空間導覽
SPACE INTRO
げんかん Entryway
Genkan
The genkan is the formal entrance of a building and is most often used as the space for removing and putting on shoes. In the concept of Japanese architecture, however, this area is divided into two parts: the fumikomi (“stepping-in” area) and the genkan itself.
The genkan, which belongs to the interior space, is built with an elevated wooden yuka (floor) to prevent outdoor dirt and dust from being brought inside. The fumikomi, on the other hand, serves as a transitional zone between indoors and outdoors, featuring a doma (earthen floor) structure, with the surface usually made of packed earth or a mixture of sand and lime. In Japanese architecture, there is a particular emphasis on separating the “clean” interior from the “unclean” exterior, and the doma embodies the idea of “an outdoor space constructed within the house.”
In addition, the genkan of this building is distinguished by a unique diamond-shaped window, which is one of its architectural highlights.
2015 Coffee shop
During the period when the building was used as a spiritual retreat center, the genkan was not the main entrance, and a small corrugated metal shed was once constructed in front of it.
2016 Minor Restoration Work
This area was once one of the most severe spots for water leakage, requiring basins and buckets to be prepared during heavy rain.
2020 Restoration Project
Diamond-shaped window under restoration.