About the artwork

This work took off from my encounter with kamaboko-type storehouses, buildings peculiar to this region. The kamaboko shape, originated from arched structure found during railway constructions, is suitable in this heavy snow region. For one year, I wrote for a local paper an article “Rediscovering Kamaboko-type Storehouse” about the storehouse, its history for example. (eight articles in Kouhou Matsudai, Sept. 2002-Sept. 2003) I also made a research on all the Kamaboko-type storehouses dotted in Matsudai Town, and exhibited their photographs and my comments inside the largest storehouse. The other six storehouses were rented out on annual contracts to local people and are being used. The interior of each warehouse can be viewed from outside using the attached spyhole with fisheye lens. The idea to line up seven different sized storehuses is based on my assumption how they would look like in the winter snow.