{"id":32666,"date":"2021-01-25T22:56:48","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T13:56:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kagu-higashikawa.jp\/?page_id=32666"},"modified":"2026-07-01T13:04:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T04:04:55","slug":"message","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.kagu-higashikawa.jp\/en\/message\/","title":{"rendered":"Message-EN"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\nMESSAGE<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWe are entering a time in which the value and potential of rural areas are being reconsidered. Higashikawa, the “Town of Photography,” and the “Cultural Capital of Photography,” is a beautiful town in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in a beautiful rural setting, surrounded by the Daisetsusan mountains, it is also blessed with pure groundwater. With the aim of communicating the richness of life through architecture and furniture, our town has promoted a new initiative in collaboration with architect Kengo Kuma, who has a strong interest in the use of architecture and design in rural settings.
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\nHigashikawa, with its small size and thriving furniture industry, has long implemented programs that would only be possible here: It starts with the \u201cYour Chair\u201d project, which gives the children a sense of safety and belonging from a young age. In Elementary School, the children learn while surrounded by wooden furniture. When they graduate Junior High School, as a graduation present, they take home their wooden chairs that they have used and cared for over three years. It is now time to start a new project and train the young people who will be the leaders of the next generation.
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\nArchitect Kengo Kuma has joined us in supporting our town and our region. He is an early advocate of promoting the appeal of regional communities through architecture, with a strong interest in expanding the use of local resources and educating the next generation of young people. In a sense, Kengo Kuma, who is working on regional revitalization though the world of architecture, and Higashikawa, a sparsely populated town blessed with a rich environment and a thriving furniture industry, have been working together to propose a new way of life.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Photo \u00a9Designhouse\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When you wake up in Higashikawa, the stillness that greets you feels unlike anything else. In that stillness, deep sleep restores harmony between mind and body, allowing us to reconnect with the world. Surrounded by the gentle, understated sounds of nature, such as the murmur of flowing water and the subtle chorus of insects, we are reminded that human beings, too, belong to the natural world. Furniture that resonates with such tranquility. Furniture that embodies the quietness found in nature. We invite you to bring your creativity and imagination to \u201cQuiet Furniture\u201d that inspires us to see the world with fresh eyes and reconnect with it.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Kengo Kuma<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Head Judge \/ Architect, professor at the University of Tokyo<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Higashikawa, located roughly in the center of Hokkaido, is a town where rich nature and a vibrant woodworking culture thrive. This competition is held with the aim of passing the town\u2019s industries on to future generations and further revitalizing the community. This initiative, which connects the artistic vision of younger generations with local craftsmanship, has continued to grow each year. We look forward to receiving many entries full of creativity.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Shin Kikuchi<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Mayor of Higashikawa, the Cultural Capital of Photography and \u201cTown of Photography\u201d<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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We are deeply grateful for the support of so many people, which allows us to hold the 5th \u201cKengo Kuma & Higashikawa\u201d KAGU Design Competition. We hope that this opportunity\u2014where the woodworking skills nurtured in Higashikawa meet creative designs from around the world\u2014will generate exciting chemistry, inspiring new ideas and fostering meaningful, mutual exchanges. We warmly welcome participants from across the world.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Ikuhiro Takashima<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Chair of the \"Kengo Kuma & Higashikawa\" KAGU Design Competition Executive Committee<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Applications Closed<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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September 30, 2026<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Registration is closed as of September 30, 2026.
Thank you very much for your registration.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Registration is closed as of September 30, 2026. Thank you very much for your registration.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWORK SUBMISSION<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u30e1\u30c3\u30bb\u30fc\u30b8 MESSAGE We are entering a time in which the value and potential of rural areas are being…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.kagu-higashikawa.jp\/?page_id=32661","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-32666","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","en-US"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMessage - "Kengo Kuma & Higashikawa" KAGU Design Competition<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kagu-higashikawa.jp\/en\/message\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Message - "Kengo Kuma & Higashikawa" KAGU Design Competition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u30e1\u30c3\u30bb\u30fc\u30b8 MESSAGE We are entering a time in which the value and potential of rural areas are being...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kagu-higashikawa.jp\/en\/message\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\uff62\u9688\u7814\u543e&\u6771\u5ddd\u753a\uff63KAGU\u30c7\u30b6\u30a4\u30f3\u30b3\u30f3\u30da\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-01T04:04:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kagu-higashikawa.jp\/wpkagu\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/thumbs\/portrait_kuma_w1600_002-qxp6jkv47o6z4d3vn6dqohlg1kf6l9t9z9jbchvqjs.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.kagu-higashikawa.jp\\\/en\\\/message\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.kagu-higashikawa.jp\\\/en\\\/message\\\/\",\"name\":\"Message - 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