Tokyo Cultural Site Turned into Different World before Temporary Closure
By Sakurako Nakagawa and Yurina Osaki
Tokyo, July 23 (Jiji Press)--The Hyakudan Kaidan staircase and the rooms it connects have been turned into a fantastical world of "oni," in an exhibition ahead of the temporary closure of the Tokyo metropolitan government-designated tangible cultural property in the capital's Meguro Ward.
Deeply rooted in Japanese folklore and culture, oni are usually portrayed as evil horned creatures. Sometimes, they present people's darker emotions, such as anger, sadness, loneliness and anxiety. On the other hand, it is not uncommon to depict them as guardians or adorable beings.
In the 10th "Wa no Akari" exhibition, 38 artists from all over Japan are showcasing works based on their own interpretations of oni.
The exhibition tour begins in a building adjacent to the Hyakudan Kaidan, with fantastical music and illuminations hinting at a different world ahead.
After viewing several oni figures in ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints on the wall of a gallery, visitors arrive at the 99-step wooden staircase and seven rooms built in 1935 as an annex of the Meguro Gajoen restaurant, now the Hotel Gajoen Tokyo wedding complex.
The rooms were gorgeously decorated by prominent Japanese painters and sculptors of the day to create a restaurant that was one of a kind.
In the current exhibition, the "Seiko" room features the most feared leader of human flesh-eating oni demons in the Heian period (794-1185), named "Shuten Doji," holding a drinking party at his mansion with kidnapped noble women forced to fill his glass with sake.
Meanwhile, indigo-dyed plants created by flower designer Keiko Yonezawa and a dead "bonsai" pine tree with unrealistic red and white leaves by "kabuki" bonsai upcyclist Ippei Takai add to the eerie atmosphere.
In stark contrast, the "Seisui" room is filled with cute tiny oni and "yokai" monsters created by Japanese painter Kazuyuki Takishita that are having fun during the ghostly hours playing with each other and dancing to bon dance music by Takeshi Yoda.
"Kokeshi" lathe-turned wooden dolls, which usually portray little girls in kimono, can be found all over the building, with some of them transformed into oni figures by Takatoshi Hayashi, who has also created a world of "gishinanki," or "suspicious minds see oni in the dark," with faceless kokeshi dolls painted matte black.
In a passage between two rooms, paper cut artist Sachie Sabu depicts the line between the real world and the world of oni in a work featuring a group of foxes separately getting lost after taking shortcuts in a forest of strange phenomenon.
All of the artists have special feelings for the Hyakudan Kaidan, which is also known for showcasing both traditional and contemporary dolls for the "Hinamatsuri" Girls' Day festival on March 3. The Hyakudan Hinamatsuri exhibitions attracted more than 630,000 visitors between 2010 and being put on hold from 2020 to 2023 due to the COVID-19 crisis.
After the ongoing July 4-Sept. 23 event, the classic building will be closed in October along with Hotel Gajoen due to the expiration of property leasing contracts. The hotel said it has yet to set a reopening date.
The artists agree that there is no place like the Hyakudan Kaidan.
Among them, Yoda, who has since 2019 composed soundtracks for exhibitions held there, said, "Unlike other art museums, its various kinds of decor always give me new inspirations."
After making his dream of showcasing his bonsai at the cultural site come true, Takai said, "It's an honor to be invited to the special event--the last exhibition before the temporary closure."
Paper cut artist Sabu openly expressed her excitement at her debut at the historic structure she has long loved and visited many times to see artworks on display, while Hayashi recalled his kokeshi works becoming widely known thanks to visitors to Hyakudan Kaidan exhibitions taking pictures of them for sharing on social media.
While expressing sadness about the suspension of exhibitions, Hotel Gajoen official Kei Yunoki said, "We take the temporary closure positively."
"Maintenance is absolutely necessary for such an old building," Yunoki emphasized. He also suggested that the halt will provide an opportunity to discuss new ways of utilizing the cultural asset.
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