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It was a day, late July in 2004, the temperature was 40 degrees Celsius
at Ohtemachi, Central Tokyo.
Goroji Suga, Eriko Fukami and Ryohei Tsubune visited Kunitachi Campus of
Hitotsubashi University in Kunitachi City about 1-hour train ride from
Tokyo Station.
It was the start of their investigation of Kanematsu Auditorium and the
monsters.
Here too, as hot as at Ohtemachi. They pass the west main gate to the grass
square, where the clock tower library is just across, Kanematsu Auditorium
to the right and school buildings to the left. The area around the campus
is covered with many trees with a remnant of Musashino forest, which makes
the cool shade of trees.
The manager of facility was waiting for them in the reception room of the
main building with the documents on the table for the meeting. He seemed
to have put his thoughts together himself.
Saying "My staff will show you wholly in and around the auditorium
later", he told them as follows.
| 1. Kanematsu Auditorium was built in November, 1927 (Showa 2), nearly 80
years ago. The library and the main school building were completed 3 years
later in 1930 (Showa 5). |
2. Such representative auditoriums during those days as Yasuda Auditorium of Tokyo University, Ohkuma Auditorium of Waseda University and Mita Library of Keio University were built in a Gothic style which had been the main architecture of European medieval churches and cathedrals in 12th-14th century.
On the other hand, this Kanematsu Auditorium, built in the same period,
is in Romanesque style, older than Gothic style. It strangely adopted this
old architecture considered poorer than Gothic style. |
3. Knowing the advantage of Gothic style over Romanesque in any view points
like technology, evolution and sophistication quite well, why is it strictly
not in Gothic but in Romanesque?
The reason is that unidentified monsters as many as possible had to be
there. That was it. |
| 4. Since Gothic style is an architecture of Christianity itself, it doesn't
accept any monsters or ghosts to blaspheme the Bible. Therefore Romanesque
style, clearly outdated, had to be chosen unwillingly. |
5. Romanesque style is an architecture before influenced by Christianity,
so monsters are comparatively freely displayed there.
Then why do they, and a lot of them, live confidently in and out this auditorium?
It's because Kanematsu Auditorium was designed and built by Chuta Itoh.
He adopted Romanesque style in an attempt to display his original monsters
as many as possible there. |
6. Every building related to him has monsters with it, though to differing
degrees.
Chuta is from Yamagata Prefecture, Northern Japan. He was brought up in
the old tradition of local animism like zashiki-warashi.
He is said to have drawn monsters since his childhood. |
| 7. Of all others there are unusually many monsters living in Kanematsu
Auditorium. The monsters outside the building are European Romanesque,
while inside there are full of strange monsters and ghosts of Chuta original. |
The manager of facility continued his talk with the document for 30 minutes.
Suga, the elderly senior, did not put in with any question or opinion though
he changed his looks a little sometimes on the way. Whether he thought
not to complicate the talk or his idea was poor, it cannot be guessed.
Concerning the manager himself, did he come to this conclusion with his
own investigation or does he follow the theory of Prof. Kaida of Tokyo
University?
Tsubune had expected more discussion, so he felt unsatisfactory.
Guided by a staff, the three of them walked around doing an energetic research
both inside and outside the auditorium.
The inside was especially a highlight.
Tsubune took a lot of pictures with the convenient digital camera, coming to find he already took 200 or more.
All the walls, ceilings, chandeliers and stands are about to be flooded with numerous strange monsters and ghosts.
At every end of stairs a fierce monster opens its large mouth, bares its
fang and expells a handrail.
Eriko walks comparing such monsters with those in her illustrated book.
She stops, tilts and nods her head, and takes notes.
Suga, the elderly, is busy, too. He instructs the two in detail, gives
questions to the staff, ..., and writes whatever he notices, not minding
a stoop and wiping off sweat with a towel.
The outside is under the scorching sun over 40 degrees. They walk around
the auditorium avoiding the sunshine. The Romanesque monsters are glaring
at them at key points.
They investigated the library and the main school building in the same
campus surrounding the grass square, too.
"I suppose both of them are somewhat different, aren't they?"
Tsubune expresses his feeling frankly.
"The same with you. They seem to have been built by some other people
instead of Chuta Itoh, including the pictures and sculptures inside. I
feel so, for sure."
Eriko agrees well with him.
In both buildings there were some monsters, but they looked different.
There was nothing special to mention except the colorful Romanesque monsters
drawn on the stained glass window in the library.
... Several hours had passed.
It was a work just under the scorching sunshine in the middle of the day.
Although the inside of the auditorium where they spent most of their time
was comfortable with air-conditioning, the investigation of the outside
walls and the facade assigned the fight against the dripping sweat to them.
Eriko put the handkerchief restlessly on her face with a little makeup.
Suga led the two attendants till the end though he often stayed in the
shade of trees. He was really busy answering questions, giving advices,
stopping to imprint the objects in his eyes, ...
After 5:00 pm they finally left Kanematsu Auditorium with long shadow against
the sunset.
They got on the train for Tokyo at Kunitachi Station with a wooden triangle
roof.
Sitting on the seat, they remained silent all through. Tsubune is feeling
at ease with the train's sway, closing his eyes.
Suga suddenly woke him up when the train passed Shinjuku Station.
"You have nothing to do from now, right?"
"???"
"Then, we have to have an evaluation meeting."
The elderly senior, at the age of over 80 and never being able to do without
a stick, is alive.
They headed to Josui-kaikan Hall at Tokyo-Takebashi by taxi, and sat around
the table in the beer garden on the 3rd floor.
Immediately after toasting with a glass of beer, looking back on the day,
Suga begins to talk passionately and pleasantly,
"Well."
It is impossible to imagine his exhausted face one hour ago. The two attendants
answer back as earnestly as the elderly.
The discussion started and stayed all the way in a jigsaw of "Kanematsu
Auditorium - Chuta Itoh - Romanesque style - numerous monsters - the round
relieves of Four Gods."
Except for the relieves of Four Gods, the opinion of Prof. Kaida and the facility manager of Hitotsubashi University may explain most of everything well. That is: Kanematsu Auditorium is the product of Chuta Itoh's hobby.
But ..., did Tokyo Commercial College (TCC) at that time outsource everything
completely to Dr. Itoh, with no opinion of their own nor any request? Even
so, would Dr. Itoh himself have come to decide to compete for such a remote
college against Yasuda Auditorium of his university and Ohkuma Auditorium
of Waseda University at the cost of his precious time?
Besides, how can it be explained that the strange relieves of Four Gods
seemingly not made by him are decorated on the facade of the auditorium?
The summary of their talk on the day was as follows.
1. Kanematsu Auditorium seems to be different from the library and the
main school building in the aspects of structure, design and thought. The
auditorium is in Romanesque style, but the other buildings are not clear
in any style. The difference may be because the auditorium was donated
by Kanematsu Company, while the others are from the Government budget.
But at least the others seem to have been built in balance with the view
of the auditorium. |
| 2. The monsters of the auditorium can be classified to three kinds. They
are European Romanesques on the outside walls, Chuta originals inside,
and the four round relieves on the facade. |
| 3. The full monsters inside may have been made mostly by Chuta Itoh himself
not leaving it to other people. |
4. Concerning the four relieved badges on the facade, the school badge
Mercury is probably the pattern based on the Roman mythology, and the others
are Chinese caricatures.
All of them are not Romanesque, and must not have been made by Chuta Itoh.
Most probably some other artists made them in a different intention. Putting
them together, we regard the group as the Chinese Four Gods (Shishin Statues).
Mercury is Gembu, in which two snakes seem fighting around the stick. The
other three are Suzaku, Byakko and Seiryu of Chnese monster gods. |
5. The Four Gods are not a mere ornament. On the contrary, they shine brightly
as the emblem of Kanematsu Auditorium, the hall of freedom and autonomy.
They also look like protecting it tightly.
Prof. Kaida says the motive of Dr. Chuta Itoh for taking on the design
of the auditorium was to show the monsters of his own there. Then why is
the most outstanding ornament on the upper facade not a Chuta original
nor a Romanesque style, but the Four Gods of European Mercury and the Chinese
monsters?
Did Dr. Itoh have his peculiar thought about it as a responsible constructor?
Did anything make him go such a way? |
-----
After coming home, Tsubune reread Prof. Kaida's lectures and talks carefully
together with the document of the facility manager.
He made a note the next day and sent it by fax to Suga and Eriko.
The fax says,
"Concerning the logic that Kanematsu Auditorium is built in Romanesque
style by the design of Chuta Itoh, the document of the facility manager
is based on the theory of Professor Kaida in both general remarks and each
explanation.
In the result to this confidence I read the talks of Prof. Kaida in the
books you lent to me. The following are what I paid attention to."
| Prof. Kaida: The school badge is relieved on the upper center of the facade,
and under it there is a triple arch in each of which are a dragon, a Chinese
phoenix and a lion. |
| My personal view: Prof. Kaida explains only the design of each monster.
Apart from the school badge Mercury, he does not refer to why the other
three patterns are the Dragon, the Chinese Phoenix and the Lion, neither
to the concept as a generic term like "Four Gods." |
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Prof. Kaida: Among the world's architects who made a revival of Romanesque
style to the modern society, Chuta Itoh is the only person created inexplicable
monsters.
Kanematsu Auditorium consists of three kinds of monsters, and is a reservoir
of Chuta's grotesque art hobby. |
| My personal view: Maybe different from our point of view, he emphasizes Chuta's monster hobby only, and he seems to settle what we call "the Four Gods"with a simple phrase like "Mercury is an European monster, and the other three are Oriental monsters." |
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| Prof. Kaida: Dr. Itoh wanted to make it in Gothic style at first, but probably changed his mind to choose Romanesque style in his ardent desire to adopt his monsters. |
| My personal view: I doubt it was Dr. Itoh's real intention. Even so, how
did he consider the college's spirit? And what was the expectation of the
owner side, the college and Kanematsu Company? |
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Prof. Kaida: Chuta must not have explained about the monsters to the college
side, and instead, told them only that Romanesque style was truly more
original though the auditoriums of Tokyo, Waseda and Keio universities
were all Gothic style. He might have avoided the discussion further in
detail with the college side. ...
When he started designing this building, he most probably decided to use
his monsters as many as possible with confidence.
Whether it is the evidence or not, though the monsters originated in Europe
are used on the outside walls, the Chuta originals fill the inside. I guess
even he hesitated to show them outside. |
My personal view: Even if it was designed and built by the legendary Dr.
Itoh, would the college side have blindly accepted the auditorium with
the purpose of exhibiting monsters?
Besides, to be honest, did Dr. Itoh himself have his own way as he liked?
I am strictly against. |
I may throw a wet blanket on the theory of Prof. Kaida, the authority of
architectural history, but I feel a gap between his thought and my impression
during the detailed investigation inside and outside the auditorium accompanying
Mr. Suga this time.
Our purpose of the investigation results in the search for "the origin
of Kanematsu Auditorium and the truth of the monsters on the facade."
On the other hand, concerning the monsters, the professor mentions only
the designs and just says the three monsters other than Mercury are Chinese-style
or Oriental-style.
He does not refer to any intention to put them specially on the facade.
Is it good enough to conclude this way under Prof. Kaida's opinion?
Kanematsu Auditorium is the "Museum of Chuta Itoh's Monsters."
In order to do so, Romanesque style was adopted as an architecture, and
Dr. Itoh showed his own caricatures and sculptures all over there as he
liked.
Didn't the college make any special request or appeal to Dr. Itoh they
entrusted with the design of their proud hall? What was the philosophy
of Kanematsu Company, the donor of the auditorium?
I am sorry that such things I would like to know more are deeply buried
in the history of nearly 80 years since the completion of the auditorium.
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