William Coaldrake on The Way of the Carpenter: Tools and Japanese Architecture
Save the date for this exciting talk by William Coaldrake, University of Tokyo Professor who is the only non-Japanese member of the Kyoto Guild of Traditional Master Builders (Kyoto dentô kenchiku gijutsu kyôkai), working on historic restorations.
The Way of the Carpenter: Tools and Japanese Architecture
The profession of the daiku 大工 in Japan is more like a religious vocation than a manual trade. The word used for their tools -dôgu 道具- captures this meaning perfectly. It suggests a way of life and commitment to perfection that goes beyond a trade. The heart of this profession are the tools used for designing and building. These tools have given their special character to Japanese architecture, from the Kondô or Golden Hall of Hôryûji 法隆寺の金堂to Katsura Rikyû 桂離宮.
In recognition of the importance of carpentry tools, Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum 竹中大工道具館 recently donated a set of valuable historic tools to the Graduate School of Design at Harvard. In this lecture, William Coaldrake, University of Tokyo Project Professor in Cultural Resource Studies, Graduate School of Humanities & Sociology, will discuss these tools and their wider meaning for both building and design in traditional Japanese architecture.
This event at the elegant Roppongi Hills Club includes a delicious standing buffet dinner after the talk. A cash bar will be available throughout for all beverages.
We hope you can join us for one of the highlight events of our late summer-early fall season!
Location: Roppongi Hills Club
http://www.roppongihillsclub.com/visitor/dfw/en/common/pdf/map.pdf
Date: Wednesday September 10, 2014 19:00-21:00 (Doors open at 18:30pm)
Cost: 5,000 yen payable in cash only at the door.
Includes standup buffet dinner. All beverages are extra cost available at cash bar.
Registration: use the form on the top right of this web page (to right of photo)
Please note that no-shows not canceled before September 7th will be invoiced in full after the event. Your understanding of and compliance with this policy, which is necessary for ongoing operation of such events, is appreciated.
For cancellations, problems with reservations, etc please e-mail kaycarl@gmail.com
William H. Coaldrake was Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne, where he was Foundation Professor of Japanese and Head of Japanese Studies from 1992-2007. He was born in Japan of Australian missionary parents, and received his PhD from Harvard University, where he was Edwin O. Reischauer Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies.
Professor Coaldrake is the only non-Japanese member of the Kyoto Guild of Traditional Master Builders (Kyoto dentô kenchiku gijutsu kyôkai), working on the restoration of heritage buildings. He has written two books informed by his experience: The Way of the Carpenter: Tools and Japanese Architecture (Weatherhill, 1990), and Architecture and Authority in Japan (Routledge, 1996). He edited his parents’ letters and reports from Japan in the immediate postwar years (Japan from War to Peace: The Coaldrake Records, 1939-1956, RoutledgeCurzon, 2003).