Focus on Japan
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PROGRAMME - LIVE event in Amsterdam
18h30 Drinks and meal
19h30 Architectural Heritage of Stone Towns in Japan -from Geology, Industry, Typology to Ecology - Akio Yasumori
20h00 Van Bosse stories project - José Schreurs
20h30 Break
20h50 Advising on the World Heritage nomination of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun group - Cees van Rooijen
Debate
21h30 End
Architectural Heritage of Stone Towns in Japan - from Geology, Industry, Typology to Ecology by Akio Yasumori
The Japanese architecture culture is centered on wooden architecture, but stones are produced in various areas. Since Japan is a volcanic country, tuff made of solidified volcanic ash is produced, and stone buildings using this material can be found in many areas. In these areas, there is a strong connection between local production and local consumption of local materials, and a linkage between geology, industry, architecture, and townscapes can be seen. In addition, these stone materials have been used not only in vernacular buildings such as stone storehouses, but also in modern architecture. Based on the fieldwork of 'stone towns', the relationship between stone materials, mining and quarries, stone architecture and use, and current town planning including Japan Heritage will be discussed. The speaker’s architectural works will also be presented linking to these features. Finally, typology of architecture and city can be reinterpreted as a material ecology.
The Van Bosse stories project by José Schreurs
In this lecture we will present the results of a oral history project concerning a Dutch shipwreck. The Van Bosse, a tradingship, sank in 1857 near the coast of Tarama, Okinawa. The oral history project was a cooperation between the Dutch Cultural Heritage agency and Okinawa International University.
The presentation discusses the context of the research, the research itself and its results. The importance of the research in complementing the knowledge about the material remains of the Dutch ship and the wreck site, as well as its significance from an Okinawan perspective, is discussed.
Advising on the World Heritage nomination file of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun group by Cees van Rooijen
In 2016 and 2017 I was asked by ICOMOS together with Christoffer Young, to advice on the Japanese draft nomination file of the Kofun group. Kofun being large earthen grave monuments from 3rd to 6th century CE.
In this short presentation I will explain a bit about the Kofun but also tell about the advice process and give some other remarks.
Akio Yasumori, Ph.D. Architect, Professor of Chiba University, Japan
He graduated from Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) in 1996 and finished the master course in 1998. He also studied at the Berlage Institute Amsterdam from 1998 to 1999 (Rotary Foundation International Scholar). After the doctoral course of Tokyo Tech, he obtained the Ph.D., and worked as an assistant prof. at Tokyo Tech. He became an associate prof. at Utsunomiya University in 2009 and a professor at Chiba University from 2020. He has executed fieldwork of local stone buildings made of Japanese tuff stones and utilized the material to his works. His research theme is interrelationship between Architecture and Urbanism through Urban Voids, Local Material and Industry, and also Campus Design.
José Schreurs
José Schreurs has worked as Archaeology Advisor at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands since 2005. Here she is involved with several projects, including the scheduling of ancient monuments and the listing of new monuments. In the context of the International Heritage program, she is project manager of the oral heritage project Van Bosse Stories. She studied Prehistory of Northwestern Europe at Leiden University specialising in the Neolithic period Following her studies, she undertook research at Leiden University on functional analyses of Middle-Neolithic Michelsberg sites and investigated flint assemblages from several other periods. José has published on a variety of archaeology-related topics, from early prehistory to modern times.
Cees van Rooijen
Cees van Rooijen is an archaeologist. He worked for the municipality of Utrecht between 1987-1998, mainly on archaeological (field) research and documentation. From 1998 to December 2023, he worked for the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, first as advisor on Archaeology and Landscape (Heritage Management) later, between 2018 to December 2023, as World Heritage Focal Point of the Netherlands.