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White Temple: Maternal mausoleum counterbalances Japanese tradition

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Breaking away from the traditional school of Japanese culture, Mr. Takashi Yamaguchi of Kyoto, Japan, has designed an architectural marvel where people could pay homage to their maternal linage of family.

Traditionally, in Japanese culture, it has been a custom to pay homage to one’s paternal linage of the family, and maternal linage remains comparatively ignored. But Mr. Yamaguchi argues otherwise, and believes in the importance of paying respect to one’s maternal ancestry. Hence, he, along with his teammates, has built the white architectural marvel, called the White Temple.

Speaking about the design and aesthetic appeal of the temple, Mr. Yamaguchi explains,

Buddhist mortuary tablets inscribed with the names of these ancestors are kept here, so that a priest can hold mass for them. Inside the building, I set out to create a space that would envelope visitors in a womb-like atmosphere. In such a space, people might be reminded of their maternal blood relations and feel moved to thankfulness for the gift of life.

Upon entering the temple, visitors are enveloped in a womb-like atmosphere where floating fetuses are orchestrated to remind how strongly people are related to their mothers. As one moves towards the interiors, color and intensity of light vary along with the atmosphere, which gives one a very close experience of what a child goes through inside a mother’s body, and also create a heaven like atmosphere all around. Moving towards the inner end of the temple, lies a Buddha statue on an altar giving the patrons a feeling of being blessed by the lord himself.

This architectural splendor lies outside the city of Kyoto in Japan, among the wilderness. The appeal of the temple can also be felt changing during the course of the day, which creates a greater enigmatic aura around it.

Via: Architizer

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