Windows on Film

In Japan’s wood-based architecture, window-like components installed in the gaps between columns are referred to as ‘hashirama sōchi’ (devices between columns). Specifically, they can take the form of walls or fixtures, such as shōji (sliding translucent screens) and fusuma (sliding partitions). The diversity and dynamism of these intercolumnar elements are considered the source of the richness of Japanese architecture. One example of this is Kikugetsutei, a teahouse which stands beside a pond in the Ritsurin Garden in Kagawa Prefecture. This short film captures the dramatic changes that the building undergoes over the course of a day. The piece was selected for showing at the 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam.