Ako Sugie | Learning from Hōjōki: Small Architecture that Re-weaves Life
A review of an exhibition inspired by the Hōjōki that explores small architecture and contemporary ways of living.Summary
This article is a review by Ako Sugie of the exhibition "Learning from Hōjōki: Small Architecture that Re-weaves Life," held at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Galleries 1 & 2 in Tokyo from August 28, 2026, to January 11, 2027. The exhibition takes as its starting point the "Hōjō no Iori" (ten-foot-square hut) described in Kamo no Chōmei's classic essay Hōjōki, and questions how we live today. The venue features various small structures interpreting the hut, including the recreation "Hōjō no Iori as a Non-Existent Space," as well as works by Akira Yamaguchi ("Ra-an"), 2m26 ("living with"), and Tomoki Shoda + Takenaka Corporation + veig ("Mino-an Mawniwa"). Some works allow visitors to take off their shoes and enter, making the exhibition an enjoyable, hands-on experience. The author notes that she does not necessarily long for tiny architecture because she finds its inconvenience off-putting, preferring a moderate space that is clean, comfortable, and temperature-controlled. However, she comes to realize that minimalists—people who live richly with only the bare necessities—may embody the spirit of Hōjōki in the modern age, which leads her to finally understand the exhibition's theme.
(Source：artscape)