Kogaya Yakushido Preservation and Repair Temporary Construction Project

This project involved undertaking the temporary construction work for the preservation and repair of the Kogaya Yakushido, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. The work centered on the re-roofing of the structure using traditional wooden shingles (kokera-buki), a major undertaking that occurs only once every 20 to 30 years. The existing building was first surrounded by scaffolding pipes. As the roof shingles were being completely replaced from end to end, the roof was temporarily supported by trusses. Although there was no water leakage, the roof showed significant wear and tear from years of exposure to snow and rain. The entire structure was then covered with protective netting.

The re-roofing process was a meticulous, traditional craft. Each individual Japanese cypress (sawara) board was nailed down using bamboo pegs. The gently curving lines of the boards create a strikingly beautiful aesthetic. The boards were thinly split along the grain, utilizing the natural wood fibers to effectively prevent water leakage. Upon completion, the new roof shines brilliantly, resembling a copper-sheet roof.