ABOUT
River breeze — / wearing pale persimmon / in evening cool
– Matsuo Basho
about
“Where would you like to live as you get older?”
Summertime in Kyoto sees the addition of Yuka- a seasonal tradition of adding terrace dining spaces on the riverside. Also along the Kamo River, streams of tourists take leisurely walks or picnics or playfully hop on the stepping stones in front of the Shimogamo Shrine. The river carries reminiscences of the old glories, as well as memories of modest everyday lives.
Josh Wu
I aspire to materialize a lifestyle- to create somewhere to experience the dynamic between our bodily selves and environmental surroundings, as well as with the history.
In autumn of 2010, a friend from Beijing asked me, “Where would you like to live as you get older?” Since then, it has been a question that occupies my conscious time and again.
As I was strolling along Kamo River in summer of 2016, I passed by the Gojo Great Bridge and spotted a sleepy, narrow wooden townhouse. Amongst the disordered junk piled in its center courtyard, I saw traces left behind from all the people who used to live here and their respective stories.
The following autumn, myself and fellow artisanal builders decided on performing minimal renovation to the house, and to preserve the courtyard, where I first saw the light. The wooden structure, partial wall, entryway, and garden stones are some of the original elements that have been conserved while the roofing tiles, wooden windows, and paper doors have since been replaced, gradually realizing the translucence we see and experience throughout the space now.
The renovation was completed in spring of 2018. As one pushes through the paper door into the house, what comes into view is a deep, tubular window that opens out to the Kamo River.
Welcome to Wuz House.
Architect
NEIGHBORHOOD
Thousands of temples and shrines are scattered around the corners of this old capital. The coexistence of historical and contemporary shapes the city’s poetic scenery.
ACCESS
A ten-minute car ride from Kyoto station; or a short walk from the heart of the city, Hayaocho is at the intersection of Gojo-Kawaramachi. The journey to Wuz House is a short and breezy one by foot, bike, or public bus.