Kenji Kato, went with a studious approach towards his work understanding Machiya, Niigata Machiya, and Shirone Machiya. The connection of the historic buildings has a story to tell, so many of them will be different from one another, and with so many Shirone Machiya in one area it is a place of importance for the people and the place itself.
About Kenji Kato studied architecture at university and is active in communicating the meaning and image of spaces to have people realize the sense of place they can have in their town. This means a great understanding about towns and being able to explain complex ideas in short and precise ways. The complexity of the Machiya is made easier to understand with Kenji’s explanations showing shapes, design, colors, and the showa aspects that catch the eye. He carefully notes details the buildings inside and out with being: researcher, analyzer, planner, restorer, and champion of shirone machiya. He has worked on brochures that help people quickly catch on to the message he is trying to convey and by doing that there is a way to simply communicate the importance of the area's architectural treasures. Shirone Machiya and their Generational Stories The Shirone Machiya have spaces that were cared for by their previous owner and that is the life of the Machiya that holds a special story, especially in the attics that hold relics and photos of the past, even those who are still living in the village have untold stories that wait to be heard by eager ears. It is left up to chance with the owners of if they are willing to come forward with their story and that depends on their comfort level of sharing their experience and their thoughts on what's in their own home. It can be a slow process with some, however some people were simply never asked and are surprised to see someone interested in knowing more about the life of their Machiya. Those who are interested or have traveled abroad take a real interest in projects of repurposing Machiya in efforts of saving the place and thus the history of the area, especially foreigners and visitors. Stories of Shirone Machiya The Machiya in Shirone tell a part of a tale of Minami-ku’s showa era style in Niigata City. In the older days the Machiya would be designed to have smaller windows and different roofs, but one thing would remain the same, the long design of its layout.There are things to consider like the roofing, plasterwork, tatami, and garden, but that is no coincidence due to the word “machi”. Machi means “Chonin”, and Chonin means craftsmen with the word “ya” meaning house or shop, therefore machiya means the house of merchants or craftsmen. It takes people who work with natural woods that are usually regional, plasterwork from the natural soil that comes from the landscape, and techniques passed on for generations that await to be replicated by those who want to continue it. Preserving Shirone Machiya Kenji said that there are as many as 400 machiya in Shirone, many of them need repairs and show signs of wear and tear, so problem solving solutions are needed by reaching out to the community. When asked about the value of the town's machiya he didn’t pause in the face of a challenging scenario to overcome what others may find fighting the conserving and improving of Shirone Machiya, while I could tell that he had a difficult time understanding his energy, it was clearly the aura of a man with courage that contributed to a noble pursuit. Filling the empty houses with lively people who want to live with historical Shirone Machiya, along with his larger goal he has in his plans, within a short amount of time Kenji's efforts with the locals has already contributed to the improvement of the area's atmosphere. Potential of Digital Outreach When entering the digital world the power there is tremendous, but what he finds interesting is the potential of connection and information, but also the contrasting opinions of people from all across the globe. As posts come and go there is information of older books being mentioned and people who would not usually cross paths are interacting with a multitude of age groups and not just in their own small groups. The uses for the internet help with small portions of information that get people slowly interested with each post showing just a little bit of information with an attractive image that usually is from a photo, so Kenji pays close attention to photos and their impact to town image. Future of Shirone Machiya There are many challenges of locally ownership of a machiya, so understanding such challenges are vital to making repairs more affordable for owners, preventable in damages, and have volunteer assistance to make it all work efficiently. These challenges are not only with the Shirone Machiya itself, but also the meaning of what the Shirone Machiya has to the town with its usage, relationship with the locals, and the represented values of Japanese people today. These meanings need to be strengthened with peoples input and with passing of ideas in group meetings to get it right, otherwise the amount of Shirone Machiya as well as Niigata Machiya will continue to decrease over time and that is a loss of history. The power of input from: Minamiku youth is important to relevance, young families that are getting settled for modern day needs, and eldarly for their historical perspective of design that holds its feeling. A future with Shirone Machiya still around is a future Kenji would want to see.
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