HOUSE OF JAPANESE AESTHETICS

A house for closer encounters with Japanese aesthetics

The House of Japanese Aesthetics is Horizon Castle’s cultural house for Japanese aesthetics, art, music and dialogue.

Garden, incense, calligraphy, flowers, sound and conversation. A place to listen closely, ask questions and experience culture at a more intimate distance.

SPACE · SPIRIT · SOUND · ART

Four encounters with culture

SPACE
Garden aesthetics
Kazuyuki Ishihara
SPIRIT
Kōdō and Japanese traditions
Sōhitsu Hachiya
SOUND
Contemporary Japanese music
Tetsuya Komuro
ART
Painting
Sou Akou
The paintings of Sou Akou

Personal appearances by artists or instructors apply only to programs whose dates, content and participation have been formally confirmed.

ART

The paintings of Sou Akou

Quiet moments with art.

Sou Akou

Sou Akou brings Chinese and Japanese painting traditions into dialogue. Through ink and colour, he explores Mount Fuji, cherry blossoms and the rhythms of nature.

Sou Akou’s works are a central part of Horizon Castle’s collection and are displayed over the long term. Take a quiet moment during your stay to spend time with his paintings.

Featured work

Eternal Fuji — Sou Akou — Eternal FujiSou Akou

See the creative process

Explore films introducing Sou Akou’s work and showing his ink-painting process on his official website.

Painting and music meet in Eternal Fuji, a collaboration between Sou Akou and Tetsuya Komuro. Explore it through the artist’s official videos.

The artist’s website offers Japanese, English and Chinese language options.

CULTURAL EXPERIENCES

Cultural experiences at the House of Japanese Aesthetics

Advance reservation required. Availability depends on the schedule of the instructor or specialist. Your experience is confirmed only when Horizon Castle sends a confirmation.

CULTURAL RITUALS

Ikebana
Shape space through flowers and emptiness
Work with seasonal flowers and plants while noticing form together with balance, space and restraint.
Advance reservation required. Dates, format, group size and fees are confirmed when arranged.
Tea ceremony
A bowl of tea, a moment with the season
Prepare and enjoy a bowl of tea in the quiet of the House of Japanese Aesthetics. Through the tea ceremony experience, discover Japanese aesthetics in the vessels and seasonal setting.
Advance reservation required. Dates, format, group size and fees are confirmed when arranged.
Kōdō incense ceremony
Listen to fragrance
Encounter kōdō through aromatic woods and the Japanese idea of “listening” to fragrance—a quiet practice of attention and sensitivity.
Advance reservation required
Kimono & yukata
Encounter Japanese aesthetics through dress
Experience the colors, patterns and gestures of kimono or yukata, with time to enjoy the setting of Horizon Castle.
Advance reservation required

HANDS-ON

Origami
Create form from a single sheet of paper
Fold, turn and transform a single sheet into form—a simple, tactile introduction to Japanese craft and attention.
Advance reservation required
Wagashi making
Shape the season into something small and sweet
Discover how color, form and seasonal motifs come together through the making of wagashi.
Advance reservation required
Sushi making
Japanese food, made by your own hands
Work with ingredients and learn through making sushi—a hands-on encounter with Japanese food culture.
Advance reservation required. Content varies with ingredients, season and availability.

SPACE & SOUND

Taiko drumming
Feel rhythm through the body
Experience the sound and physical energy of taiko, feeling the rhythm through the whole body.
Advance reservation required. Format and venue conditions are confirmed when arranged.
Garden design & making
A small garden can change the way you see a landscape
Explore plants, stone, space and borrowed scenery through a small garden or design sketch.
Advance reservation required. Kazuyuki Ishihara takes part in person only in programs formally confirmed in advance.