Daishoji Water Park
Water channels high up in the air, low to the ground, and even dug into the earth weave throughout this city park of Daishoji, where it rains more than 200 days a year. The proliferation of water channels used for irrigation in the rice fields and for drainage throughout the town were the inspiration for the design.
Daishoji is the birthplace of ancient Kutani pottery, and so local Kutani potters were invited to make tiles which decorate the channels and pools of the park. A Kutani pottery museum was planned for an adjacent site. The park was designed so that the future museum could easily enter the park with open air exhibits and step down to the water.
A cherry tree-lined river cuts through the park. Various walkways, such this covered bridge, unite the two sides. Key to the design was cleaning the river by diverting it through water-purifying grasses.
This is a terraced sitting area based on the form of the local rice fields.