Mr. Sotaro Yoshikawa, who grew up watching his father, a master temple carpenter, work behind the scenes, will share how he used SketchUp for an unprecedented project: "to realize a tower that came from a customer's dream.
Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
Since its establishment in 1975, Yoshisho Kenchiku Kogei has been consistently engaged in shrine and temple architecture, the cornerstone of Japanese architecture. In 2023, the company's master builder, Sukeyoshi Yoshikawa, received the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Award from the Agency for Cultural Affairs for his contributions to the preservation of cultural properties through the conservation and repair of national treasures and important cultural properties and the training of future generations, mainly in the Kanto area. In this interview, we spoke with Sotaro Yoshikawa, the president of the company, who connects the company's desire to "leave behind a temple complex that serves as a spiritual center.
Mr. Sotaro Yoshikawa, President, Yoshisho Architects & Engineers
In this article, he explains the role of SketchUp in passing on traditional Japanese architecture to the next generation, methods for solving problems in technical specifications, and new methods of consensus building using SketchUp.
Interview (Photographed in cooperation with T&I 3D Corporation, Shinshu Izumoji-ha head temple, Housan Housetsuji)
Resolving long-standing issues in the world of traditional architecture
How did you get into the world of shrine and temple architecture?
My father was a master carpenter, and I grew up watching his back as I worked on construction sites, learning carpentry little by little as I went along. Becoming a temple carpenter was a natural choice for me. My father's achievements were widely praised and his fame was always in my ears. The thought that "my father's work is great" drew me into this world. To this day, my father is my greatest mentor.
This work of preserving Japanese cultural structures as part of Japan's heritage is the result of the wisdom and skills of our predecessors. Although only a few drawings remain, most have been passed down orally. I believe it is my mission to carry on this trend without ceasing and to hand it down to the next generation.
Example of Japanese cultural structure
Why did you introduce SketchUp and how has it changed since then?
In shrine and temple construction projects, there is always a battle with various problems such as deadlines and technical specifications. In particular, in order to raise technical specifications, we have invested in high-specification PCs costing 2 to 2.5 million yen. Even so, there are limits. However, with the introduction of SketchUp, we have been able to overcome many of our problems by making it possible to scan large point clouds and create 3D models very smoothly.
Creating one-of-a-kind structures from a single paper sketch
Can you give us an example of a project that utilized SketchUp?
I have used SketchUp for a variety of projects. Recent examples include Togo Shrine, Hachioji Shrine, Minami-cho, Hachioji City, Hachioji City, Hachioji City, Koshu Honmachi, and Koshu Kawaramachi float renovation projects.
In addition to these, one of my most memorable projects was the realization of a tower from a client's dream: I modeled it in SketchUp based on a faxed sketch, scanned the current environment, and brought it back to the office. I remember how truly pleased the client was when the tower took shape.
Sketch of a tower that the client saw in a dream.
One of our upcoming projects is a 3D scan of the main hall of Meitsuji Temple, the only national treasure in Fukui Prefecture. Although Fukui is easily accessible via the Shinkansen bullet train line and is the only national treasure in the prefecture, the fact that few people visit the temple has been a challenge. We hope that this project will encourage more people to visit the temple, which is a wonderful structure.
What benefits does SketchUp bring to the consensus building process?
SketchUp is now used for almost every project in the company. Unless you are familiar with it, it is difficult for any customer to get a sense of the actual image from the drawings alone. SketchUp's 3D models, on the other hand, give everyone a clear sense of the actual image at a glance.
SketchUp is also very useful during the architectural design phase. It allows you to start up a 3D model as if you were really sketching, so you can easily create structures and get a feel for the image.
Creating 3D models from point clouds is also useful in building consensus among the various parties involved. For example, the office staff can confirm the quantities of building materials, etc., and the on-site carpenters can provide visualization to the client. Since all parties involved can reach a consensus at every step of the process, there are no discrepancies from the time construction actually begins to the time of completion.
Belfry (left) and scanned data from the Shinshu Izumoji School head temple, Housen Housen (Fukui) (photo courtesy of T&I 3D Co., Ltd.)
My personal favorite feature in SketchUp is Push/Pull. When I first used it, I was shocked at how easy it was to model.
SketchUp will play a very important role in this.
We see a wave of automation in the construction industry in the future, and SketchUp will definitely help with that.
We want to use SketchUp to stay on the cutting edge.
What advice would you give to the younger generation learning SketchUp?
In order to promote SketchUp to the younger generation, I tell them, "Let's touch it first. This is because such a tool can be experienced and enjoyed by actually touching it to experience the changes.
I myself have always enjoyed sketching, and the modeling process is the most enjoyable part of my current job as well; I am so absorbed in SketchUp that I even use it to kill time on the train, and I teach SketchUp to my own children. He enjoys using SketchUp so much that he even outputs the modeling data to a 3D printer to create something that looks like an unidentifiable cube. I think it is interesting that they can experience changes by "touching" it, as mentioned above.
What do you consider to be the most important aspect of technology transfer?
At first glance, the work of the palace carpenters we are engaged in may appear to have been passed down traditionally, unchanged. However, I believe that there are both "things that should be changed" and "things that should not be changed," and that we must always judge these things.
For example, electric circular saws are replacing parts of the process that used to be carried out by hand with saws, but are "something that can be changed" in order to improve efficiency.
On the other hand, we believe that "the palace carpenters have been on the cutting edge in every age" is "something that should not be changed. It is precisely because they have continued to pursue the cutting edge in every era that they have been able to leave behind magnificent buildings.
Our mission is to connect traditional Japanese architecture to the next generation. As the number of successors is dwindling today, we are eager to pass on the joys of this art to the next generation, especially the younger generation.
Hachioji Shrine (before restoration)
The current status of Hachioji Shrine is imported into SketchUp as a point cloud and converted into a 2D drawing using Layout.
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