Nestled beside the gentle Shirakawa River at the foot of Kyoto’s iconic Tatsumi Bridge, this project lies within a strictly protected Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. Here, not only buildings but stone paths, waterways, and the intangible hush of time are under cultural guardianship.
Global Future Design Awards 2026: Entries Open! Take your work to the next level. Register Now…
Silver 🏆 Winner
Global Future Design Awards 2025
Kyoto Shirakawa: A Heritage House
Residential Interior (Built)
Firm
T&C JAPAN Co., Ltd.
Architect/Designer
Tatsuo Akiba
Design Team
Tatsuo Akiba – Lead Interior Designer , Megumi Chabata – Project Designer , Satoshi Kudochi – Construction Manager , Takashi Akimaru – Site Supervisor
Location
Kyoto, Japan
Country
Japan
Photographer/Copyright
©All images included in this submission are to be credited to 広井一成/H2studio.
Social Media Handles:
Website
https://tandc.tokyo
Rather than replicating the past, this design engages in a dialogue with history—reinterpreting the traditional Kyo-machiya through a contemporary lens. Conceived as an 80.3㎡ two-story private villa, the space employs natural materials and time-honored craftsmanship to preserve the spiritual essence of timber while enhancing modern functionality.
Tsuboniwa: A Quiet Universe
In traditional Kyoto townhouses, the tsuboniwa (courtyard) serves not merely for light or air—it anchors the architecture’s breath and spirit. This project introduced a courtyard that did not originally exist, placing it directly in the entry sightline as a symbol of reinterpreting Kyo-machiya in the present.
A custom lighting system shifts in color throughout the day, transforming the absence of sunlight into soft, skylight-like illumination. Shadows stretch gently across clay walls and wooden lattice, creating what becomes a “quiet universe”—reflecting the seasons and bridging memory with imagination.
Poetic Windows: Framing the Seasons of Gion
Gestures throughout the house frame Kyoto’s seasonal beauty—a circular window inspired by Genkō-an’s “Window of Enlightenment,” an open tatami room with shoji screens, and a riverside open-air bath.
The fully openable window in the tatami room draws in the flowing Shirakawa River and weeping willows. When retracted, it blurs the boundary between interior and exterior, allowing nature to shape the space. These openings are not for viewing alone—they let one inhabit the landscape, expressing Kyoto’s spiritual and seasonal depth through architectural form.
Rokeiburo: A Device for Stillness
Working within the strict constraints of the Preservation District, where modifications to street-facing facades are limited, the existing wall was replaced with a bamboo screen that maintains privacy while offering a direct view to the river.
Careful attention was given to the height of the tub, the placement of openings, and control of sightlines, so that the scenery gently appears only when one settles into the water. More than a space of openness, this outdoor bath becomes a device for stillness—inviting the rhythms of nature into the heart of the city.
Layered Artistry Across Time
Works by Kyoto-based artists are quietly embedded within the space, including:
- “Gourd on a Fan” by late Edo-period painter Yoshinaka Nakamura
- “Silver Drop” by contemporary ceramist Takahiro Kondo
Each piece was selected to echo Kyoto’s sensibilities across generations.
A custom-made folding screen created in collaboration with Taizandō, a Kyoto-based byōbu atelier with over 120 years of history, features shimmering gold leaf and layered ink brushwork that evokes the passage of time.
Every surface—textured, silent, mutable—was chosen for its ability to age with grace, embodying wabi-sabi. Modern elements remain discreet, in harmony with tradition. The result is a quietly resonant interior landscape where memory and innovation dwell in luminous stillness.
Follow us on