Another World – Abeke

Making the Old New Again

We aim to preserve the good qualities of old things but also to make new things that benefit from their proximity to the old. By happy circumstance, we have renovated several old houses (minka) in our town. But in the case of Abeke, we really felt that it called for more than mere renovation – we wanted to use the old house as a way to give meaning to and revitalize life itself.
So it has not been a matter of just preserving this house as a cultural property. Our aim is to share it with others in a way that helps them to understand its special features, to discuss and explore such topics with people, and, in this way, to help write a new page in the history of this old house. It does not offer the efficiencies or conveniences of modern architecture, but we believe it has certain valuable qualities that may be lost when convenience is given priority. We wish to express a spirit of renewal in our work at Abeke. We think that it presents the beauty of a traditional Japanese lifestyle that is fast disappearing.

Proprietor: Matsuba Tomi