The Torii, which is also the inspiration for Uki ishi, and the Hakone area are closely related. As you pass through the large torii gate before entering Hakone, the cool air envelops you, and you feel as if you are floating.This is the mystical sensation of having entered the sacred realm.And it permeates the body.
The land of Hakone itself has become a sacred territory, bordered by the boundary line of the torii gate. It is truly a place where the five senses are sharpened. 'Uki ishi 2' exists in the mountains overlooking Lake Ashi in Hakone.
The 267 kg Honkomatsu stone is floated by the torii. The Honkomatsu stone used was selected based on my own five senses. Deep in the mountains of Manazuru, this stone was selected from a 360-degree pile of komatsu stones. People think about it when they choose something for daily use, because it has a good shape, because it is the right size, because it fits their image, because it has the right color, etc. But when I saw the myriad powerful masses of the earth spread out before my eyes, this act of thinking seemed ridiculous to me.
With my eyes, ears, nose, and skin, I could hysically feel the sights, sounds, smells, air, and wind around me, and without thinking, I stood in front of the stones and sharpened my senses. And I felt like I was eye to eye with this stone.
As I gaze at this 'Uki ishi 2', which is made of stones selected with the five senses, I feel the same sensation that I felt when I entered the Hakone area through the torii gate, and it seems to run through my body. By all means, I hope you will face this work without thinking and feel something that you cannot feel in your daily life.
This work has been delivered to and is currently on display at TOKYU Harvest Club VIALA Hakone Koyu.
Honkomatsu Stone is a type of pyroxene andesite quarried in Manazuru, Kanagawa Prefecture. It is part of the lava that formed the older outer rim of Hakone Volcano, created when lava flowing from the volcano cooled and solidified near the Earth’s surface.Quarrying continues in Manazuru to this day. Stone extracted on the mountain side of the Tokaido Line is known as Honkomatsu Stone, while stone quarried on the Manazuru Peninsula side is distinguished as Shin-Komatsu Stone.Characterized by its predominantly gray color, Honkomatsu Stone is fine-grained, dense, and notably hard. It is composed of minerals such as plagioclase and pyroxene, and contains regularly developed fractures known as columnar joints.Freshly quarried stone is sometimes covered by a reddish-brown outer layer known as its “skin.” Once this layer is removed during processing, shades of gray and blue emerge from within. The color and quality of the stone vary depending on the location and depth from which it is quarried, giving each piece of Honkomatsu Stone its own unique character.Around Manazuru, this stone has been used in daily life for centuries. Its use as a gravestone dates back to the Nara period, while during the Kamakura period it was used for stone pagodas and other stone structures. In the Edo period, it came to be used for large-scale architectural and civil engineering projects, including the stone walls of Edo Castle, and stone from Manazuru was transported throughout the Kanto region. Today, it continues to be used for gravestones, monuments, stone walls, and other applications.Honkomatsu Stone quarries are known as “ba” or “cho-ba.” Stone is extracted while carefully assessing the condition of the bedrock, then cut and shaped according to its intended use. Some pieces are polished and finished for gravestones, while others are used for stone walls and architectural or civil engineering purposes.Born from volcanic activity, these rocks have been incorporated into human life over the course of countless generations. Honkomatsu Stone remains an enduring expression of Manazuru’s geology and its long-standing culture of stone craftsmanship.
