Leaning Timber Frame Anchors Shrine Office in Japanese Mountain Valley

Sobokuya has completed The Shrine Office, a 47.1-square-metre timber building within the precincts of Fujitake Shrine in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Its columns lean uniformly outward in two directions — a technique the firm combines with an ancient method of setting column bases directly on stone, producing a frame that absorbs seismic movement rather than resisting it.

The structure by Sobokuya Studio merges two traditional approaches: ishiba-date, in which column bases sit directly on stone, and niho-korobi, where columns incline uniformly outward in two directions. Unlike conventional timber framing, the inclined columns force each beam to be calculated across three dimensions, then marked and drawn at full scale before cutting.

The resulting frame distributes loads along diagonal vectors. Because the columns remain unfixed at their stone footings, the structure can absorb seismic movement instead of resisting it — functioning, in effect, as an early form of base isolation. The roof is clad in Corten steel, an oxidizing surface the designers expect to develop deeper character over time.

Hisashi Imai and Yuko Sano led the design. Imai, Sobokuya's founding principal, visited Mizu-waka-su Shrine on Oki Island in Shimane Prefecture during the design process. That site, associated with the cultural legacy of the exiled Emperor Go-Toba, holds a sumo ring whose austere character became the building's formal starting point and shaped its restrained spatial expression.

Inside, two generous openings bring light and air through the interior, casting shifting shadows across the tatami as the seasons change — from spring light and summer greenery to autumn air and crisp winter conditions. Deep eaves and hand-finished lime plaster walls give the office a ceremonial character.

Above, an open roof structure exposes larch felled on the slopes of the Yatsugatake mountain range. Struts and red pine taiko beams form a geometric framework shaped by the natural properties of the timber, and the scent of wood remains present throughout the interior.

Sobokuya designed and handmade the joinery in-house, allowing the exterior landscape to become part of the interior. When the panels are opened, wind and natural light pass directly through the room, maintaining a physical connection with the surrounding valley.

Hand-chiseled surfaces add another layer of individuality, with marks from the carpenter's tools remaining visible in the finished work. The use of natural materials, traditional construction techniques, and handmade details is intended to allow the building to age alongside its mountain setting over the long term — a slow-changing counterpart to the shrine precinct it serves.