Shinto Sugimoto

In Tyler Green's fine two-part coverage of Hiroshi Sugimoto at the Hirschhorn, there's a mention of "a Shinto shrine he built in Japan." Intrigued, I searched the internet for anything on this structure, a place for worship in the native Japanese religion.



The shrine by Sugimoto is called the Go'o Shrine. It was completed in 2002 and is located in Gotanji, Naoshima, Kagawa, otherwise known as Naoshima Island, an important "Site of Artistic Incidents". The artist's design encompasses the sanctuary (honden) and worship hall (haiden), with a glass stair connecting the two parts. This last element is the most contemporary in the otherwise traditional execution of the project. The honden sits atop a large stone plinth and the open-air haiden is over an irregular-shaped stone slab. All sits within a rectangular rock garden in an open space surrounded by trees.


Image by Sugimoto (click for larger version)

While the design recalls traditional Shinto architecture, it appears to capture the feel of that style rather than trying to be a historically accurate copy. According to Sugimoto,

I wanted to reproduce the style of ancient times from the viewpoint of the present, even though there are hardly any examples of this style left...I chose what I personally thought was best in the entire history of Japanese art and architecture...I am not, however, attempting to reproduce a perfect copy of any particular style. I reexamined certain proportions and aesthetic ideas that have become a part of my flesh and blood, and I came to the conclusion that these proportions were the most appropriate to express the spiritual qualities of Japan for me as a person living in the twenty-first century.

Additionally, both the Art Site page and Sugimoto mention a tunnel. The artist specifically says, "The work must be filled with something that is connected underneath to a broad underground river...I will not display anything that does not achieve the quality of being connected to an underground river that has the strength to withstand any criticism." Although I'm not exactly sure what he means, this tunnels adds another layer of experience and meaning to the design.



Seen as a work of art, the design is titled Appropriate Proportion, the artist explaining that "the title refers to the appropriate form of a dwelling place for the gods."