September 2024

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[Sweet Potato Steamed Buns Made with Magewappa Seiro]

With the arrival of autumn, many kinds of sweet potatoes can be found in supermarkets. One of the charms of sweet potatoes is that they have different textures and tastes depending on the variety. The sweet potato varieties “Beni Azuma” and “Beni Satsuma” are delicious when baked or tempura-ed. The moist varieties “Narutokintoki” and “Silk Sweet” are also suitable for sweet potatoes and other sweets. The “Beni Haruka” and “Annoimo” are moist and rich in sweetness you can't get enough of them. They all look so delicious that deciding which one to try is hard.

I tried to make satisfying sweet potato steamed buns in season using a whole sweet potato. Half of the sweet potato is grated with a grater and mixed into the dough to make it moist. Then, we added sweet potatoes cut into large dice to give it a hearty texture. The dough is poured into Kurikyu's Magewappa Seiro and steamed for about 20 minutes to complete the dish.

The good thing about the Japanese seiro is that the thick lid becomes heavy with steam and traps the steam, so the steaming can be done well even in a short time. The depth of the lid ensures that even large, puffed-up dishes such as steamed buns do not stick to the lid. The refreshing natural wood aroma wafting through the kitchen is a luxury that can only be enjoyed with a Magewappa Seiro made of Akita cedar.

Kurikyu is a long-established company that has been representing Odate Magewappa since 1874. All of the products made by the careful craftsmanship of the company have been created by listening to the voices of the times and pursuing forms that will please the people who use them. We invite you to experience at home the traditional techniques that have been passed down through the generations in the Akita way of life.

Ingredients:
1 medium-sized sweet potato (about 180-200 g)
*150 g light flour
*3/4 teaspoon baking powder
*1/3 teaspoon baking soda (if not available, reduce the amount of baking powder to 1 teaspoon)
75 g cane sugar
1 egg M size
110 ml milk or soy milk
3 tablespoons rice oil

How to make:
1. Sift the flours marked with * to combine them.
2. Mix the egg and milk (or soy milk) in advance.
3. Peel and grate half of the sweet potatoes, cut half of the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces with the skin still on, and soak in water.
4. Add the cane sugar and 2 to the flour mixture and mix well until there are no lumps, then add the rice oil and mix further.
5. Add the whole grated sweet potato and half of the cut sweet potato to the bowl.
6. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Pour the dough into a seiro lined with a cookie sheet, top with the remaining sweet potatoes, and cover with a lid. Steam on high heat for 20 minutes, then it is ready to serve.

Kurikyu's Magewappa Seiro
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kurikyu/seiro.html
Nakamura Douki's Dantsuki Pot
https://www.shokunin.com/en/nakamuradouki/seiro.html
Oya Seisakusho's Copper Grater
https://www.shokunin.com/en/oya/

References
https://oceans-nadia.com/user/11285/recipe/123613 (recipe)
https://tokubai.co.jp/news/articles/3540
https://www.kurikyu.jp/about_kurikyuproduct/kodawari.html

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[Architect Arata Isozaki]

Arata Isozaki is an architect who is tied to Kitakyushu City. Did you know that he designed five public facilities in Kitakyushu City? All of them are distinctive and worth seeing.

In 2019, he was awarded the Pritzker Prize, the Nobel Prize in architecture, and 2022, at 91, he closed his life. The Pritzker Prize is the most prestigious in the architectural industry. It is awarded annually to one or a group of living architects from around the world based on the criterion of “consistent and meaningful contributions to humanity and the environment through architecture." Since its establishment in the United States in 1979, the award has been presented to famous Japanese architects such as Kenzo Tange and Tadao Ando. Arata Isozaki is the eighth Japanese to receive the award. This year, in 2024, Riken Yamamoto was the ninth Japanese to receive the award, making Japan the country that has received the most awards.

Arata Isozaki's architectural works, which number more than 100 in Japan and abroad, include the former Oita Prefectural Library (Art Plaza) in 1966, the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles in 1979, the Tsukuba Center Building in 1983, and Art Tower Mito in 1990, to name but a few. In addition to being a driving force behind postmodern architecture, Isozaki has curated architecture and art exhibitions around the world, chaired international symposiums, and has been active internationally in a wide range of fields, including thought, art, design, cultural theory, and criticism.

The buildings designed by Arata Isozaki can be visited within an 8-kilometer radius of Kitakyushu City, and are even featured as a sightseeing course. The Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art (1974) in Tobata Ward stands on top of a hill with a great view, and a rectangle protrudes from the building. The two squares resemble the eyes of a giant robot, giving the impression of looking out over the city from the hilltop. The Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, said to be one of his early masterpieces, is nicknamed “Binoculars on the Hill." The Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Literature and Central Library (1974) in Kokurakita Ward has a brightly colored greenish-blue copper roof that undulates and curves like a tube. The curious shape is obvious when viewed from the sky. Both have distinctive arched ceilings that make you feel as if you are inside an airship or spaceship. The Nishinihon Exhibition Hall (1977), also built along the sea in Kokurakita Ward, has steel pillars reminiscent of the masts of a sailing ship, with wires suspending the tension of the building from the outside. Looking at the walls, it looks like a huge ship or several ships in a row. The Kitakyushu International Conference Center (1990) is unique in that it appears to be a large yellow box on a wavy red roof. The windows and walls are made of many squares and look like toy blocks piled up.

I have visited five architectural structures in Kitakyushu City and Art Plaza in Oita Prefecture, and I am attracted not only by the uniqueness of the exterior, but also by the beauty and wonder of the structure when viewed from the inside, and the site planning and approach to the building. The architecture left behind by Arata Isozaki is all very modern, and you can feel the excitement of stepping into a different space. Although he was born in Oita City, Oita Prefecture, about 50 years ago, the former mayor of Kitakyushu City commissioned Arata Isozaki to build public buildings for the city of Kitakyushu because he was expected to become a major architect, and in his 30s and early 40s, a young age for an architect, he left numerous buildings in Fukuoka Prefecture as well as his home prefecture of Oita, his birthplace, It is said that the reason why he left many architectural works in Fukuoka Prefecture as well as in his hometown in Oita Prefecture is because he was supporting the development of architects from Kyushu in Kyushu.

When you visit the Wakamatsu Showroom, why not take a short walk to see the architecture of Arata Isozaki? From each location, you can enjoy a view of a vast park with beautiful lawns, the keep of Kokura Castle, the sea from Kokura Port, or the city from the top of a hill, all with a good view of Kitakyushu City.

Wakamatsu Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/wakamatsu.html

References
https://isozaki.co.jp/profile/
https://kmma.jp/exhibition/コレクション展Ⅲ-特集-磯崎新「還元」シリーズ/
https://www.gururich-kitaq.com/model-course/20
https://kenchiku-pers.com/photo/list/a0080-arata-isozaki/

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[Azulejo]

Azulejos, blue and white tiles, are the symbolic decoration of Portugal. Azulejos are everywhere in Portugal, in churches, train stations, and on the walls of houses, and that dreamy scene is still unforgettable.

Although the word azulejo has the meaning of "blue" in its etymology, historically speaking, azulejos are not only blue, but are also multicolored, and in Portugal, all tiles are called azulejos. The history of azulejos dates back to the 13th century, when the Moorish (Muslim) people introduced tile-making techniques to Andalusia, Spain, and the custom of decorating buildings with ceramic tiles took root. Portugal and Spain, where azulejos were born, were once under Muslim rule, and were therefore heavily influenced by Arabic culture in culture and art.

In the 15th century, azulejos were introduced to Portugal, and the "carpet style" of azulejos, which were simple and followed the same pattern in blue or blue and yellow, became popular. In the 17th century, Dutch ceramics influenced by Japanese Kuresu ware and Chinese blue-and-white ceramics became popular, and for the first time painted in all blue became the predominant color. In the 18th century, colorful colors again became the norm, and paintings became more intricate and seamless.

In the 19th century, industrial tiles were cheaper, and azulejos began to be applied to the walls of streets, train stations, and houses. While mass-produced azulejos increased, Portuguese tile artisans' skills became more refined, resulting in many hand-painted artistic creations. Because azulejos were an expression of the Portuguese people's aesthetic sense and cultural interests, they have been carefully passed down to the present as a handicraft, changing color and design according to the historical context of the time.

I visited Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, and from the moment I arrived at the airport, the souvenir shops were filled with azulejo motifs and ceramics, and from the bus heading into town, I saw architecture decorated with azulejos of various colors and patterns one after another. I was so shocked by the beauty of the azulejos and the fact that in Portugal, you can appreciate azulejos just by walking around. I have fond memories of getting so excited on the tram that I ended up with a nosebleed, all because I had never even heard of azulejos before arriving in Portugal.

If I had to recommend one spot in particular, I would say "Miradouro de Santa Luzia." When I saw the shining blue waters of the Tagus River, the orange-roofed streets of Lisbon, bougainvillea in full bloom, and azulejos all in one view, I couldn't help but feel that this is what paradise would be like if there were such a place. I think it is hard to find a place where the entire city is like a craftwork. If I ever get the chance to visit Portugal again, I would like to walk around the city and enjoy the azulejos with a good knowledge of the different periods and characteristics of azulejos.

Miradouro de Santa Luzia
https://maps.app.goo.gl/rCVBaBEJEGdHgYe7A

References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A2%E3%82%BA%E3%83%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A7
https://irohani.art/study/13119/#:~:text=%E3%82%A2%E3%82%BA%E3%83%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A7%E3%81%AF%E9%87%89%E8%96%AC%E3%82%92%E3%82%BF%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB,%E8%B7%A1%E3%81%8C%E6%AE%8B%E3%82%8A%E3%81%BE%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%80%82
https://www.az-tileshop.com/aboutazulejo.html
https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/otekomachi/20191121-OKT8T184598/
https://www.asahi.com/and/article/20211208/411480850/