“The Okura Tokyo” will begin a new era in September 2019. The new Okura will consist of two buildings, the ``Okura Heritage Wing'' and the ``Okura Prestige Tower,'' and will continue to evolve while preserving the essence and traditions of Okura. 12 stories that reaffirm the charm of Okura and explore the new The Okura Tokyo.
The Okura family crest and Japanese patterns are utilized in the design.
The outside light becomes a soft light, quietly illuminating the space.
Japan's creativity captures the beauty of nature in detail and expresses it in abstract form. In the 19th century, Japonism brought astonishment and great stimulation to Western Europe. The charm of patterns that reflect this sense of beauty can also be seen in the architecture of Hotel Okura Tokyo, a masterpiece of Japanese modernism. At The Okura Tokyo, the chic form will shine even more.
The ``Rhibun'' was decorated at the main entrance of the main building. A similar design will be applied to the exterior wall of the Okura Heritage Wing at The OkuraTokyo.
The main entrance of Hotel Okura Tokyo's main building is adorned with a rhombus pattern derived from the Okura family crest, the Gokai Rhishi. At The Okura Tokyo, it will be designed on the exterior walls of guest rooms in the Okura Heritage Wing. Diamond patterns are said to be created by the shapes of water chestnut leaves and fruits that float on the surface of water such as ponds, swamps, and rivers, and have been combined in various ways to this day. Yoshiro Taniguchi, who also designed Okura's space, applied this pattern to the rhombus pattern on the elevator doors, and the rhombus pattern is an important part of Okura.
Kumiko with a hemp leaf pattern displayed in the lobby of Hotel Okura Tokyo's main building. Kumiko turned the light that fell into the lobby into a gentle light.
In addition to the nature-related patterns, there is also a hemp leaf pattern that was installed in the main lobby of the main building, and this one will appear along with the recreation of the former main lobby of the Okura Prestige Tower. Of the more than 200 regular diamond-shaped patterns that exist, Okura adopted the auspicious "hemp leaf." Katsushika Hokusai and Kitagawa Utamaro also liked to draw it on women's costumes, making it a familiar pattern to people. The hemp leaf pattern has also been expressed in the openwork of transoms and the woodwork of shoji screens in fittings, but at Hotel Okura Tokyo, a lattice of wood pieces was created by hand on the Oma shoji screen in the main lobby without using nails or adhesives. This sentence has been expressed using the technique of ``kumiko'', which combines ``kumiko''. At The Okura Tokyo, Takemi Sada of Okayama was in charge of the production, and it was created using cypress trees that are over 200 years old.
Kumiko is made by assembling pieces of wood by hand without using nails or glue. It is designed to create a different three-dimensional effect depending on the angle you look at it.
I would like to draw your attention to his outstanding skills here as well. Previously, the veins of Kumiko were placed just 3 mm lower than the outline of the leaf. It is assumed that consideration was given to creating a three-dimensional expression depending on the angle of view, and a highly precise technique was used to create subtle irregularities, and this technique has been recreated once again. In addition, this hemp leaf design is unique in that the horizontal axis is horizontal and the entire hemp leaf is arranged diagonally, unlike the general design in which the central vertical axis is vertical. It is thought to be a device to incorporate light reflected from the ground into the space without damaging the linear structure of the space.
We make full use of designs that have been carefully passed down through the ages in each space of each era. Japan's creativity, which is at the same time meticulous and free, will continue to resonate in the hearts of many people, along with the spirit that Okura has cherished since its founding, as well as an even more lively atmosphere from the present to the future. .
The rhombus pattern can be seen on the exterior walls between guest rooms, and the hemp leaf pattern kumiko can be seen in the lobby of the 5th floor of the Okura Prestige Tower.
(Titles omitted)
Photography by © The Okura Tokyo
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