Tree Stump Lined With Mirrors Hides a Decadent Sauna Inside of It
Nestled in Tochigi’s countryside, just north of Tokyo, is what appears to be a massive, hollowed-out tree stump. Peer inside it, however, and hundreds of mirrors emerge, meticulously lined against the stump’s core. This is the basis of Takashi Kuribayashi’s newest project, Oya Genkiro No. 6, a 59-foot-tall installation composed of raw hinoki, or cypress, trees cleared from the surrounding area.
Oya Genkiro exudes tranquility, its delicately layered bark complementing the sleek, shimmering surfaces of the mirrors within. It’s an idyllic scene, to be sure, but it’s more than that as well. As visitors progress through the stump, they discover a multi-floored sauna, encased in bright, dappled wood and glass. This building takes the form of a rectangular stack, carefully assembled around 38 quarry stones. Here, the sense of serenity reaches its pinnacle, encouraging its guests to unwind to the sounds of dripping condensation and a crackling fireplace, which is tucked away beneath an outdoor cauldron.
“Water is boiled in a large kiln containing medicinal herbs, and the steam is sent in through a pipe,” Kuribayashi explains on the project’s website. “Inside the work, the steam makes it impossible to see even a meter ahead, and the scent of herbs and medicinal plants and the dense steam will awaken all your senses.”
Central to Oya Genkiro is its name. A combination of the words genshiro, meaning “nuclear reactor,” and genki, meaning “healthy,” the title recalls the disaster faced by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, located only a neighborhood away from Tochigi. Back in March 2011, as a result of a devastating tsunami, this power station malfunctioned and ultimately leaked radioactive materials into the atmosphere and ocean. Within this context, Oya Genkiro is a poignant meditation upon steam and its varying functions. It can be a source of destruction, as seen with the Fukushima incident, or it can restore, heal, and calm, as in a sauna.
Such themes are common throughout Kuribayashi’s work, which focus on making tangible things that are typically invisible. In the case of Oya Genkiro, the artist manifests steam through a sauna mechanism, allowing visitors to literally witness the “completely invisible radioactive contamination” triggered by the 2011 tsunami.
“The truth resides in places that are invisible. Once you are aware that there is a different world out of sight, you will be living in a different way,” Kuribayashi says.
Oya Genkiro is currently on-view in Tochigi Prefecture, with pricing and reservations available via the installation’s dedicated website.
Created by Japanese artist Takashi Kuribayashi, Oya Genkiro No. 6 is a site-specific installation that disguises a sauna as a mirror-lined tree stump.
The installation, which is currently open in Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture, is a meditation upon steam’s destructive and healing properties.
For those interested in exploring Oya Genkiro, reservations are currently available via the installation’s dedicated site.
Installation Information
Takashi Kuribayashi
Oya Genkiro No. 6
909-11 Oya-cho, Utsunomiya City
Tochigi Prefecture, Japan
Takashi Kuribayashi: Website | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Takashi Kuribayashi.
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