Special feature GINZA KABUKIZA

GINZA KABUKIZA is a mixed-use project consisting of the Kabukiza Theatre and the adjoining Kabukiza Tower. The site is at Ginza 4-chome (the former Kobikicho district). The theatre has been at this location since 1889. The 4th-generation Kabukiza, well-loved by theatre goers for many years, was designed by Isoya Yoshida. It was a reconstruction of the 3rd-generation Kabukiza, designed by Shinichiro Okada, which had been completed in 1924 and then damaged during the war. Yoshida’s design was a splendid expression in reinforced concrete of traditional building styles. But it had been structurally weakened by two fires and was in need of a fundamental renovation to provide earthquake safety, barrier-free access, and other functional improvements. It was time for a 5th reconstruction.

Kabuki is well known as one of the cultural treasures of Japan. Less well known is the fact that this traditional performing art and the theatre where it is performed have been preserved by a pair of private companies – Shochiku Co., a major media company, and Kabuki-za Co., the theatre operator. In order to pass down Kabuki and the Kabukiza Theatre to future generations, there was a need to ensure that the business rests on a firm foundation, which could be secured by constructing an office building that makes effective use of the site. Thus, this was an urban renaissance project focused on preserving the Kabukiza Theatre, a landmark of the Ginza district. From its beginnings in 2006, the project ran for seven years. Within the development framework of an urban renaissance plan, the paramount theme was how to inherit traditions that had been passed down through four generations of the theatre.

Mitsubishi Jisho Design has completed numerous redevelopment projects that involve the preservation of historical buildings. Examples include the Mitsubishi UFJ Trust And Banking Building block, which preserves the Industry Club of Japan Building (a registered tangible cultural property), the Marunouchi MY PLAZA block, which preserves the Meiji Life Insurance Building (an important cultural property), the Marunouchi Park Building block, which preserves the Mitsubishi Ichigokan, and the JP Tower block, which preserves the former Tokyo Central Post Office. These projects allow the history of the district to be handed down even as it is redeveloped. With the exception of the Meiji Life Insurance Building, I was involved with all of these projects.

In cases up to now, the object of preservation has been the historical value of the building itself. Using techniques developed to restore cultural properties, we have gathered and analyzed historical records and materials about the building, and on that basis faithfully conserved, repaired, restored, and recreated the original building. But in this project, the building itself was not preserved. In a completely new approach, this project focused on preserving the traditions of the Kabukiza.
Amid repeated reconstructions since 1889, the traditions of the Kabukiza were refined and passed down to the 4th Kabukiza, which represented a kind of optimal solution as a theatre dedicated to this unique performing art. Therefore, the first step in the project was to find out everything there was to know about the 4th Kabukiza. Then we needed to decide how to inherit that which should be inherited and reflected in the 5th Kabukiza. In terms of spatial and architectural design, the theatre inherits the form of the previous Kabukiza. Old materials were used critical places, so as to resonate with the memories of Kabuki fans, the actors, the theatre operators and others who were connected to the beloved older building.

Of course, the new building provides a multitude of new functions that were required for the 5th Kabukiza. A new Kobikicho Plaza was created beneath the theatre to serve as an urban square connected to the subway concourse. A garden was provided on the roof together with a gallery to help communicate the culture of Kabuki. Then there is the vast column-free space of the theatre itself, from the “naraku” basement beneath the stage, about 15 meters deep to accommodate stage machinery, to the fly tower above it, about 20 meters high for lights, curtains, and other stage effects. This vast space is spanned by a megastructure on a civil engineering scale that supports the 145-meter Kabukiza Tower. To realize this ambitious design, the GINZA KABUKIZA project required detailed planning and the latest and most advanced technology.