Artisans from Japan joined the construction alongside American contractors: Two wood craftsmen move one of the original notched roof beams in preparation for installation (Photo – John Diefenbach)
A new culturally significant structure is being reconstructed from the ground up in the Japanese Garden of The Huntington.
By Reina Esparza
The Magistrate’s House is a 320-year-old structure originally from Marugame, Japan. Donated in 2016 by Akira and Yohko Yokoi, it was once a samurai era center of village life. Akira is a 19th generation descendant of the Yokoi family who hopes that this donation will continue to preserve his heritage.
The house includes recreations of the gatehouse and interior gardens, two kura storehouses and the shoya residence. Future visitors will be able to walk through the house and interact with objects, including the tatami mats.
The new structure will be located behind the Japanese’s garden 19th century house. Despite construction delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the building of the house was initiated in a jotoshiki (Shinto roof raising ceremony) at the Huntington on May 19.
During the ceremony, Huntington President Karen Lawrence deemed the historical house an “example of traditional post-and-beam wooden construction,” including a “focus on permaculture and sustainable living in harmony with nature.”
The house is set to officially open in Fall 2022.
The Magistrate’s House, currently at The Huntington, was built in the 1690s (Photo – Hiroyuki Nakayama)
Rendering of the reconstruction, with the original shoya residence in the center, two kura storehouses at the rear, and re-creations of the gatehouse and interior garden (Photo – GPM Design Studio).
Cannot wait to see this!