“Plants and Crafts” Exhibition Photo Report

Here’s a look at the Tokyo venue of the ongoing exhibition Plants and Crafts.
The exhibition highlights how plants and craftsmanship have supported traditional Japanese wooden architecture, presented through four themes: Combining, Roofing, Intertwining, and Connect.

Combining —Wooden Joints

At the entrance, visitors are welcomed by a large structural model of a traditional wooden house. It is based on the “Kusakabe House” from My Neighbor Totoro (1988, set around 1935). Different types of wood—such as cedar, cypress, and pine—are used in the appropriate places for columns, beams, and rafters.

Specimens of cedar, cypress, red pine, and chestnut are displayed alongside wood shavings and planks, which visitors can touch and even smell to experience the fragrance of the wood.

A hands-on corner also allows visitors to try traditional Japanese joinery, where wood is connected without nails.

Roofing — Traditional Roofing Materials

This section introduces thatch, cypress bark, and wooden shingles. Plant specimens of reed, pampas grass, and rice straw are displayed with roof models.

Thatching: A model of a thatched roof from Yusuhara, Kochi, built over four days by a master craftsman. It features a “Harime-oi” ridge, a unique style found only in western Japan.

Cypress bark roofing: Materials and tools are displayed with video explanations.

Wood shingle roofing: Similarly presented with tools and video.

Visitors can even touch real thatched and cypress bark roofs at the hands-on display.

Intertwining — Bamboo and Grass in Architecture

Here, specimens of madake bamboo, bulrush, and rush grass are shown together with materials used in tea house architecture: white bamboo, wall understructure, ceiling boards, tatami mats, and woven ajiro panels.

Videos demonstrate how these natural materials are crafted into architectural elements.

Connect — Plants, People, and the Future

The final section invites visitors to reflect on the relationship between plants and people, and how this connection continues into the future.

A video corner features high-resolution 4K footage:

• Kawaguchi Kaya Field at Ise Jingu (2:25 min, short version)
• Thatch from Mt. Aso (2:48 min, short version)

This rare opportunity lets you observe traditional Japanese roofs up close, at eye level.
The Tokyo venue runs until September 28 (Sun) — don’t miss it!

The exhibition will then travel to the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum in Kobe from October 11 to December 14.
👉 More info: https://plantsandcrafts.dougukan.jp/