In This Tokyo Home, a Dramatic Design Feature Takes Center Stage

A traditional theater provides a family of Noh practitioners with space to perform their classical art form.

Jul 11, 2024 - 20:34
In This Tokyo Home, a Dramatic Design Feature Takes Center Stage

A traditional theater provides a family of Noh practitioners with space to perform their classical art form.

The home’s Noh stage is constructed of hinoki cypress. On the back wall, Kagami-ita—which literally translates to

Our Focus series shines the spotlight on the details: the extraordinary materials, spaces, and ideas that take great projects to the next level.

When Yasuhiro Wakebayashi wakes up each morning, he brushes his teeth as he completes 30 squats—diligently strengthening his core for the ancient form of Japanese dance-drama known as Noh. Then, after reading a business newspaper, he is ready to begin his day.

Classical theater and business might seem like disparate pursuits, but the entrepreneur—who works in mergers and acquisitions—comes from a family of Noh performers, and he has been practicing the performance art since the age of four. When it came time to build a home for himself, his wife, and his daughter—who all practice the art form—he knew that a Noh stage would be at the heart of the design.

The mixed-use Tokyo building contains commercial space on the lower three floors, and a residential duplex above. The maisonette-style duplex provides independent living for two families—homeowner Yasuhiro Wakebayashi and his wife in one unit, and their daughter in the other.

The mixed-use Tokyo building has commercial space on the lower three floors and a residential duplex above. The maisonette-style duplex provides independent living for two households—Yasuhiro Wakebayashi and his wife in one unit, and their daughter in the other. 

Photo by Koji Fujii / TOREAL

Molded glass blocks create a reflective fluidity on the building’s facade.

Molded glass blocks give the facade a fluid aesthetic. "The building’s design and materials are inspired by Kanze water, which is the signature/crest of the client’s Noh school," says architect Takanori Maita.

Photo by Koji Fujii / TOREAL

The building benefits from its position on a corner lot—with northeast and northwest exposures.

The building benefits from its position on a corner lot with northeast and northwest exposures.

Photo by Koji Fujii / TOREAL

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