July 2023

The Open City Studio - Tokyo Blue III

Faculty: Teofilo Victoria, Steven Fett, Jorge Trelles, Rogelio Cadena, Nicolas Delgado Alcega

24” x 36” ink on mylar.

In the summer of 2023, I traveled to Japan with the University of Miami Open City Studio. The studio studied architecture, infrastructure, and the configuration of the Japanese city as it is affected by water. The final deliverable was a single drawing which documented a distinctive “water” type and its place within the cultural history and built environment of Tokyo.

“Nunozumi City” explores the use of dry stone masonry within the contemporary Japanese city. Dry stone retention walls are used throughout the country in both rural and urban landscapes. They are a sustainable and enduring infrastructure that shapes neighborhoods, streets, and cities. Most modern walls are modularly constructed with pre-fabricated Kanchi blocks. The technique, however, originates from the massive walls of the royal castles of Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. The method is called “nunozumi,” where rectangularly cut stones are laid sideways in even, horizontal rows. The widths of the stones vary, but the heights remain perfectly aligned. 

The drawing documents three walls from the East Gardens of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace is the center of Tokyo; the entirety of the city is laid around it in concentric circles. At the edge of the palace, the stone walls meet the water of a moat. The placement of the walls and water both delineate city boundaries and represent the point at which the contemporary city encounters the traditional. The walls, amidst a backdrop of modern concrete, steel, and glass structures, exude a profound sense of longevity and permanence. Their solid shapes, similar to the hull of a ship, represent the power of stone construction, Japanese craftsmanship, and vernacular building tradition.

Through a detailed study of texture and pattern, the ink hand drawing reimagines the stone walls as a type of “water city,” exploring what a future (or past) landscape might look like made up of only stone and water.