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Pritzker laureate Ryue Nishizawa employs traditional Japanese architecture to create a meditative timber retreat in Karuizawa for Shishi-Iwa House.
Hospitality brand Shishi-Iwa House boasts a collective of intimate crafted retreats, fusing a mastery of contemporary architecture, design, and art with culinary tastemaking and a deep connection with nature.
Hinoki House No. 3
SSH No.3, its latest launch, is a mountain nature retreat for families and friends to spend quiet time together without the interruption of urban life and to inspire the regeneration of intellectual creativity.
Three houses situated nearby
SSH No.03 follows SSH No.01 and SSH No.02, opened in 2018 and in 2022 respectively, and designed by another Pritzker Prize laureate Shigeru Ban.
All three houses are situated mere minutes on foot from the other, with guests encouraged to share common facilities. The three houses present a unique opportunity for guests to compare different architecture styles by these master architects.
Promoting the harmonious coexistence of architecture and nature, the houses are designed to connect the guests to their natural surroundings while celebrating simplicity in its purest form.
Guests can choose to imbibe of the traditional tatami room experience or the modern western-style suite.
10 Pavilion Guest Rooms
SSH No.03 comprises of 10 pavilions interconnect by a series of engawa (covered walkways) and garden courtyards. The retreat is exclusive with only 10 guest rooms and one cabin villa offering both Superior Rooms (western style) and Tatami Suites.
Inspired by spatial transparency as well as Ma, the Japanese concept of negative space, Ryue deliberately creates empty areas through minimal furnishings and embellishments, allowing natural light to stream continuously through the rooms’ windows.
All guest rooms are stand-alone units with open windows on all four walls, affording guests with unparalleled connection with the surrounding forest and internal Japanese gardens.
The standalone suites mean natural light shines from all sides of the unit during the day.
All units also come with a wrapped terrace, extending seamlessly the boundaries from the inside to the outside.
Hinoki Cypress Wood
The revered hinoki cypress wood features prominently throughout SSH No.03. Sourced from Gifu prefecture, Ryue deploys the distinctive shade and fragrance of the rare wood to both the structure and the interiors of the retreat, including fixed furnishings, resulting in a breathtakingly austere visual impact upon entering the room.
Spiritual Japanese Courtyards
Four Japanese courtyards plotted along the walkway are designed to create moments of stillness, completing a spiritual journey in which guests become one with nature – and with themselves.
The house is designed for personal wellness and comfort.
Located within National Wild Bird Sanctuary
SSH No.03’s location within the serene Karuizawa Yacho no Mori, the National Wild Bird Sanctuary, in the embrace of almost 100 hectares of lush forest, naturally expands moments of rejuvenation, with forest bathing and special walking tours such as a waterfall trail, art and architecture tours, and farm excursions.
Hinoki House No. 3, or Shishi-Iwa House No. 3 is located at 2147-40 Nagakura, Karuizawa, Kitasaku District, Nagano 389-0111, Japan. Phone: +81 267-31-6658.
Photos by Kenichi Suzuki