"The Monument of Requiem" for Tsukui Yamayuri-en

Kanagawa, Japan
Photo © Yasutaka Shimizu
Photo © Yasutaka Shimizu
Photo © Yasutaka Shimizu
Photo © Yasutaka Shimizu
Photo © Yasutaka Shimizu
Photo © Yasutaka Shimizu
© Yasutaka Shimizu
Photo © Yasutaka Shimizu
Photo © Yasutaka Shimizu
Landscape Architects
STGK Inc. | studio gen kumagai
Location
Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
Year
2021
Client
Kanagawa Prefecture
Stonework
Sinsei

The Water Mirror to Connect to the Sky

A large vessel measuring approximately two meters across and made of polished black granite sits reflecting the open sky above at the entrance plaza of the Tsukui Yamayuri-en (The House of Golden-Rayed Lilies).
Engraved on the bottom of the vessel is the "Kanagawa Charter for a Society Living Together in Harmony", which was drawn with the aim of creating a society where all people can live the way they are in harmony. The words are written in the most visible place for people who visit this place, to remember the tragic incident that happened here, and as a pledge to the victims that such an incident will never ever happen again.
Once a month on the commemorative day, the vessel is filled with water and becomes a large water mirror. The water slowly fills the vessel from the outlet in the center, then trickles out as 19 white waterfalls from the grooves cut into the rim. As the water overflows with the vivid sky being reflected on the surface and the heart resonating sound of the falling water carried by the breeze, this place invites people to come together to interact.
The images of the golden-rayed lilies representing the facility blossom white against the black of the same granite as the water mirror. The flowers are engraved using the shot-blast method.
The number of the flowers and the number of grooves on the water mirror are metaphoric to the number of the victims, and we hope that these subtle messages will continue to tell the story of the incident.
When we face this monument, we are connected to the sky above, and are reminded to live in harmony underneath it.

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