Historical Narrative of Shofuso
This project was funded, in part, by the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. The
author, Christeen Taniguchi is a Historian at the Philadelphia Support Office of the National
Park Service. She has her master of science degree in Historic Preservation from the Universityof Pennsylvania. Photographs, illustrations, figures and other images will be added in the near
future.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Figures
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: The Japanese Exhibition House at The Museum of Modern Art
2.1 "The House in the Museum Garden" Series
2.2 Planning the House
2.3 Work Begins for the House
2.4 J_t_shiki (Ridge Pole Raising Ceremony)
2.5 Deadline for the House Approaches
2.6 The House is Completed and Opened for Its First Season
2.7 The House is Reopened for Its Second Season
Chapter 3: Shofuso Moves to Philadelphia
3.1 Search for a Permanent Location
3.2 Construction in Philadelphia
3.3 The House is Completed and Opened to the Public
Chapter 4: Fairmount Park Associations With Japan
4.1 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia
4.2 Niomon, a Japanese Temple Gate
Chapter 5: Shofuso Becomes a Part of Philadelphia
5.1 The First Few Years of Shofuso in Philadelphia
5.2 Issues of Vandalism
5.3 Continued Use of the House and Garden
Chapter 6: 1976 Bicentennial Restoration
6.1 A Restoration is Planned
6.2 The Restoration Work
6.3 Shofuso is Rededicated
Chapter 7: The Friends of the Japanese House and Garden, and Other Changes in the 1980s
Chapter 8: 1997-2000 Capital Restoration Campaign
8.1 Plans Being Made for a Restoration
8.2 The Scarcity of Hinoki Bark
Chapter 9: Shoin-zukuri
9.1 Shoin-zukuri and Shofuso
9.2 Development of the Earlier Shinden-zukuri and Buke-zukuri
9.3 Development and Characteristics of Shoin-zukuri
9.4 Shoin-zukuri and Japanese Architecture Today
Chapter 10: The Historical Significance of Shofuso
10.1 Shofuso as a Unique Example of Shoin-zukuri in the United States
10.2 Shofuso and Modernism10.3 Shofuso and Its Influence on American Culture
Chapter 11: Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendices
Appendix A: Plant Material for the Japanese Exhibition House at MoMA
Appendix B: Objects Donated for the Japanese Exhibition House at MoMA
Appendix C: Objects Sent to Philadelphia With the Japanese Exhibition House
Appendix D: Descriptive Flyer for the Japanese Exhibition House at MoMA
Appendix E: Inventory of Objects of the Niomon in Fairmount Park
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Shofuso, also known as Pine Breeze Villa, is a traditional Shoin-zukuri Japanese house with ateahouse and a Japanese garden located in the natural setting of Philadelphia’s West FairmountPark (see Figures 1-1, 1-2). Along with visitor and staff service facilities (see Figure 1-3), it is ona triangular area of land surrounded by Lower Horticultural Hall Drive to the north, Lansdowne
Drive to the south, and Belmont Drive to the east. Standing in Philadelphia since 1958, it was
initially called the Japanese Exhibition House and was designed by Japanese architect Junzo
Yoshimura as part of a series of model homes in the sculpture garden at The Museum of Modern
Art (MoMA) in New York City. Built in 1953, only eight years after the Japanese surrender that
ended World War II, Shofuso was a good will gesture made by the Japanese people through The
America-Japan Society to the United States. Since the 1970s, Shofuso has experienced theserious effects of both natural deterioration as well as vandalism in Philadelphia. Fortunately, theAmerican Bicentennial in 1976 allowed for a much needed restoration of the House. Twenty
years later, another restoration program is being implemented by its friends group, The Friendsof the Japanese House and Garden. The House was always well received by the American public,
both in New York and Philadelphia. Today, it continues its original intent of bringing Japanesearchitecture and culture to the United States. Shofuso’s uniqueness as an example of the Shoinzukuri Japanese architectural style in this country, as well as its reflection of and impact on
American culture makes it a nationally significant structure.
Chapter 2
THE JAPANESE EXHIBITION HOUSE AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
2.1 "The House in the Museum Garden" Series
The Japanese Exhibition House was part of a series "The House in the Museum Garden"
exhibited at the southeast end of the Museum’s Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden (seeFigure 2-1). The Garden itself was designed by noted architect Philip C. Johnson and LandscapeConsultant James Fanning, and completed in April, 1953, only a year before the Japanese
Exhibition House was constructed. The Vermont marble paved garden served as a setting for theMuseum’s sculpture collection. Trees and two pools were also part of the design.

There were three houses in this series. The first was a modern single family residence designed
by Marcel Breuer (see Figure 2-2). Breuer was born in 1902 in Hungary, and later taught at the
Bauhaus in Germany. He left Germany in the early 1930s, first arriving in England, then moving
on to the United States. There, he initially worked with Walter Gropius before establishing his
own practice in New York, mainly designing private residences and public buildings. His
Museum house opened to the public on April 14, 1949, and remained exhibited until October 30of that same year. It was meant to be a moderately priced model house for a one acre site,
perfectly suited for a suburban nuclear American family. The house starts as a one story structure,then is easily expanded into a second story home as the family grows and its needs change. The
Breuer house in the garden was built in this second expanded stage.
Second in the series was another modern home, this one designed by Gregory Ain who primarily
designed residences and office buildings in Los Angeles (see Figure 2-3). Early on in his career,
Ain worked with noted architects R. M. Schindler and Richard J. Neutra, before establishing his
own practice in 1935. The house was opened in 1950 at MoMA in collaboration with themagazine Woman’s Home Companion. Although meant to be a model home for a suburban
subdivision on a small lot of 60 by 120 feet, it was designed to be different from the cookie
cutter norm of such housing, and to appear spacious.
2.2 Planning the House
The Japanese Exhibition House was the third and last in this series of houses in the Museum
garden (see Figure 2-4). The idea of a Japanese house for MoMA was first presented to Chikao
Honda, President of the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun, during the latter’s visit to New
York in either 1949 or 1950. Philip Johnson, who had designed the sculpture garden, and John D.
Rockefeller, III, were both involved during the initial stages of planning a Japanese house to bepresented to the United States as a gift from Japan. Rockefeller’s involvement is meaningful
because he and his wife Blanchette had strong interests in Japanese art and culture. John
Rockefeller was an influential advocate for good relations between the United States and Japan,
and was the President of the Japan Society in New York. Actual steps towards making the ideaof a Japanese house real began in 1953 when Arthur Drexler, Curator and Director of the
Department of Architecture and Design at MoMA, made a trip to Japan with John and Blanchette
Rockefeller.
A committee, which included Drexler, three Japanese architects Junzo Yoshimura, Junzo
Sakakura and Kunio Maekawa, and art critic Chisaburo Yamada, investigated various structuresin Japan in order to help determine the style of the Japanese Exhibition House. The sites included
Nagoya Castle and the room of the Emperor at Hashokan in Nagoya. The party also visited
Kyoto, taking in such buildings as the palaces Katsurarikyo and Shogakuinrikyo, and the temples
Giokakuji and Ryoanji.
While there, Drexler and the committee also selected the team that would work on the JapaneseHouse. Junzo Yoshimura, who was part of the committee, was hired as the architect to design theHouse (see Figure 2-5). He was also responsible for supervising the project, both during the
prefabrication stage in Nagoya, Japan, and later during construction in New York. Born in Tokyo,
Yoshimura graduated in 1931 from the Architecture Department of Tokyo National University ofFine Art and Music, which at the time was known as Tokyo Art College. In that same year, hejoined the design firm of architect Antonin Raymond, first in Japan and later in the United States.
Ten years later, Yoshimura established his own architectural practice. By the time the Japanese
Exhibition House was planned, Yoshimura was Assistant Professor of Architecture at his almamater Tokyo National University, and in 1962 he became Professor of Architecture. In addition
to this Japanese house, Yoshimura’s other American designs included the Japan Airlines officein Rockefeller Center of New York City and a motel at the top of a cliff in Suffern, New York(see Figure 2-6), both from the 1950s.
Masaru Sekino, who was the Director of the Commission for the Preservation of National
Treasures in Japan, was selected to consult on the design of the house. However, because of hisbusy schedule, he assigned some of his tasks to one of his former students, Yotaro Ito. Yotaro’s
father Heizaemon Ito was also involved with the construction of the House, as the lead carpenterin Nagoya. The Ito family was involved in this trade for thirteen generations. According toDrexler, Heizaemon Ito was said to be the best living carpenter in Japan at the time. Tansai Sanoof Japan was hired to design the garden surrounding the Japanese Exhibition House incollaboration with Yoshimura. Sano was a seventh generation gardener in his family working forthe temple Ryoanji near Kyoto. As part of his preparation for designing the Japanese Exhibition
House garden, Sano visited old gardens in Nara and Kyoto. A plasterer named Yoshimura from
Shizuoka prefecture was also selected.
While Drexler was in Japan he, the architect Yoshimura and Sekino worked together to create
the basic design of the Japanese Exhibition House. They also consulted with the carpenter Ito.
Sekino later stated that, "the [Kojoin] reception rooms of the Onjoji Temple in Otsu City seemed
to make the deepest impression upon Mr. Drexler as the most representative of the traditional
Japanese architecture." Most likely based on the advice of Sekino and Yoshimura, Drexler
decided upon Kojoin as the model for this Japanese house (see Figures 2-7, 2-8). Kojoin is very
similar to Shofuso in plan, and displays many parallel architectural features. The sukiya(teahouse) of the Japanese Exhibition House was based on a tea room in the temple Daitokuji in
Kyoto.
This house and its garden were official gifts from the Japanese people to the United States. Thiswas part of an effort to strengthen relations between the United States and Japan, weakened by
the recent world war. The America-Japan Society, headed by its President Takashi Komatsu,
organized the fund-raising effort, which was a success with contributions received from 239
Japanese banks, corporations and individuals. In addition, the Japan Society contributed $10,000.
These funds paid for the cost of purchasing the materials needed for the house and garden(excluding the plants), prefabricating the components in Japan, and packing and shipping thematerial to the pier in Yokohama. Their responsibilities also included covering the architect
Yoshimura’s fees.
MoMA in turn took on the responsibilities of paying for the expense of transporting thecomponents of the house and garden from Japan to the United States, and reconstructing it in
New York. They also paid for the plant material, and for the travel and other expenses of thearchitect, landscape designer, plasterer and two carpenters. Later, they would take responsibility
for the cost of maintaining, operating and dismantling the House.

2.3 Work Begins for the House
Most of the significant work of preparation and construction was done in Japan.
Perhaps the most important task involved the gathering of hinoki, a Japanese cypress. Most of
the Japanese Exhibition House is made with this wood, everything from the flooring to theframing system to the roofing structure. In addition, the roofing material is made with the hinoki
bark. An expensive and elegant wood, it was obtained for a good price through arrangementswith the Japanese Government Forestry Agency and was then processed by the Zaiso Companyof Nagoya.
The stones for the garden as well as the foundation were selected by Sano and Yoshimura fromthe Taka Mountain near Nagoya, and were then arranged in a stone workshop in Nagoya. Whencollecting the stones for the garden, they were carefully wrapped so as to preserve the natural
moss growing on them; this organic growth is an important contributor to the aesthetics of theJapanese garden. White sand for the sekitei (sand garden) also came from Japan.
All of the plant material was selected and purchased in the United States. Ethelbert Furlong of
New Jersey, a landscape consultant, worked with Sano to provide plants for the entrance, main,
inner and teahouse gardens (see Appendix A). Austrian pine, azalea and cherry laurel were someof the varieties selected. The main pine tree, however, was apparently found in an unusual
location by Yoshimura next to a lonely road in New Jersey. Additional stones that were needed
were brought from Connecticut. Soil for the garden came from New Jersey.
The fusuma (interior sliding doors) were painted with landscape designs by Kaii Higashiyama, awell-known Japanese artist. He painted 27 images in a period of three months. The kawara (claytiles) of the roof and the surrounding walls were created by Kizo Kobayashi of Nara, and abamboo fence was designed by Yagoro Toshida of Kyoto.
The interior furnishing and objects were donated by various Japanese organizations and citizens.
For example, a major Japanese department store, Matsuzakaya, contributed such items as sudare(bamboo curtains), zabuton (sitting cushions), kakemono (hanging scrolls) and flower vases.
Sosa Sen, grand master of the Omote Senke School of Tea Ceremony, donated various tea
ceremony pieces which were made by ten skilled craftsmen. There were also eleven pieces ofkobijutsu-hin (old art work), a set of hanging scrolls and other pieces by Tanyo Kano, and one
complete set of bihin (accessories). Appendix B lists the objects donated to the Japanese
Exhibition House.
The building components of the house were created in Nagoya, Japan, by Heizaemon Ito and his
assistants. Ito referred to an architectural book called Shomei, which had been in his family for
350 years, to properly create the curves of the eaves, roof and gables. According to Dr. Hiroyasu
Fujioka of Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ito was not able to spare too many of his assistants to
go to America, so did as much of the detailed work in Japan as possible. In addition, they
partially assembled the House, so that in New York it could simply be pieced together (seeFigures 2-9, 2-10). Time was also a factor; most of the work had to be done in Japan, because ofthe year long process involved in constructing such a house. Only 3¸ months could be spared in
New York. Ito chose from among his apprentices, Isao Okumura and Yasuo Bito, who were bothoriginally from Japan’s Gifu prefecture, to go to New York. There they worked with five
American carpenters, two of whom were Japanese-American (see Figure 2-11).
The building material for the House, and its furnishings and objects were sent in three shipments
to the United States. The first was aboard the S. S. Tungus which carried 636 crates of suchthings as stones for the garden and the wood components for the House (see Figure 2-12). This
shipment left Japan on January 29, 1954, and reached the United States on March 15. The second
shipment, containing 13 cases of roofing tiles and one case of sliding screens, was expected toarrive in the United States on March 28 on the S. S. Tungus. The third and last shipment ofbuilding materials left Nagoya on the S. S. Tancred and arrive in New York on June 12.
Meanwhile, the two carpenters Okumura and Bito left Japan on February 15 from the city of
Yokohama aboard the vessel Ninon Yosen Asomaru. They arrived in San Francisco and fromthere flew to New York. The architect Yoshimura left Japan later via Japan Airlines on February
23, 1954.
Before construction could begin, certain issues needed to be resolved. For one, New York Citybuilding authorities were concerned about granting a permit to construct a wooden structuresince they saw it as a possible fire hazard. Apparently, it took about a month to convince themotherwise. In addition, the small space where the house and garden would be installed initiallyconcerned the Japanese workers. Work to build the Japanese Exhibition House began in early
March and lasted until mid-June (see Figure 2-13). A total of twenty two people worked on
constructing the house and garden.
2.4 Jotoshiki (Ridge Pole Raising Ceremony)On April 22, 1954, a ceremony took place to celebrate the jotoshiki, also called mune age, whichis the raising of the last section of the ridge pole (see Figure 2-14). The guests to the event
included the Japanese Consul Naraichi Fujiyama, Permanent Ambassador of Japan to the United
Nations Renzo Sawada, and John D. Rockefeller, III. The ridge pole, covered in white cotton
cloth to protect it from finger prints, was carried up by the Japanese and American workers. They
wore shirushibanten (traditional Japanese coats worn by workers) with Shofuso written in
Chinese characters on the lapels, a name for the House most likely given by Drexler. A Buddhist
priest Hozen Seki, and his two assistants Kenyei Hatta and Egen Yoshikami from the local
Buddhist temple performed a ceremony to bless the House (see Figure 2-15). Seki asked the gods
for protection from fire and storms, and good luck both for the house and its residents. Taperecorded ceremonial music of a koto, Japanese flute and drum played in the background.
For the ceremony, the House had a stylized bow and arrow as well as a tree made of painted
wood on its gables to symbolize the destruction of evil spirits. An altar was placed where thetokonoma (alcove to display art and flower arrangements) of the main room would be located. A
metallic embroidered brocade, red and white gladiolas, red and white candles, a bronze incenseburner, sake (Japanese rice wine), daikon (white radishes), carrots, fruit, nori (edible sea weed),dishes of salt, kome (white uncooked rice), and red and white mochi (pound rice) were laid out
on the altar. In front of the altar, there was a wooden pole with white paper attached, whichsymbolizes purity in the Shinto religion.
2.5 Deadline for the House Approaches
As the day of the official opening neared, the construction of the house was falling behindschedule. Even Yoshimura’s wife Takiko helped out as she attached rice paper to the shoji(exterior sliding doors) frame (see Figure 2-16). What was especially time consuming was thecreation of the garden. A small pond was being created. In addition, the laying of the 260 stones
and placing of the plants, such as azalea, cryptomeria and pine, had to be exact in order for thegarden to be successful. The full effectiveness of a Shoin-zukuri house such as Shofuso hinges
on a successful relationship with its surrounding natural environment.
2.6 The House is Completed and Opened for Its First Season
There was a special viewing for Museum members on June 16, 1954. June 17 was the date of thepress preview and the official dedication ceremony for the House. Renzo Sawada presented the
mokuroku for the house and garden to MoMA on behalf of The America-Japan Society, which
officially transferred the title of the House to the Museum. The objects mentioned earlier, thatwere donated to the House by organizations and individuals in Japan, were also officiallytransferred. Dr. Henry Allen Moe, First Vice-Chairman of MoMA accepted the gifts on behalf ofthe Museum. The House opened to the general public on June 20 (see Figure 2-17).
By the time the House closed for the season on October 31, 1954, it was visited by 121,187
people, a significant number more than originally expected. In fact, this was about three times
more visitors during a similar period of time for the previous two houses of this series, althoughmany were believed to be repeats. People lined up for blocks along Fifth Avenue to see thisJapanese house. One appreciative visitor, a Wall Street broker named Willard S. Simkins,
donated six koi (Japanese carp) for the lake of the garden on August 13 of that year, although
sadly by the exhibit’s end, the carp had all died. The number of visitors was such that althoughthe House was only originally intended to be shown at the Museum for two summers, Drexler at
least briefly contemplated the possibility of showing it for a third season.
To prepare the House for closing, heavy brown paper was wrapped around the shoji forprotection. The house was cleaned and waxed. In addition, the garden was expanded by 400
square feet for the next season. New plants of myrtle, laurels, cryptomeria and a yew wereplanted. In addition, arrangements were made by Junzo Yoshimura for Heizaemon Ito to provide
replacements for the worn tatami (mats made of rice straw packed under woven rush) before thefollowing season.
Although the Japanese Exhibition House was now officially closed until summer, 1955, it was
opened on November 7, 1954, for the Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida. He visited theHouse and The Museum of Modern Art galleries as part of a six day United States visit. He wasallowed to walk through the House with his shoes on, as he was guided through it by John and
Blanchette Rockefeller, Arthur Drexler and René d’Harnoncourt (see Figure 2-18). Yoshida’s
visit was symbolically appropriate. He was well regarded for his successful rebuilding of UnitedStates-Japan relations after World War II.

2.7 The House is Reopened for Its Second Season
When the House was reopened for its 1955 season, another ceremony took place on April 25,
again attended by the Rockerfellers, but also present were Takashi Komatsu, the President of The
America-Japan Society, and Philip C. Johnson, who at the time was Chairman of the Museum’s
Architecture Committee. There were slightly less visitors during the 1955 season, numbering
101,937. By the end of this season, the house was visited by a total of 223,124 people.
Chapter 3
SHOFUSO MOVES TO PHILADELPHIA
3.1 Search for a Permanent Location
As the exhibit closed at the end of summer, 1955, there were still no plans made for the future
location of the House. There were, however, stipulations made by The America-Japan Societythat the House be taken over by another similar institution, such as a museum or university, andthat it remain on the east coast. By remaining near the Atlantic Ocean, where there were less
Asian influences, it was hoped the House would better serve to educate the public on Japanese
art and culture.
A variety of institutions and individuals expressed an interest in obtaining the House. At least
two requests came from California. One was from Construction Industries Exposition and HomeShow of Southern California in Los Angeles, who wanted it for their next Show in 1956, and theother from the Pasadena Art Museum. A man from Boston actually wanted to take the House to
the Virgin Islands via his schooner.
There were, however, other candidates seriously under considerations. Even before the Japanese
Exhibition House was constructed, the idea of having the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit
the House was considered. However, the costs of moving the House intact to the Museum wasconsidered to be cost-prohibitive at $50,000. A later favorite was land adjacent to the Japanese
Embassy in Washington, D. C. It was hoped that the Embassy would be able to take on theHouse because, "Washington is always thronged with visitors (particularly school children) fromall over the United States, and a beautiful Japanese house on Massachusetts Avenue would
constitute a major attraction to thousands of Americans who otherwise might never see anything
Japanese." In addition, the Embassy’s mission of dealing with Japan-America relations seemed
appropriately matched with the purpose of the House. Unfortunately, they were financiallyunable to take on the House.
When negotiations with the Japanese Embassy fell through, Philadelphia was strongly
considered. The Museum had been in touch with Philadelphia through the City’s Commercial
Museum Board of Trade and Conventions. David Marder, Director of the Commercial Museum,
acted as a liaison between the Museum and the Fairmount Park Commission until the offer of theHouse to Philadelphia was confirmed. A letter from René d’Harnoncourt, the Director of MoMA,
dated January 25, 1956, addressed to Marder, made an official offer of Shofuso to Philadelphia.

Although the Fairmount Park Commission was interested in the House, William H. Noble, Jr.,
the Commission’s Acting Director, expressed concerns about both the financial feasibility ofsuch an undertaking and the necessity to protect the House from vandalism. To help ease theburden, the Commission hoped that the Philadelphia Museum of Art could take on the
responsibility of furnishing and operating the Japanese House.
The site chosen had a Japanese temple gate called Niomon until it burned in 1955 (see Figure 44). It was felt that putting the Japanese Exhibition House here would be an appropriate
continuation of a Japanese tradition on the site. An existing stream and lake from the temple
garden could be incorporated into the plan of the new structure. In addition, this new site was 1 ¸acres, which was significantly larger than the tight space at MoMA, thus providing a moreaesthetically accurate setting for the House (see Figures 1-1 and 2-1). MoMA would pay for thedismantling and shipping costs of the House, while transportation and housing costs for theJapanese workers would be put up by the City of Philadelphia and the Fairmount Park Art
Association. The latter appropriated $5,000, which paid the cost of bringing the Japanese to theUnited States.
As for the objects, apparently many of these donated to the House were simply given away todonors, museum curators and others when the exhibition ended. For example, the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York received a donation of a lacquer writing box and a kimono standfor their collection. Some did travel with the house, and these objects are listed in Appendix C.
They included three scrolls with calligraphic design, a hibachi and two earthenware vases.
3.2 Construction in Philadelphia
Some of the same Japanese people who were involved with the House at MoMA also came towork in Philadelphia. The arrangements to once again bring skilled people from Japan weremade by Junzo Yoshimura through MoMA. However, this time the architectural firm of
Steinhardt and Thompson of New York City supervised the move and reconstruction at the site.
They also designed the setting for the House and created a ticket office with storage space thatstill stands today. The chief carpenter was Isao Okumura, who had been one of two carpenters at
the New York installation. Drexler had specifically requested his services for the rebuilding of
the House in Philadelphia. Tansai Sano was again involved with designing the landscape. The
roofer was a man named Kichinosuke Morikawa of Tokyo. Arrangements were made for thecraftsmen to apparently be housed in Memorial Hall located nearby on the Fairmount Park
grounds.
Shofuso was dismantled some time during the fall months of 1956 by Okumura. The componentsof the house, including the woodwork and the stones in the garden, were then brought toPhiladelphia soon thereafter and stored in nearby Memorial Hall throughout the winter season
until the following spring when construction would begin.
Of the stones for the MoMA garden, it is not clear whether any were brought to Philadelphia. It
is know, however, that Fairmount Park did supply at least some stones to the project. Also, 40
pieces from New York City did go to a Princeton, New Jersey, garden for a private home. Thisgarden was designed by David Engel of New Jersey, who was involved with implementing thegarden design in Philadelphia.
Okumura briefly inspected the site for the House in fall of 1956, when its components werebrought to Philadelphia. He was the first to arrive by plane from Japan in early May, 1957 (seeFigure 3-1). In June of the same year, the roofer Morikawa arrived, and in August the garden
designer Sano arrived. Both flew to the United States via Japan Airlines. Sano returned to Japanon November 22, leaving the implementation of his designs for most of the landscape work to
his one time student, David Engel. The Japanese trained the American Fairmount Park workers
to build the Japanese House. Among them, eleven men worked on the roof, and there were six
men helping Sano and Engel with the garden; four carpenters were helping Okumura. An
American masonry contractor was hired to build the plaster covered masonry wall surrounding
the House. The wood pieces that had been damaged were refashioned using sitka spruce, which
was available from a Brooklyn lumber yard.
As the roofer, Morikawa taught the Fairmount Park workers how to drive nails to attach thehinoki bark onto the roof. Nails, however, were eventually replaced, or at least usedsimultaneously, with staples in a staple gun which did the work much faster. Even at a time when
the roof was three quarters complete, a quarter million staples had been used. One stapler wasborrowed from the Philadelphia Art Museum. Another was purchased, along with staples fromJames C. Clark Co. of Philadelphia using funds from the Fairmount Park Art Association.
Purchasing the material through the city of Philadelphia would have taken too long.
The work was only briefly disrupted by union picketers. On May 15, AFL-CIO Building Trades
Council members protested the use of city maintenance workers for the project instead of union
laborers.
3.3 The House is Completed and Opened to the Public
The official dedication ceremony took place on October 18, 1958. The Mayor of Philadelphia
Richardson Dilworth, Japanese Ambassador Koichiso Asakai, Arthur Drexler, John D.
Rockefeller, III, and representatives from the Fairmount Park Commission, Fairmount Park Art
Association, MoMA and Japan Society of New York, were among those in attendance (seeFigure 3-2). A luncheon was given afterwards by the Mayor of Philadelphia in honor of theAmbassador, which was attended by about 30 people.
Shofuso was opened to the public the following day on October 19. Open seven days a week at
its new location, Shofuso continued to be a popular attraction, as it was in New York. According
to The Evening Bulletin, The Fairmount Park Commission announced that as of April 30, 1962,
49,754 people had visited the house since its opening, and that it had surpassed the Niomon in
popularity.
Chapter 4
FAIRMOUNT PARK ASSOCIATIONS WITH JAPAN4.1 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia
One example of Japan and Fairmount Park relations occurred with the 1876 Centennial
Exhibition. Shofuso is located on part of what were the Exhibition grounds. The Japanese had
two traditionally designed buildings at the fair, one a dwelling (see Figure 4-1), and the other abazaar and tea house (see Figure 4-2). The latter was located just south of the current site of
Shofuso. There were also Japanese displays in the Main Exhibition Building (see Figure 4-3) andAgricultural Hall.
Earlier, Japan had displays at three European shows, the London International Exhibition of
1862, the Paris Exposition of 1867 and the Vienna Exposition of 1873. However, the Centennial
was the first time that Japan fully participated in a fair. This newly westernized nation was eager
to participate, making the decision to contribute as early as June, 1874, and responding officiallyto the invitation six months later. Only nine foreign governments constructed their own buildings,
and Japan was one of them. The Japanese shipped more than 7,000 packages for their displays, anumber which was only surpassed by Great Britain.
At the Centennial Exhibition, Japan was a strange new country, with a culture and architecturecompletely different; so little had been seen by westerners. The Japanese saw this as anopportunity to show that they were capable of becoming a competing industrial nation. In theMain Hall, for example, were published Japanese-English dictionaries, and translations of major
European and American works into Japanese. There was even a model Japanese classroom set up,
with benches and desks rather than the traditional zabuton cushions on a tatami floor. However,these and similar displays were not widely visited. Most of the visitors of the Exhibition wereinstead more interested in the traditional Japanese architecture and art being displayed.
Westerners, from both Europe and the United States, were less interested in finding out how well
Japan had modernized. They were instead curious to learn more about the traditions of a country
that seemed exotic and distant from anything they had known before.
4.2 Niomon, a Japanese Temple Gate
A Japanese temple gate called Niomon (see Figure 4-4), was located on the same site as Shofuso
in Fairmount Park. It was an authentic 300 year old gate, which had been part of the Japanese
exhibit during the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. This two story structure had twelve
round red wooden columns with black painted bases and, like Shofuso, an irimoya style roof. A
pair of wooden guardians, Brahma and Indra, decorated the first floor. These fierce looking Nio
statues, protected the Buddhist temple from harm. The Niomon was owned by K. Sano of Japan
who operated a small Japanese art gallery inside it during the Exposition. After the fair ended,
John H. Converse and Samuel Vauclain, both of Philadelphia, purchased the gate and donated it
to the Fairmount Park Art Association. The Association in turn gave Niomon to the FairmountPark Commission. It may be that Fairmount Park was chosen as the site because Converse wasthen President of the Art Association.
The Committee on Works of Art of the Fairmount Park Art Association was given the task oftaking under consideration the offer of the Niomon. Although the Committee members were
enthusiastic about the structure itself, some expressed concerns about its future maintenance andwell-being. Adequate funding from the Park, as well as potential vandalism were strong concerns.
A Committee member John T. Morris noted, "If the building is not protected it will soon go to
decay, if visitors are permitted to do as they want in the interior it will soon be a disgrace as weare all too familiar with the disfigurements which take place where people collect." He felt it
would be better for the Association not to accept the temple gate at all if it were not going to bewell-maintained.
There were suggestions made from the beginning to either enclose the gate within adequate
fencing or in a building. The former owner of the gate, Sano, suggested a 3 feet high and 1 footwide stone fence or wall to surround the gate. However, in the end, no protective measures weretaken for the Niomon, mostly because the Commission would not provide the funds. It was
hoped that a guard or custodian from nearby Memorial Hall would be able to protect thestructure. But again, no funding was provided for a special watchman for Niomon. Because there
would not be adequate security, it was recommended to put the estimated 50 contents of thetemple gate (see Figure 4-5) in Memorial Hall (see Appendix E). In the end, these objects weretransferred to the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, now the Philadelphia
Museum of Art.
These concerns about the well-being of the Niomon ran deeper, going to the basic overall
infrastructure of the Park. Another Committee member, Albert Kelsey wrote, "©&Mac246; I
deplore the possibility of this beautiful temple becoming merely another scattered unit in apoorly planned park that has not, in many instances, been laid out to heighten the effect of themany valuable works of art it possesses."
There were several potential sites discussed for the gate, including an area near the Sedgley
Porter Guard House in East Fairmount Park, and locations either east or west of Memorial Hall.
Ernest Francisco Fenollosa, curator of the Japanese collections at the Museum of Fine Arts inBoston, was called in to help make a selection. The site eventually chosen was apparently
favored by the Committee because it was located near the Lotus Pond, which had an Oriental
theme; the Fairmount Park Commission later agreed to this site. According to Charles Evers, ofthe architectural firm Atkin Olshin Lawson-Bell & Associates, the Pond was installed some time
between 1878 and 1894. The site chosen for the gate was the location of the Centennial Medical
Department during the 1876 Centennial Exposition. The estimated $3,000 cost of constructing
the gate in Fairmount Park, which was half labor and half building material, was paid for by
Converse and Vauclain, provided the Fairmount Park Commission agreed to accept the temple
gate and to assume custody. This offer was made only after it was understood that, "theCommission has no fund available for this purpose."
Sano was initially considered for the reassembly of the house. However, he was only in the
United States for a short period of time. It appears that by the time negotiations were completed
for the construction of Niomon, he had already returned to Japan. Instead, the JapaneseConstruction Company of New York, which had recently built a teahouse and pagoda for
William K. Vanderbilt, built the gate. Unlike Shofuso, neither the laborers nor the material camefrom Japan for the Philadelphia construction of the Niomon. Not only would funding have been
limited for such a venture but, at least in the case of the workers, there were enough skilled
Japanese craftsmen, such as those from the Japanese Construction Company, in the United Statesto do the work. In fact, when Sano was initially considered to supervise the construction, heplanned on hiring several Japanese carpenters locally from Philadelphia. The craftsmanship,
which was quickly becoming extinct even in Japan when Shofuso was built fifty years later, wasstill abundant at the turn of the century.
The building components for the temple gate took up three train cars, and its interior objects fit
in six large cases. About 130 tons of stone were brought from Darby Creek, because they
apparently matched that used in Japan. Fairmount Park also contributed stone, flagging and top
soil. Niomon was built during the winter season of 1905-06.
The garden for Niomon was not immediately installed due to financial complications. As withthe construction of the temple gate, there were no Park Commission funds for it. By 1909, thisproblem was resolved when Morris and Converse paid for the garden. A man named G. Muto,
along with two assistants, worked to create a garden for the temple gate as well as restore thenearby Lotus Pond. The Pond was a hole , [that] has been transformed into a picturesque pondsurrounded by stoney banks. A waterfall has been formed among a rough group of
Rhododendrons. Banks which were low and uninteresting have been changed into miniature hills,
and around the Gateway, paths have been located, bordered with rocks skillfully placed as if
Nature herself had assumed the responsibility of their presence...
By the time the garden was installed the temple gate was already in need of repair, as the wood
was weather beaten and, as predicted, vandals had already had their way. In a letter dated
February 15, 1909, and addressed to L. W. Miller of the Fairmount Park Art Association, Morris
wrote, "The wooden Gatekeepers should be protected by wire-guards, from the acts of barbaric
young American, who take pleasure in stoning these fine specimens of Japanese wood carving –already the glass eyes have been broken out."
Over the years there were several incidences involving vandalism to the Niomon, and it was notvery well-maintained. In 1936, as part of a WPA project, the gate was completely repaired. Still,by 1941 it was in such poor condition that then Park Commissioner, John B. Kelly suggested iteither be repaired or torn down. After decades of comparatively minor vandalism, the gate wasseverely damaged by vandals in 1947. It was believed that small boys did the damage ofmutilating the walls, removing rare covers and destroying lanterns. To help curb such incidents,
the outside staircase leading to the second floor was taken down.
Finally, Niomon burned completely on May 7, 1955 (see Figure 4-6). Ironically, scaffolding
surrounded the building for repair work. There were even plans for the restoration of the garden,
created by local landscape architect Thomas W. Sears. It is not clear whether the fire was thecause of vandals climbing the scaffolding or from the carelessness of the workers repairing thestructure. Although widely regarded by the people of Philadelphia, the Niomon suffered greatly
until it was destroyed. Unfortunately, Shofuso would eventually experience similar hardships.
Chapter 5
SHOFUSO BECOMES A PART OF PHILADELPHIA

5.1 The First Few Years of Shofuso in Philadelphia
Until 1960, the House had either very little or no furnishings or decoration. The objects from theMuseum were still not yet released from bond, and so could not be sent to Philadelphia. Thisperhaps explains the response of some of the early Philadelphia visitors, such as Leonore Toll,
who wrote to The Evening Bulletin that, "We had high hopes of seeing some Japanese culture
but were totally dismayed to find that all we got for our money was a view of a building seenfrom the outside, with no furniture, no decor of any kind or no description of the type ofarchitecture or use of the bare rooms." It appears that the descriptive flyer written by Arthur
Drexler for the New York exhibit was not initially distributed in Philadelphia (see Appendix D).
Still, even with the objects in the House, the austerity of Shofuso was sometimes confusing toAmerican visitors. A MoMA spokesman noted,
We might have made the point clearer if we had showed more storage closets full of objects suchas clothing, beds, additional scrolls, arm rests, cosmetics, linens, etc. Some people don’t realizethat things are put away when not in use and it’s not an austere or monk-like way of life.
In addition to the lack of objects and furnishings, visitors like Toll experienced another
difference as compared to their counterparts in New York. At the Museum, visitors removed
their shoes, which they carried in a paper bag, and wore paper slippers. This allowed them tohave a more genuine Japanese experience. In Japan, shoes are removed before entering a house
because this protects the tatami mats and is also more hygienic. In exchange for this minor
inconvenience, the Japanese Exhibition House guests were allowed to walk through each of therooms, including the main Shoin room and the second room, which were covered entirely withtatami. In fact, they were even allowed to try out the zabuton seat cushions. A newspaper
columnist who visited Shofuso noted, "In each room of the house where pillows were provided
we found a waiting line of persons eager to adopt a squatting posture while contemplating theOriental architecture." However, because of the high level of foot traffic, these floor coverings
became quickly worn and had to be replaced after each season.
The Fairmount Park Commission could not afford to regularly replace the tatami. To reduce thisexpenditure, visitors of the House in Philadelphia were not allowed to walk through the House.
Instead, people kept their shoes on and viewed these rooms from the veranda through plastic
covered openings. This policy was led by William Noble, Fairmount Park Commission Director.
The Commission was budget conscious, realizing that allowing people to walk through theHouse, even without shoes, would cause a significant amount of wear and tear. On the other
hand, the Commission President, John B. Kelly felt that the implementation of regular tea
ceremonies would be an ideal use for the House. His recommendations appear not to have been
implemented.
5.2 Issues of Vandalism
For about one decade from 1958 until the late 1960s, it appears that Shofuso was continually
open to the public. The house and garden were basically maintained, and there appears not tohave been any extraordinary occurrences during this time period (see Figures 5-1, 5-2). However,reminiscent of the Niomon, vandalism eventually plagued Shofuso. Ironically, MoMA’s pressrelease announcing the House’s move to Philadelphia stated the reason this city was chosen wasthat, "the [Fairmount Park] Commission has an outstanding record of maintaining and displaying
historic houses." Shofuso was being built in a park which was suffering from inadequate funding
and staff, and specifically on a site where a similar structure, the Niomon, was badly vandalized
until it met its final sad fate.
Vandalism and theft in Fairmount Park as a whole appear to have increased since the late 1960s;
at the very least such incidents were being more widely publicized. Damage to Shofuso wasespecially ruthless in the 1970s. Some of the more significant incidents include one in July, 1971,
when vandals damaged the shoji and fusuma doors. Graffiti was scribbled on the fusuma of thebathroom. In 1974 there were three reported incidents of vandals. In the first two, they tore shoji
and fusuma, and broke vases (see Figure 5-3). A significant amount of damage resulted fromthese incidences. In the third later that year, a small fire was set, which fortunately was taken
under control.
The situation did not improve when the Fairmount Park police ceased to be a separate entity inMay, 1972, and this 104 year old unit merged with the Philadelphia Police Department. Instead,
there was merely a division of the Philadelphia police to protect the Park that did not have thesame impact as the earlier independent force. One of the advantages the Fairmount Park police
had was their Guard Mounted Unit, which effectively patrolled the Park with officers on
horseback. In addition, the neighborhood in West Philadelphia surrounding the Park waschanging. After World War II, the area had become economically depressed and neglected.
Crime became more of a factor, which in turn affected Shofuso.
As with the Niomon, a major issue was a lack of adequate fencing surrounding the house.
Traditionally, Japanese houses are surrounded on all sides by a plaster wall topped with clay tiles,
to ensure privacy for a home that is so exposed to its environment, especially during the summer
seasons when shoji are usually open, and sometimes completely taken down. Shofuso, however,
was only partially protected by such walls (see Figure 5-4). This problem was even addressed by
the architect of the House, Junzo Yoshimura. A letter from Fairmount Park Information Officer
Dick Nicolai in June, 1970, asked Yoshimura to offer suggestions on how best to place a fence
that would curb the increase in vandalism. The architect visited the House a month later with
Park Director Bernard J. Willgruber and suggested wrought iron pickets set in concrete, which
would better protect Shofuso, but would still allow the House to continue to be seen from
Lansdowne Drive, as requested by the Park Commissioner. A 1972 bid requested for a metal
fence to protect Shofuso resulted in two proposals that were both too expensive. Although there asuggestion by Robert C. McConnell, Director of the Fairmount Park Commission, to consider awooden fence which could be less costly, this attempt went nowhere and resulted in no fence.
5.3 Continued Use of the House and Garden
At the same time vandalism was on the rise at Shofuso, the House continued to be a well-liked
attraction in Philadelphia. By the early 1970s, wedding parties often came to the Shofuso garden
to have their wedding pictures taken. For a brief period, tea ceremonies became a regular activity
at the House. In 1972 four Japanese women, Yoko Miyoshi, Keiko Ono, Yuriko Miyata andKumiko Wakisaka, whose husbands were University of Pennsylvania students, were hired toperform the ceremonies at 2 p.m. daily.
Even after the severe vandalism of the House in 1974, the House appears to have been open to
the public. In November, 1974, a visitor to Shofuso was dismayed that "We paid the admission
fee to view a completely wrecked interior of a once lovely house!" By the following year,
however, the House would be closed in preparation for restoration in time for the American
Bicentennial.
Chapter 6
1976 BICENTENNIAL RESTORATION
6.1 A Restoration is Planned
As America approached its Bicentennial, Shofuso joined in preparations to help celebrate thiscountry’s birth with a restoration. By this time, the House was in dire need of repair due to everpresent vandals as well as natural deterioration. Fortunately, it was at least still structurally sound.
A variety of components were taken out of the House and stored elsewhere for safekeeping.
Serious discussions of restoration began in March, 1975, when Fairmount Park Commission
members met with then Philadelphia Mayor Frank L. Rizzo and Philadelphia ’76, Inc.
representatives. The Fairmount Park Commission could not have funded such an extensive
project on their own. Plans gradually came to fruition as Nobuyuki Nakashima, Consul Generalof Japan, became involved as well. In early 1975, Ambassador Nakashima came to Philadelphia
to make a site visit to Shofuso with Rizzo and Frank Binswanger of the Fairmount Park
Commission. At that time, Nakashima offered the idea that the Japanese government might
finance the restoration.
Ultimately, the Japanese government did not fund the project. Instead, six organizations offered
their assistance: The America-Japan Society, the Japan Federation of Employers’ Associations,
the Japan Committee for Economic Development, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
the Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives, and the Japan Federation of Economic
Organizations. The America-Japan Society was the same organization that had helped raise
funds for the initial construction of the House at MoMA. The Japanese organizations agreed tocover the costs of the artisans’ wages, and cost of obtaining and transporting necessary material
from Japan to the United States. The $500,000 restoration was a Bicentennial gift to the City ofPhiladelphia.
Meanwhile, the City covered the additional expenses of 1) paying for the room and board of astudy team of three technical experts to do an initial inspection of the House, 2) paying for theroom and board of artisans, craftsmen and gardener to stay for about three months to do repairson the house and garden, 3) packing and shipping components that may need to be repaired inJapan, and 4) providing any scaffolding needed to repair the roof as well as the exterior walls.
An initial assessment of Shofuso for its Bicentennial restoration was made by its designer Junzo
Yoshimura and George G. Shimamoto, a Japanese-American architect from Gruzen & Partners

based in New York City. During their May 21, 1975, visit, the two architects inspected thephysical condition of Shofuso and the components of the house stored in a warehouse, anddiscussed the cost of restoring the House. They were joined by Japanese Counselor Yoshitsugu
Tsukamoto, Binswanger and Dick Magee of Philadelphia ’76, Inc.
6.2 The Restoration WorkAs when the House was brought to New York and later to Philadelphia, Japanese artisans cameto do the restoration work for both the house and garden. The supervisor for the architectural
restoration was Yoshiaki Nakamura of Nakamura Sotoji Komuten in Kyoto (see Figure 6-1) andthe garden overseer was Ken Nakajima of Tokyo. Yoshiaki’s father Sotoji was involved with an
early inspection of the House. During the winter of 1961-62, Sotoji had worked in the UnitedStates constructing a Japanese teahouse for the Rockefeller family on their estate in Poncantico
Hills, New York. Interestingly, the architect for this teahouse was Junzo Yoshimura and thesupervising architect was George Shimamoto, and the redesigning of the existing garden was
done by David Engel, all of whom had some associations with Shofuso.
An initial team of three engineers made a preliminary examination of Shofuso. The Japanese
craftsmen and carpenters then arrived in early April, 1976. Nakajima and his assistant Hisao
Sawada arrived later on May 20 and would leave about a month later in June. While inPhiladelphia, the Japanese workers initially stayed at the Playhouse Annex of the Playhouse in
the Park, but later moved to a Holiday Inn in Philadelphia because they were having problems
with thieves and feral dogs. The entire project was completed by the end of June of the sameyear.
6.3 Shofuso is RededicatedOn June 24, 1976, a ceremony took place to rededicate Shofuso for the Bicentennial (see Figure6-2). The event was attended by Ambassador Nakashima, Mayor Rizzo and Park Commission
President Robert Crawford, as well as representatives from some of the six Japaneseorganizations that helped fund the project. Arthur Drexler from MoMA was unable to attend
because he was in Europe. The ribbon cutting was done by Crawford, and a traditional tea
ceremony was performed by the Tea Ceremony Society of Urasenke. The dedication participants
later had lunch at the Belmont Mansion Restaurant. The House was reopened to the generalpublic on July 24, 1976.
Conscious of the increase in vandalism, a chain link fence was installed around the House andthe nearby Horticultural Center in 1976 as part of the Bicentennial plans. This fence has madethe House less accessible to the public, especially since it blocks the Lansdowne Drive entrance
from Belmont Avenue. It is also not an aesthetically pleasing feature. Still, it has been generally
effective as a physical deterrent for vandals. In addition, 24 hour guard duty was instated, whichlasted into the early 1980s.
Despite the guard presence, however, there were still break-ins. For example, on June 29, 1978, athief nearly stole a hanging scroll, leaving behind a 24 inch tear on the wall covering behind the
tokonoma, and damaging the wood frame of the shoji when he broke in. On June 15, 1980, it wasdiscovered that a scroll was stolen, along with a bamboo screen the night before. When, also in
June, 1980, the House was broken into and the hibachi was stolen, this was noted as the second
break-in in four days and the third in two weeks. A significant reason for this continued entry
was the insufficient number of guards on duty. For example, the evening a scroll and bamboo
screen were stolen, one guard was on duty for the entire Horticultural Hall grounds, including
Shofuso. Then, in 1980 it was noted that, "On June 30 we will be laying off a guard at theJapanese House and we are all ready (sic) one guard short. We’ll have a critical shortage ofguards at the Japanese House beginning July 1." Instead of hiring needed additional guards, thefinancially burdened Fairmount Park Commission cut the number of staff. It appears, however,that by the following year the guard duty for Shofuso was improved, thus bringing down thenumber of intruders.
Chapter 7
THE FRIENDS OF THE JAPANESE HOUSE AND GARDEN, AND OTHER CHANGESIN THE 1980'S
Vandalism was not the only cause for the deterioration of Shofuso. Irregular maintenance by anunder-funded and over-burdened Park meant that the House could not receive the regular careand maintenance that it needed. When Yoshimura visited Shofuso in 1970, he noted that some ofthe paper of the sliding doors had been in place since the House was built in Philadelphia.
According to the architect, such paper would be changed every year in Japan, granted referring
to a house being actively used. It is highly likely that little else, except for general care, wasgiven to the Japanese house during its first 25 years in Philadelphia. The House needed the helpof an organization that could devote greater attention towards it.
In 1982, the non-profit private organization The Friends of the Japanese House and Garden wasformed. It began simply as a friends group to provide support for Shofuso, but has since thengradually grown in size and levels of responsibility. Initially, the Recreation Division ofFairmount Park continued to manage the property, but within a decade after the group’s
formation, they have had two part-time directors, Kevin Mullavey and Dr. Frank Chance, andtoday have a full-time director, Hope Zoss. The organization was formed under its first board
president Dr. Mary Watanabe. The people who succeeded her were Reiko Gaspar, Hiroshi
Uyehara, and Steve Yanai, who is the current president.
Fairmount Park, however, is still greatly involved with the operations of the house and garden.
They pay for seasonal recreational specialist instructors to manage the site when open to the
public. They also do minor repair and installation work. For example, a cover designed by
Charles Evers for the brazier in the teahouse was installed by Park employees as part of thegeneral services. The formation of the friends organization, however, has been important to
Shofuso, for its more specific and unusual needs. Shofuso today continues to be owned by theCity of Philadelphia but operated by the Friends of the Japanese House and Garden.
Since its formation, The Friends of the Japanese House and Garden have made some
improvements, both for the house and in the garden. They include the replacement and repair ofsome of the shoji paper. In 1984, the friends group organized and paid for the replacement of thedeteriorating sitka spruce bridge in the garden, original to the Philadelphia installation, with areplica. In addition, Richard Koga, a carpenter who had worked to install the House at MoMA
and Philadelphia, and had made repairs during the 1980s, realigned the chashitsu that had moved
due to growing roots of an adjacent crab apple tree. Parts of the entry gate were replaced or
repaired in the early 1990s by Toshihiro Sahara, a carpenter from Atlanta, Georgia, and thedeteriorated edges of the veranda were trimmed off by Frank Kawasaki during the late 1980s.
The friends group was involved in organizing the restoration work of the garden in 1982, which
was funded through a grant from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Part of the work for thisrestoration was the redesigning of the entry courtyard, which was done by landscape architect
Masao Kinoshita of Urban Design Collaborative in Ohio.
The problem of the fence, which surrounded only part of Shofuso, was resolved by the friends
group in 1993, when a five foot high three rail ornamental black iron fence manufactured by
Monumental Iron Works of Baltimore, Maryland, was put up by the Chester County Fence
Company of West Chester, Pennsylvania (see Figure 7-1). The installed fence matched closely
the architect Yoshimura’s suggestion over two decades before in 1970 of installing a wroughtiron picket fence set in concrete. This new fence helped keep out vandals and thieves, as well asstray dogs roaming the Park. In addition, it was more aesthetically pleasing than the chain linkfence that was initially suggested by the friends group in 1992.
From the time of its formation, The Friends of the Japanese House and Garden has also regularly
maintained Shofuso with much needed routine cleaning including once when the House isopened for the season and again when the house is closed. The guidelines outlined by thearchitect Yoshimura in his 1976 "Cleaning and Maintenance Manual for the Japanese House" areused.
Programming is an important function for the friends group. Annual events include the Hanami
Cherry Blossom Picnic which celebrates the coming of spring with a viewing of the cherry
blossoms, a tour of the house and garden, and a potluck picnic. The Children’s Festival in May
celebrates the traditional Japanese holidays of Girl’s Day and Boy’s Day with origami, koi windsocks and kimono displays, as well as storytelling, music and tea ceremony events. Tsukimi(moon viewing) allows quite moments of contemplation as visitors can watch the moon rise over
Shofuso (see Figure 7-2). Tea ceremonies are held several times a year by the LaSalle University
Urasenke Tea Program (see Figure 7-3). In addition, there are origami (paper folding), ikebana(flower arrangement) and rakuyaki (pottery) demonstrations every year.
Chapter 8
1997-2000 CAPITAL RESTORATION CAMPAIGN
8.1 Plans Being Made for a Restoration
Since the 1976 restoration, there has been no major work done at Shofuso. However, there has
been no major vandalism or neglect since that time. In 1987, architect George G. Shimamoto
visited the House and noted that although there were some flaking stucco and torn shoji, theHouse interior showed the results of "tender care" by the friends group. There are, however,normal repair needs that need to be met. As with the earlier restoration program, the mostsignificant work that needs to be done is roof replacement. The life span of the hinoki bark roof
at about 20-25 years is shorter than the roof of a traditional western home. The kakibuki(persimmon tree shingles) of the Shofuso teahouse will also be replaced. In addition, in otherareas of the house, such as the rice paper covered shoji, there is a higher amount of maintenancerequired than what Americans generally experience.
The garden also needs to be restored. According to carpenter Richard Koga, the basic reason thegarden is in poor shape is that the landscape designer Tansai Sano was sent back to Japan early.
Fairmount Park did not provide adequate provisions to keep him on to supervise the project as hedesigned it. His assistant David Engel did not properly place the stones or planting. Many of thestones have subsequently come loose and are now at the bottom of the pond.
A capital fund raising campaign has been underway since a feasibility study was completed in
March, 1997. It was determined that $2,000,000 are needed for current restoration andadministration needs for the house, garden and the gate house. The City of Philadelphia has set
aside $250,000 to be used towards the roof restoration. The Japanese sister organization of The
Friends of the Japanese House and Garden, Japan Friends of Shofuso, is actively helping to raise
funds for the capital campaign.
The Japanese government, however, did not become involved with this restoration campaign.
After agreeing to help coordinate assistance from Japanese organizations in 1976, they made a
condition that, "the Japanese side sincerely expects that the City of Philadelphia and theauthorities of Fairmount Park will be responsible for the future maintenance and preservation of
the house." At that time, the city’s mayor, Frank Rizzo, wholeheartedly accepted these terms
stating, "You may be sure that the house and grounds will receive proper care and attention solong as I am Mayor and that this pledge will be made known to my successors in the years tocome," thus absolving the Japanese government from any further obligations to Shofuso.
The same organization that performed the 1976 restoration, Nakamura Sotoji Komuten, will be
involved with the roof replacement. In October and November of 1995, Yoshiaki Nakamuracame to Shofuso for an initial site visit to assess the roof. A final inspection was made in October,1998 (see Figure 8-1). It is planned that the hinoki bark being prepared in Japan will be packed
in February, 1999, and shipped to the United States in April of that same year. Scaffolding will
begin to be erected in August, 1999, and the actual work will be done in September and October.
During the roof restoration, The Friends of the Japanese House and Garden will provide 24 hour
security service for the House to supplement the regular Fairmount Park police patrol.
Nakamura plans to arrive in mid-September with seven roofers and carpenters. In addition to thereplacement of the hinoki roof, they will replace or repair the kawara tiles of the roof as needed.
The house will close early for that season at the end of Labor Day to accommodate the work, andis expected to reopen in May, 2000.
There are several areas where the hinoki wood components have deteriorated. It is likely thatthese pieces may be the sitka spruce pieces that were fashioned when the House was relocated toPhiladelphia. The wood replacement for damaged pieces during the 1958 relocation of Shofuso

was unfortunately not documented. Although similar in appearance, this new wood does notresist water as readily without a protective coating. Conservators have been engaged to assist
with the conservation of the exterior wood elements of Shofuso.
In addition to restoration work, the friends group plans on expanding their interpretation andeducational facilities. Initially, designs were created by Charles Evers to simply expand theexisting gate house. However, a Building Committee formed to deal with the expansion of thesefacilities, decided that this would not be the most feasible plan because the property within the
Shofuso gates are so limited. A site outside on Fairmount Park grounds will instead be used. The
new facility is being designed by the architectural firm Atkin Olshin Lawson-Bell & Associates.
The new building will fulfill such functions as volunteer and visitor services, educational
programming, and administrative offices.
8.2 The Scarcity of Hinoki Bark
Even in Japan, the repair or replacement of a hinoki roof is difficult. Structures that areconsidered National Treasures are on waiting lists to have work done. For one, there are fewer
good quality hinoki trees today, and they are often privately owned. Owners often do not allow
for their tree bark to be removed by motokawashi (people who peels bark off the hinoki), who
often fear damage. Ironically, when properly done, the removal of bark actually strengthens thetree layers, but owners, who are also concerned with volume over quality, are not happy. In
addition, there are few skilled yanefuki shokunin (roof carpenters) and motokawashi today. They
are increasingly getting older with very few to take their place.
Several other materials, including copper, were investigated as potential replacement roofing
material. Another Yoshimura designed structure, the sukiya style teahouse on the Rockefeller
estate in New York mentioned earlier, also had a hinoki roof, which was replaced with copper in1982 because of the scarcity of hinoki bark.
Chapter 9
SHOIN-ZUKURI
9.1 Shoin-zukuri and Shofuso
Shofuso was designed as a late sixteenth to early seventeenth century house in the Shoin-zukuri(Shoin style). It was based primarily on the Kojoin reception hall, a part of the temple complexof Onjoji in the city of Otsu near Kyoto, which was in an early Shoin style. Later examples ofthis style became more complex as they had several main buildings, and even came to haveelaborate carvings and metal work decorating the interior.
Although Junzo Yoshimura designed the House to be authentic, there were modifications madeto the Shoin style for its New York location. He scaled down the House specifically to fit thetight MoMA garden space. Also, the veranda was widened to accommodate visitors going
through the Japanese Exhibition House, and a couple of the rooms and the servants quarters were
eliminated. There was, however, no one standard Shoin-zukuri house; as was done with Shofuso,

each was adapted to meet particular needs.
9.2 Development of the Earlier Shinden-zukuri and Buke-zukuri
Shoin-zukuri had its roots in Shinden-zukuri (Shinden style), which had previously beenfashionable. Shinden style was developed in the tenth to twelfth centuries, and used by thecountry’s Emperors and their court. Japan’s first true domestic architectural style, it wascomposed of a complex of buildings laid out symmetrically. Shinden-zukuri was named after theshinden, the main hall in the complex, which translated to "hall for sleeping." This main area wassurrounded by other halls, and these were connected by corridors (see Figure 9-1). The shinden
consisted of a single room called a moya surrounded by verandas on all four sides. The room wassectioned off with such movable partitions as byobu (folding screens), tsuitate (single screens) or
kicho (portable stands).
From the twelfth to the second half of the nineteenth century, the warrior class ruled Japan.
Rising from the peasantry, these shogun and samurai took ruling power away from the nobles
and adopted their Shinden style architecture. However, eventually, this new ruling class took on
its own architectural style called Buke-zukuri, which literally translated to "samurai familystyle." This style, used during the Kamakura (1185-1333) and Muromachi (1338-1573) periods,
consolidated the rambling semi-detached halls of Shinden into one building, and had the highwalls and imposing gates needed for a warrior’s protection. However, as with Shinden-zukuri, nobuildings of this style remain, so the details of it are unknown.
9.3 Development and Characteristics of Shoin-zukuri
Eventually members of the military class found solace from the stresses of their daily lives byturning to the tea ceremony. This helped to shape the Shoin style during the latter part of the
Muromachi period. With Shoin-zukuri, formal Japanese architecture fully came into its own.
Unlike Shinden-zukuri, it no longer borrowed from China.
At the same time, the importance of the tea ceremony also inspired the chashitsu (teahouse). The
chashitsu was either in a room in a house, or a detached building, as it is at Shofuso. The size ofthe spaces of the chashitsu were small with low ceilings, thus encouraging inhabitants to sit andenjoy the tea ceremony. The chashitsu combined rusticity with refinement. For example, at the
Shofuso teahouse, one side of the decorative alcove has a partial divider with exposed wattle (seeFigure 9-2), which has a raw appearance. At the same time, however, everything in a chashitsu
was carefully calculated, from the height of the ceiling to the position of the windows.
Shoin-zukuri was different in many ways from the preceding style. The floor plan was no longer
symmetrical, but instead was random. Also, the main living space was not one large room
divided by movable partitions. Instead, there were fusuma (interior sliding doors) dividing thespaces. Fusuma were light sliding panels, with heavy opaque paper pasted on the wood frame,
which could be removed to convert separate rooms into one space. With Shoin-zukuri also camethe amado (sliding exterior wooden shutters). In order to provide some protection from theelements, as well as from thieves, the fragile shoji (exterior sliding doors) were covered withamado. These amado doors had a wooden frame that was stiffened by transverse battens whichhave nailed on little wooden boards. Amado also helped to control the temperature inside thehouse. Also with Shoin-zukuri came the bathroom and privy.
Instead of individual mats covering the floor when needed, such as for sitting, the entire living
spaces of a Shoin-zukuri house were now covered with tatami. Tatami were made of rice straw
packed under woven rush, which is then bordered with either linen or silk material. The tatami
became such a fixture that the size of a room would be determined according to the number ofmats. This was possible because, although the size of the mats were not uniform throughout
Japan, they were usually the same within one structure. The standard tatami mat was 6 feet longand 3 feet wide.
A Shoin-zukuri house had a combination of four basic features (see Figure 9-3). They were: 1)
Tsukeshoin. This was a built-in desk after which the Shoin style was named. 2) Tokonoma. This
was the most sacred space in a Japanese home. In addition to placing decorative scrolls andflowers, offering of incense and food were made here. The tokonoma was never placed at thecenter of a wall. 3) Chigaidana. These were staggered shelves. 4) Chidaigamae. These decorative
doors were originally the only entrance into an enclosed and protected sleeping area. They later
took on a simply decorative purpose. Rarely did a house have all four elements. Shofuso has all
four features (see Figure 9-4).
The orientation of the Shoin style was also important. For example, the living room spaces
would preferably face either south or southeast to take advantage of the sun, but would in turnhave a veranda for protection. It would not face west so as to avoid the strong afternoon sun. The
living room spaces of Shofuso conform to this as it faces southeast.
A Shoin-zukuri structure had an intimate relationship with nature, especially in the summer
seasons, as it catered to the demands of the hot and humid months. There were few fixed walls.
Instead, the shoji sliding doors could be easily opened, and removed to accentuate the circulationof air. There was also lattice work above the sliding doors, such as that between the two main
rooms at Shofuso, that allows for ventilation. At a lower level, the building was raised above
ground to keep it off the wet ground, and also to allow for the circulation of air which helped
protect the wood from rot. The use of a small bell or lantern, as well as a small waterfall in thegarden were some ways to stress the feeling of coolness. As part of this relationship with thesummer season, the veranda was an important feature in a Shoin-zukuri house. It was atransitional space between the interior and exterior which could be effective in warm weather. A
person could view the garden, looking out into nature, rather than shutting the house away fromthe elements. The large deep overhanging roof protected the interiors and verandas from thestrong summer sun, as well as rain fall. The straw tatami mats and the paper shoji doors would bedamaged if placed directly in the path of the elements.
On the other hand, inhabitants suffered during the winter seasons since the house could be drafty,with only small sources of heat from a transportable coal burning brazier called a hibachi. The
hibachi was about 1 to 1 ¸ feet high and 1 to 2 feet long, and made of wood, porcelain or bronze.
It was small, but this was sufficient since it is meant only to warm the user’s hands, and not theentire room.

9.4 Shoin-zukuri and Japanese Architecture Today
Although the Japanese home is increasingly becoming westernized, Shoin-zukuri still has alasting influence on Japanese architecture to this day. For example, in many Japanese homes
today there is still a close association to the floor. The floor is often still covered with tatami, andthe Japanese still take their shoes off inside their homes. The use of futon (bedding) and theirstorage into oshiire (wall cupboards), and the use of zabuton as seats are carried over from
Shoin-zukuri. The practicality of furnishings which can be put away, is a continued necessity inthis crowded country.
Chapter 10
THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SHOFUSO
10.1 Shofuso as a Unique Example of Shoin-zukuri in the United States
Shofuso is significant for at least three reasons, which are described in this chapter. One, it is aunique example of Shoin-zukuri in the United States. It may even be the only example of thisarchitectural style outside of Japan. In Portland, Oregon, for example, there is a Japanese garden
with a tea house and pavilion run by the Japanese Garden Society of Oregon (see Figure 10-1).
In the Fort Worth Japanese Gardens of Fort Worth, Texas, there is a pavilion. On the campus ofChristopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, there is a teahouse which was
originally on temporary exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. As mentioned
earlier, one teahouse was even designed by Shofuso’s architect Yoshimura in 1961-62 for the
Rockefeller compound in New York. Although there are several authentically designed Japanesesukiya (tea house) and pavilions in the United States, there are no other known Shoin-zukuri
buildings in this country.
10.2 Shofuso and Modernism
While at MoMA, what appeared to be an odd entry in a series of modern houses, was actually
very appropriate. As Drexler noted, "Modern Western architects have borrowed so many ideas
from the traditional architecture of Japan, that the exhibition of an actual house would show to
American(sic) the origin, in it’s(sic) purest form, of all those ideas and technics(sic) we have solong admired." For centuries before the dawning of Modern architecture, the Japanese werealready constructing buildings with non-load bearing walls, a strong connection between theinterior and exterior, flexible plans and ornamental quality achieved by the structural systemthrough the Shoin style. As Marjorie K. Sieger of the Philadelphia Museum of Art noted,"[Shofuso] is probably the only building of an ancient style in America that is uniquely relevant
to contemporary Western architecture."
A Shoin-zukuri house was chosen as the third house in this series of Modern houses in theMuseum’s garden because of these close associations to Modernism. Earlier American architects
such as Frank Lloyd Wright, and Greene and Greene had keen interests in Japanese design,
incorporating elements from it into their own work. Much of the details of their interior designand decoration had Japanese influences. For example, Wright’s trademark wide overhanging

horizontal roofs from his early twentieth century works, such as the Ward W. Willitts House(1902) (see Figure 10-2) and the Frederick C. Robie House (1908-10) (see Figure 10-3), weredirectly influenced by Japanese examples.
The Japanese House and Garden also drew the attention of numerous architects, interior
designers, interior decorators, artists and landscape gardeners, and was influential to many ofthem. In an interview with the Nippon Times, Arthur Drexler noted that just about every
important architect had come to study Shofuso. It had an important influence on Americaninterior design and decorating. Apparently Marcel Breuer, who had earlier designed his own
house as part of "The House in the Museum Garden" series, declared his enthusiasm for Shofuso,
and that he now felt inclined to only design Japanese influenced structures.
At the same time Shoin-zukuri was becoming influential to western architects, it was quickly
becoming extinct in Japan. In fact, the decline of such traditional architectural styles, and the riseof western influenced design began exactly a century before the construction of the Japanese
Exhibition House, with the coming of Commodore Matthew Perry and his Black Fleet on July 8,
1853, into Uraga Harbor to open up Japan to western trade. After returning to the United States,
Perry came back to Japan the following year to open up trade negotiations, thus beginning thewesternization of this eastern country. By 1868, the Meiji Restoration signaled the official end of
feudal Japan and the coming of change. The display of the Japanese Exhibition House could beseen not just as a celebration of Modernism, but also as an homage to a dying art, and as one of
the last opportunity to showcase the artistry and intricacies of Shoin-zukuri to both Japan and therest of the world.
10.3 Shofuso and Its Influence on American Culture
Shofuso in New York was also important for its influence. Showcased at MoMA, it was widely
publicized and highly praised. The house played a strong part in introducing Japanese art,architecture and culture to the east coast after World War II. According to Yoshimura, before theWar, the east coast had little knowledge or understanding of these Asian things. For many, thiswas the first time they had seen a traditional Japanese house, and had the opportunity tounderstand it and to relate it to their own lives. In the 1950s, there was a rise in popularity ofthings "Oriental" and Shofuso played a good role in this. The House proved to be an effective
ambassador to the United States.
Many visitors to the House were enamored by it, and they in turn implemented ideas from it into
their homes and other buildings. For example, as part of their expansion efforts in 1956, the Saks
Fifth Avenue on Miami Beach in Florida, created a "formal salon," which came from an idea byAdam L. Gimbel, President of the department store, who had visited the Japanese Exhibition
House. The New York City architectural firm of Leavitt, Henshell and Kawai was hired todesign this salon for designer dresses, which was a Shoin style room with such elements as a
tokonoma and shoji. The House also inspired average Americans who began to incorporate
screens, lanterns and Japanese prints into their interior decor.
The basic elements of the Shoin style, such as an open plan and skeleton frame construction,
were already beginning to show up in the average home and workplace, through the tricklingdown of Modernism from the realm of theory and high art. In fact, when asked to compare thepost-war ranch style home to the Japanese Exhibition House, Yoshimura was quoted as saying,"Actually, if you remove the detail, the principle is the same." The average American, being
influenced by the shift towards Modernism after World War II, appreciated the clean lines andsimple elegance of the Japanese Exhibition House and found the Victorian clutter of earlier tastes
distasteful. Comments such as "Why don’t they tear down all the old brownstone houses aroundhere and build these [Japanese houses] instead?" were quoted in contemporary newspapers.
Unlike the Japanese buildings at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, Shofuso was seen less as
something exotic, and instead as something somewhat familiar.
What helped the Japanese Exhibition House to be influential was the widespread media coveragethrough such sources as newspapers, television and magazines. Newspapers from across theUnited States from as far away as the Oklahoman of Oklahoma City, and the Peninsula Herald ofMonterey, California, covered the House. International publications from other continents, suchas Europe and Australia, also featured the House. The youthful medium of television showcased
the house; NBC, CBS and the now defunct DuMont telecast, often live, from the Japanese
Exhibition House (see Figure 10-4). Even women’s magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s
Bazaar featured the Japanese Exhibition House, with models showing off the latest fashion
designs, and the House in the background (see Figure 10-5). This widespread publicity brought
the influence of Shofuso outside of the immediate east coast area, and to the rest of the UnitedStates and the world.
Chapter 11
CONCLUSION
Today Shofuso is a contributing structure in the Fairmount Park National Register historic
district, designated in 1972. This Japanese house and garden, however, has great individual
historic significance. Shofuso’s value to American history and architecture began when it stoodin the garden of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Nearly a quarter of a million
visitors came to view the house, many Americans seeing and appreciating for the first time theuncanny similarities between their own architecture and a style that had existed for centuries on
the other side of the globe. Shofuso continues to be influential today as visitors, includingarchitects and artists, come to the house to learn about Shoin-zukuri first hand, something thatcannot be done anywhere else in the United States. Shofuso continues to be a valuable resource,reflecting both the history and current culture of Japan and the United States.
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