become places wherenew plants sprout, and then as they decay theybecome compost and return to the soil.
for creating leeway
The veranda
as a space for creating leeway
There is a wide veranda under the enormous roof of the Hakogi house. By creating a layer of air this veran- da has an insulating effect, but it does more than just this. Sagara often takes advantage of the veranda. He says that it’s useful when a guest comes by, but it's not something that warrants bringing them inside; or when someone visits and they don’t want to come in, but they want to chat for a bit. He thinks that today there are many important things that have been lost to Japan's conformist culture. Perhaps today's “neither yes nor no” culture of ambiguity springs from this conformism, posits Nomura. Although “ambigui- ty” is a word that tends to be used in a negative way, like "gray,” she thinks that in fact it’s very important. She believes that it creates some leeway. These days
The veranda as a space
for creating leeway
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There is a wide veranda under the enormous roof of the Hakogi house. By creating a layer of air this veranda has an insulating effect, but it does more than just this. Sagara often takes advantage of the veranda. He says that it’s useful when a guest comes by, but it's not something that warrants bringing them inside; or when someone visits and they don’t want to come in, but they want to chat for a bit. He thinks that today there are many important things that have been lost to Japan's conformist culture.
there are probably few places with this kind of cleans- ing effect, she says.
Perhaps today's “neither yes nor no” culture of ambiguity springs from this conformism, posits Nomura. Although “ambiguity” is a word that tends to be used in a negative way, like "gray,” she thinks that in fact it’s very important. She believes that it creates some leeway. These days there are probably few places with this kind of cleansing effect, she says.
The things that shape
the "Food & Plants, Shelter"
exhibition
Little shop of straw and
other things we like
04
the "Food & Plants, Shelter"
exhibition
other things we like
Beginning with products for everyday usemade from plant materials, the shop offers anarray of items that allowing people to bringthe wisdom and beauty of rice straw andthatch into their daily lives. It includesone-of-a-kind works by artists, carefullyselected rice and sake products, and alsoitems made from hemp and other materialsthat visitors have encountered at the "Food &Plants, Shelter" exhibition.
Rediscovering
thatched roofs
In recent years, there seem to be movements to redis cover thatched roofs in almost every country. When Iki went to the Netherlands recently, she saw an example of a style of modern architecture that has a thatched roof. Looking all over the world, there is not a single country that did not originally have thatched roof houses, according to Sagara. He asserts that making roofs from plants is the very origin of human- ity. He thinks that the Japanese way of building them is the most splendid of all. When asked what makes the Japanese way so marvelous, Sagara answers that it’s the cyclicality. He explains that the environments where rice and thatch grow protect habitats for living creatures, rice plants become food, straw and thatch are transformed into useful items as well as
Rediscovering thatched roofs
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In recent years, there seem to be movements to rediscover thatched roofs in almost every country. When Iki went to the Netherlands recently, she saw an example of a style of modern architecture that has a thatched roof. Looking all over the world, there is not a single country that did not originally have thatched roof houses, according to Sagara. He asserts that making roofs from plants is the very origin of humanity. He thinks that the Japanese way of building them is the most splendid of all. When asked what makes the Japanese way so marvelous, Sagara answers that it’s the cyclicality.
roofs that protect homes, and then they decay and return to the soil. The work of building roofs also causes people to learn to help each other, and the technology is passed down from one generation to the next, he says.
He explains that the environments where rice and thatch grow protect habitats for living creatures, rice plants become food, straw and thatch are transformed into useful items as well as roofs that protect homes, and then they decay and return to the soil. The work of building roofs also causes people to learn to help each other, and the technology is passed down from one generation to the next, he says.
The things that shape
the "Food & Plants, Shelter"
exhibition
Strata tapestry
05
the "Food & Plants, Shelter"
exhibition
The aim here was to create a visual representa-tion of the kinds of materials people used to livetheir lives in the age in which they were living.In this tapestry, straw rope conveying the tradi-tion of human wisdom and the continuity ofhistory is used for the warp yarn, and othermaterials representing the times are woveninto this as the weft. There is no implicationthat the older techniques were in any wayinferior—we hope that this visual representa-tion will help visitors understand the past andpresent, and give them an opportunity to thinkabout the future. This is yet another work bythatcher Ikuya Sagara.
three generations down the line,
a hundred years from now
Connecting to people three
generations down the line,
a hundred years from now
Nomura says that it’s not as if everyone should live under a thatched roof, but she hopes that this exhibition will convey the beauty in the way that when the role of thatched roofs in protecting human life comes to an end, the thatch then returns to nature, connecting to the next phase. “Connecting to people three generations down the line, a hundred years from now,” is one of the themes of the "Food & Plants, Shelter” exhibition. According to Iki, if we can come up with something that goes on for a hundred years, it will connect to the following hundred years. It has been less than eighty years since the end of WWII, but our lives have changed much since then, she notes. She thinks that the things we intend to pass down to future genera- tions must be conveyed in extremely gran-
Connecting to people
three generations down the line,
a hundred years from now
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Nomura says that it’s not as if everyone should live under a thatched roof, but she hopes that this exhibition will convey the beauty in the way that when the role of thatched roofs in protecting human life comes to an end, the thatch then returns to nature, connecting to the next phase. “Connecting to people three generations down the line, a hundred years from now,” is one of the themes of the "Food & Plants, Shelter” exhibition. According to Iki, if we can come up with something that goes on for a hundred years, it will connect to the following hundred years. It has been less than eighty years since the end of WWII, but our lives have changed much since then, she notes. She thinks that the things we intend to pass down to future generations must be conveyed in extremely granular detail. No matter the scale, the divisions that exist everywhere—between nature and humans, between people, and between nations—are causing problems on our planet. In order to solve these problems, it’s important to connect and share peoples’ wisdom and cultures, and also their yearnings. This applies not only to the next generation, but also the generation after that. The seven hundred-year-old house with a thatched roof that is sprouting tiny shoots seems to have given fresh inspiration to Nomura and Iki.
ular detail. No matter the scale, the divisions that exist every- where—between nature and humans, between people, and between nations—are causing problems on our planet. In order to solve these problems, it’s important to connect and share peoples’ wisdom and cultures, and also their yearn- ings. This applies not only to the next generation, but also the generation after that. The seven hundred-year-old house with a thatched roof that is sprouting tiny shoots seems to have given fresh inspiration to Nomura and Iki.
No matter the scale, the divisions that exist everywhere—between nature and humans, between people, and between nations—are causing problems on our planet. In order to solve these problems, it’s important to connect and share peoples’ wisdom and cultures, and also their yearnings. This applies not only to the next generation, but also the generation after that.
The seven hundred-year-old house with a thatched roof that is sprouting tiny shoots seems to have given fresh inspiration to Nomura and Iki.
The things that shape
the "Food & Plants, Shelter"
exhibition
Flower holder made
from rice straw
06
the "Food & Plants, Shelter"
exhibition
from rice straw
Using traditional thatching techniques, masterthatcher Ikuya Sagara has taken on the chal-lenge of finding new ways of using thatch inwalls and paraphernalia. He ordinarily usesmaterials harvested as close to home as possi-ble. Here, he was asked to create a flowerholder using rice straw as a way to bring thatchinto contemporary life. During the exhibition,we intend to use it for arrangements using flow-ers grown in Jingumae, where the gallery islocated. Even in the city, there are encounterswaiting for you when you turn your eyes to thenature around you—the nature right at yourfeet.
Profile
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Yuri Nomura
eatrip Director/Chef. Nomura embarked on a culinary path thanks to the influence of her mother, who has taught hospitality classes for many years. In addition to directing the catering for events, teaching cooking classes, writing regular magazine columns, and appearing on radio, she expresses the possibilities of food in a variety of ways, including developing recipes, planning events, and supervising the cooking for movies and television shows. She opened restaurant eatrip (Harajuku) in 2012 and eatrip soil (Omotesando) in November 2019.Through her cooking, she continues to pursue activities that convey the power, bounty, and deliciousness of food, with respect for producers, wild nature, and the seasons.Since 2021 she has presided over Tofukozo, an animated show that tours the foods of Japan. Her latest book, published by Shogakukan Creative in July 2023, is a cookbook that encourages schoolchildren to make “extraordinarily delicious” meals at home.
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Yukari Iki
Proprietor of the little shop of flowers flower shop. After working in the interior design and PR businesses, Iki became fascinated by the rich hues found in flowers, and in 2010 she opened the little shop of flowers (now located in Harajuku).She opened the little bar of flowers (Shibuya) in 2019. While working as a florist who “translates” people’s feelings into flowers in the form of flower arrangements, she organizes workshops and is involved in styling. She also began suggesting ways to turn waste flowers into dyes, incorporating the pigments and properties of flowers into gifts for everyday life. Believing in the power of life in plants and flowers, she strives every day to exist in a way that allows her to be quietly but intimately involved with them in every aspect of her life.
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Ikuya Sagara
Born in 1980, Sagara, who is a thatcher, is the CEO of KK Kusakanmuri. Based in Ogocho, Kita-ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, Sagara is working on initiatives to make thatched roofs fit into the present as he experiments with grasses in the space between sky and ground, cities and farms, Japan and other nations, the past and present, and peasants and craftsmen. /2015: Kobe City Culture Incentive Award /10th Regional Revitalization Awards, Award for Excellence /2020: Japan Outdoor Leaders Award, Award for Excellence /2022: Japan Arts Foundation ‘Tradition créatrice’ Art Award
Life is beautiful:
Clothing, Food, Plant, and Shelter
Plants that become homes that
protect and food that sustains life
Hours : 11:00 am to 8:00 pm
Venue : GYRE GALLERY/GYRE 3F, 5-10–1 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.
Tel : Navi Dial 0570-05-6990 (11:00 - 18:00)
Organizer : GYRE
Exhibition design : eatrip & the little shop of flowers
Designers : Yuri Nomura and Yukari Iki
Venue layout : Takashi Nakahara and Akane Kosaka
Thatcher : Ikuya Sagara
Editorial design : Eri Ishida and Shiori Fujii
Graphic design : Yuma Higuchi
Title artwork ; Jun Tsunoda
Video, Photograph : Kiichi Fukuda
Illustration : Ryuto Miyake
Translation : Satoko Mitsui
Public relations : HiRAO INC
Cooperation : majotae (Avex Entertainment) and Tomoki Shoda (Takenaka Corporation)
