In 1953, photographer Yasuhiro Ishimoto visited Katsura Rikyu (Katsura Imperial Villa) for the first time. He was returning to Japan after 14 years in the U.S. Edward Steichen, then head of the photography department at MoMA, had commissioned him to take some photos of the villa. The results were stunning. Ishimoto's beautiful compositions reflected his deep admiration for the "New Bauhaus" in Chicago where he had studied, and evoked a modernism more commonly associated with Western art and architecture.
These photos would later be compiled and published in a book called Katsura: Tradition and Creation in Japanese Architecture with accompanying essays by legendary architects Kenzo Tange and Walter Gropius. Tange, pursuing his own architectural agenda, would become over-involved in the project pushing Ishimoto into the background. While perhaps different from Ishimoto's original vision, this book would nonetheless become an influential touchstone for Japanese architecture.
Ishimoto's gorgeous black and white photos of Katsura Rikyu were featured in an exhibition entitled "Modernism of Katsura" at the Museum of Kyoto last summer, which I was lucky enough to see.
Inspired by this, I decided to visit the villa again myself. I wanted to see the Katsura RIkyu that Ishimoto saw.
Completed in 1615, Katsura Rikyu is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of Japanese architecture. It is so thoroughly and thoughtfully planned it is hard not to be impressed. Each building took into consideration both the seasons and the cyclical lunar path in its design and construction. It is, as Tange asserted, completely modern. It is also graceful, effortless and unassuming. Were it not for the tightly organized tours, it is a place in which you could easily drift through an entire day enjoying the splendid architecture and tranquil garden as Prince Toshihito might have so long ago.
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