Philosophy
SHINSOKEN then undertakes the challenge of reinterpreting and reimagining the use of these materials in the present.
SHINSOKEN goal is to preserve and transmit almost-forgotten techniques, improving upon them so they can be employed in a modern setting. SHINSOKEN stands against standardized and superficial construction materials and is dedicated to utilizing traditional materials that require the spirit and skills of true artisans. Hiroshi Sugimoto and Tomoyuki Sakakida excel in working on bold architectural designs that incorporate traditional materials, eschewing current architectural trends.
Courtesy of Casa BRUTUS (Magazine House),
Director & Camera: Kazuyuki Miyabe (HIROBA),
Drone: airvision
Principals
Hiroshi Sugimoto
Artist. Born in Tokyo in 1948.
Sugimoto moved to the United States in 1970 and started his career with photography in New York in 1974. A multidisciplinary artist, he works in photography, sculpture, installation, performing arts, architecture, gardening and gastronomy. His art bridges Eastern and Western approaches while examining the nature of time, perception, and the origins of consciousness. His photographic series include Dioramas, Theaters, Seascapes, Architecture, Portraits, Conceptual Forms and Lightning Fields, among others.
In 2008 he established the architecture firm New Material Research Laboratory with the architect Tomoyuki Sakakida, and in 2009 he founded the Odawara Art Foundation, a charitable nonprofit organization to promote traditional Japanese performing arts and culture.
Sugimoto is the recipient of the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography in 2001. He was awarded the 21st Praemium Imperiale in 2009, the Medal with Purple Ribbon by the Japanese government in 2010, the Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, conferred by the French government, in 2013, and the Isamu Noguchi Award in 2014. In 2017 he was honored as a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government. He was elected as a member of Japan Art Academy in 2023.
Tomoyuki Sakakida
Architect. Born in Shiga in 1976.
Sakakida finished his Master’s degree in architecture at Kyoto Institute of Technology in 2001 and worked for Nihon Sekkei Inc. before establishing his own practice Tomoyuki Sakakida Architect and Associates co., ltd. in 2003. In parallel with running the practice, he worked for Waro Kishi + K. Associates/EX from 2003 to 2006.
In 2008 Sakakida founded New Material Research Laboratory with the artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, and since 2013 Sakakida is the director. He is currently holding a visiting professorship at Kyoto University of the Arts. Sakakida was appointed the official ambassador of oya stone at a ceremony in Utsunomiya City in 2020. In 2019, he won the 28th BELCA Award, and KUKAN OF THE YEAR 2025, Kukan Design Award.
Director and Camera: Masatomo Moriyama