Hotels are decorated by talented artists,
One in five buildings. Enjoy walking around the streets of Kyoto
The scenery you see as you turn the street, and the scents of flowers and trees that change with each season. A hotel was born where you can fully enjoy the atmosphere of Kyoto and the four seasons. ENSO ANGO offers not only the pleasure of spending time inside the facility, but also the enjoyment of walking through the surrounding alleys.
It is a hotel consisting of five buildings located on Fuyacho-dori, Tomikoji-dori, and Yamato-oji-dori, which are sandwiched between Shijo-dori and Gojo-dori.It was planned with the unique concept of ``one hotel as a whole.'' ing. We stayed at each hotel, visiting buildings with restaurants, bars, tea rooms, and tatami rooms. Yumiko Toeda, president of Ango Hotels Co., Ltd., says, ``We want to propose a journey where you can enjoy discoveries and chance encounters while walking around town.''
The overall direction was handled by the Uchida Design Institute, whose founder was Shigeru Uchida, a leader in the Japanese interior design world. Uchida's spirit of expressing Japanese culture and traditional sense of space in today's spaces, and writing many books on Japanese beauty, has been carefully inherited in the design of his Ango.
Reception for “Fuyamachi Dori II”. Beautiful shadows through the ``Yamai'' tea room designed by Shigeru Uchida
``There's something we can learn from the Japanese treatment of light and the positioning of objects, as well as the precision of arrangement in the tea ceremony,'' says Patrick Raymond, one of the three founders of Atelier Oi.
A tea ceremony ceremony set up in front of the reception on Fuyacho-dori II.
"Uchida always talked about the importance of being a hotel where you can see the faces of the people involved, and also of the importance of maintaining a sense of distance from the guests." That's what Tadashi Hasebe, director of the Uchida Design Institute, told me.
Until just before his passing the year before last, Uchida continued to explore the quality of comfortable spaces as well as the realization of elegantly designed spaces. In his hotel interior design, he was engaged in inviting various artists. At Ango, multiple artists have participated in adding color to the elegant space designed by the Uchida Design Institute.
Masanobu Ando, a ceramic artist and head of Galerie Hyakusa, artist Katsuhiko Hibino, architect and designer Naoki Terada, and Swiss architecture and design firm atelier oï. The staff uniforms are designed by Akiko Ando, who runs Galerie Mogusa.
Exterior view of “Fuyacho-dori II”. Uchida Design Institute was in charge of everything from the architecture, interior design, and furniture design to the hand washing at the entrance.
"Tomikoji-dori II". The creation of the image, including the colors of the guest rooms, was carried out through repeated dialogue between the Uchida Design Institute and Atelier Oi. Lighting equipment from Atelier Oi that "creates shadows".
Silence, light, shadow, and darkness, the overlapping of lights, presence, transition...
There is eternity in continuous newness.
``Shadow'' was an important point in the spatial design of Enso Ango. The beauty of shadows is expressed everywhere, including the lighting fixtures co-created by Uchida Design Institute and Atelier Oi that can be seen at the front desks of the hotel's five buildings.
Looking at ``ENSO ANGO Fuyacho-dori II'' as an example, the shadows cast by the tea room ``Yamai'' are beautiful, as well as the lighting fixtures made of Uchida's washi paper. Even in the alcove of the tatami room named ``Tatami Salon,'' we encounter the presence of beautiful light and shadow.
ENSO ANGO Tomikojidori II allows you to enjoy the depth of shadow through Atelier Oi's creations. The sensibilities of these artists are evident throughout, including Patrick Raymond, who is interested in Japanese culture and says, ``Japanese culture as we perceive it is a non-physical world with spirituality.'' ``In Japan, I feel that the atmosphere of the place changes gently as the seasons change.I wanted to express that,'' says Raymond.
The chozu installed at the entrance is also an expression of light and shadow, and is an homage to Uchida's signature work, the illuminated aquascape ``Dancing Water.'' At night, the lighting fixtures in the courtyard sparkle like stars, casting shadows from the trees. The mirror in front of the elevator is also a poetic piece typical of Atelier Oi, and you can see the clouds disappearing as you move to the upper floors.
Courtyard of Tomikoji-dori II. The mobile-like lighting fixtures produced by Atelier Oi sparkle like stars at night, casting shadows from the trees.
The lightness of the place, accompanied by the passing of time and light, is similarly expressed in the lounge of ENSO ANGO Tomikojidori II. This room is surrounded by the light of Atelier Oi Design, which uses traditional Mino washi paper and lantern techniques, and is produced by Ozeki, the same method used in Isamu Noguchi's ``Akari''. In addition, Atelier Oi's designs are assembled, including tables and chairs from Hida Sangyo and mobile objects made from Mino washi paper.
In addition, the pendant lighting in the restaurant was realized with Hiyoshiya, a long-established Japanese umbrella manufacturer, and Atelier Oi, who wanted to ``collaborate with people who have the skills of Kyoto,'' created the framework and weaving method for Japanese umbrellas. Designed to take advantage of the beauty of The back counter of the bar is decorated with ceramic plates made from Kiyomizu ware from Kyoto that allow the light to shine through.
The Hida Sangyo table and chairs, the sofa in the back, the mobile on the ceiling made of Mino washi paper, the fan-shaped lighting on the front wall, and the lantern-shaped lighting are all designed by Atelier Oi (Tomikoji-dori II)
Pendant lighting designed in the framework of a Japanese umbrella, realized in collaboration with Hiyoshiya, a long-established Japanese umbrella company in Kyoto.
The light-transparent ceramic plate at the back counter of the bar is Kiyomizu ware from Kyoto.
Silence, light, shadow, and darkness, the overlapping of lights, presence, transition... This space, which is different from a fixed situation, brings to mind what Uchida wrote about ``space as an aspect of change.'' The article states that newness is the change that creates the beauty of the moment, just as the host creates ``time'' in the depressing space of a tea room.``The idea that there is eternity in continuous newness It is based on the ``vibrations of the senses,'' where one avoids formalization and focuses on delicate things.''
``Creating a free space that is not bound by anything is the creation of a space that escapes the constraints of society and works only on the inner self of the individual.In Japan, space was premised on such free change. ” (Shigeru Uchida, “Interior and the Japanese” Shobunsha)
With this spirit in mind, we aim to create a hotel where you can stay with peace of mind, and at the same time feel like you are living in the surrounding city without cutting ties with the culture of the surrounding city.'' (Mr. Hasebe of Uchida Design Institute) is being attempted at Enso Ango.
It is very interesting that Atelier Oy shares the same spirit and is involved in the interior design of this hotel. Although they were born and raised in Switzerland, they say they are ``strongly drawn to Japanese culture.'' Let's take a closer look at their sensibilities.
(Titles omitted)
ENSO ANGO(Enso Ango)
It opened last fall with a new concept: a dispersed hotel with five buildings scattered in the area between Shijo-dori and Gojo-dori in Kyoto. ``Fuyacho-dori I'', which is based on the worldview of ceramic artist Masanobu Ando; ``Fuya-cho-dori II'', where you can enjoy Japanese culture in the tea room and Tatami Salon; and ``Tomikoji-dori I'', which is equipped with a guest kitchen. , ``Tomikoji-dori II,'' where you can experience Atelier Oi's spatial installation for the first time in Japan, and ``Yamatooji-dori I,'' where you can enjoy a compact and minimalist stay, and choose a building that suits your purpose and freely move between each building. You can enjoy the city of Kyoto as if you were living there.
187 Ebisuyamachi, Tomikojidori Takatsuji, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture
*From March 2020, the name was changed from “ENSO ANGO” to “THE GENERAL KYOTO”. The information in the article has also changed, so please check.
THE GENERAL KYOTO https://globalhotels.jp/en/
→Continued with the sensibility that connects Shigeru Uchida and Atelier Oi (Part 2)
Photography by Satoshi Asakawa, Tomooki Kengaku
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