The staff working on a holiday serves hot tea. Dr. Itoh sips it a couple of times in a Japanese tea cup with a strange monster painting of his own, and talks with a relaxed look.
"It is very rare for a designer or an architect can proceed the work to his satisfaction. Look at Yasuda Auditorium. I suppose Mr. Uchida and the colleagues had a hard time."
"Do you too, Dr. Itoh? But why?"
Director Fujii says in a puzzled look. Matsui answers instead of his teacher.
"Dr. Itoh sometimes confesses secretly that the only construction he has been pleased with is Tenryu Gate of Benten Temple at Shinobazu Pond built about 15 years ago. It belongs to a small category of his works."
Dr. Itoh says ignoring his pupil.
"To fail one step short of great success,..., according to a proverb, ..."
Takagaki, a young professor, interrupts him confirming what he said.
"Does it mean that even a long effort cannot be rewarded by only a bit of failure just before the end?"
Accepting the annotation, Dr. Itoh continues his talk.
"Probably the lack of my efforts is the main reason, but no satisfactory work can be born from what is interfered or gets an annoying demand by others. A budget is important all right, but it is a small problem. Rather than that, it is important to have a thorough agreement with a client till the end. Therefore I can say I have created very few buildings I am satisfied with yet."
He shows a part of his views, saying "Maybe one example."
"As a cause of good and fortune, and weal and woe, the direction and the aspect of a house are always among the topics of debate, but the argument basis of 'the Theory of Yin-yang and the Five Elements' itself is truly nonsense. The demon's gate sure is, too. They are all silly superstitions. But, it is not a superstition that you follow the direction and the aspect of a house after you really understand all of them are superstitions. If you believe them blindly not knowing they are superstitions, you will be in a superstition."

These things seem to be annoying the doctor.
Sano and the visitors are seeing him admiringly in a confused expression. The doctor adds in a smile.
"I am looking forward to joining this project, understanding my important responsibility. I honestly feel like this. I will do my best with Mr. Matsui in order to create the proud auditorium of your school by my really own idea."
Matsui is nodding deeply.

Fujii sips tea and asks the doctor again.
"You are going to build it for us by Romanesque style from my understanding. Would you tell us your idea again?"
Dr. Itoh begins to talk more in a smile.
"It was about 20 years ago for me to have traveled to Europe through Asia, India and Turkey sitting astride a donkey along several roads. Looking back to the days, the architectures in China and India gave me an immense influence. On the other hand, the architectures in Europe did not make much of an impression on me. However, Romanesque style was different. I clearly remember that I was impressed with the temples and monasteries in detail around the district of Lombardy in Italy."
Then the doctor says, looking at Yasuda Auditorium over the window as if he woke up from the world of memory.
"Gothic-style looks good and lively like that auditorium in spite of a large building. It is tall, so its inside is light. Compared with it, Romanesque style looks slow-witted, and the inside is dark because of its shortness with small windows. If likened to a flower, it is a hard bud, while Gothic style can be said a tree in full bloom."
Young Matsui seems to recall the study once under the teacher. He is closing the eyes with his arms folded.
Dr. Itoh continues the talk in a quiet manner.
"What is necessary today may be a slow-witted spirit rather than a lively mood. The reason I now strongly suggest Romanesque as the basic style for the auditorium of your school is not only by the desire to place the Four-God Statues on the facade. The then preasts and believers created this style earnestly. Though they were amateurs, because of their earnestness, their Romanesque style is solid and heavy with a great presence. I believe, therefore, this style gets across the historical spirit of your school."

After a while Dr. Itoh adds, like noticing suddenly.
"Education Ministry has offered to cooperate with us. Its cooperation is limited to such other Government controls as the library and the main building, but it is a good news. Mr. Shibagaki, Manager of Construction Department, is in charge. I know him well."
Manager Teitaro Shibagaki and the responsible staffs of his department were mostly pupils of Chuta Itoh during their university days.
Dr. Itoh tastes another sip of Japanese tea from his favorite cup with a monster picture, and jumps the topic a little.
"Isn't the backing of Old Shibusawa encouraging to you? He is 85 years old, isn't he? But he is in high spirits, and for this case, too, ..."
A little hesitating, he says.
"In fact, he himself directly asked me for help. Also Mr. Okura contacted me with the request of cooperation. Two of them were the birth parents of the Commercial Law Institute, now your college, right?"
Mr. Okura is 88 years old.
The visitors came to their senses with a start and looked at each other. Both of the two old men had an earnest support behind the back. Since Mr. Okura is a strong patron for his plans, Dr. Itoh could not refuse anything unless something major came up.

"It's really rare for my teacher to talk in such a pleasant way as this time, isn't it, doctor?"
A smile spreads across the teacher's face for his pupil's joking interjection, and murmurs a bit.
"I have a couple of jobs including Gion-kaku in Kyoto taken on by Mr. Okura's request. He suggests me to leave the arrangement of the schedule to me."
Besides, the gravestone and the statue pedestal of Count Tosuke Hirata, his uncle died the previous year, and several others were already designed and now under construction, ..., which the visitors have known. Dr. Itoh does not mention any other matters.

The green of ginkgoes are brightening under the weak sunshine after 3:00 pm. He changes the topic.
"Mr. Minobe showed me the petition for the school opening drafted by Mr. Yukichi Fukuzawa sympathized with Mr. Shibusawa's thought."
Mr. Minobe, a gentle jurist, comes out to Sano's mind.
Dr. Itoh continues at ease.
"I now understand the implication of the Four-God Statues. I know the Four-God idea has been since the old days in China. Seiryu of the east is a dragon, Byakko of the west is a lion, Suzaku of the south is a Chinese phoenix, and Gembu of the north is the combination of a turtle and a snake. They are all imaginary sacred animals, which have also been applied to the cardinal points and the zodiac signs as an old legend. They are used at decorative caps roofing tiles and wall pictures of a grave. As a symbol of the awe of Mother Nature, its idea has an influence to the ancient tombs and temples in Japan. The Four-God Statues of your school is the solid school history itself."

The Four-God Statues can be seen in Tsukiji-honganji Temple in Tokyo built by Dr. Itoh spending three years from Showa 6 (1931), four years after the completion of Kanematsu Auditorium.
The metallic statues winding on each of the four center pillows are the Four-God relieves of Seiryu, Byakko, Suzaku and Gembu in the exact direction.
Would it be too conjectural, if this famous temple of Jodo-shishu sect could be related to Kanematsu Auditorium somewhere in Dr. Itoh's mind?
However, all the four monsters have fierce looks peculiar to Chuta's pictures, which are not similar to the caricature patterns on the facade of Kanematsu Auditorium at all.
No Four Gods can be seen among Chuta's work before building the auditoriam.

"The conception is wonderful that the 'Four Gods' is now the slogan of your school in the result of comparing the two snakes to the combination of a turtle and a snake. What's more, the spirit of your school exists in the 'Four Gods'."
The doctor says to Sano, now-president of the school, affectionately.
"My whole energy could not even match its weight. So, this work may be my good try."
The determination does not appear in his face, but his smile talks.
Then he adds gently like talking to his pupil.
"I take it into consideration for my idea clearly to be reflected in the exterior construction, but I will leave to Kakuhei Matsui everything of the interior work. It is very good Kunitachi Station was built near the spot lately, so I will commute to the spot to the best of my ability in this situation."

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I, Goroji Suga, imagine the construction of Kanematsu Auditorium started this way.
As I showed it before, the following are the members of the construction.
Just an aside, even though Dr. Itoh had directly nothing to do with the library and the main building started to construct right after the auditorium, the responsible people in the Construction Department of Education Ministry were his pupils. Therefore Dr. Itoh's intention was also adequately reflected in such buildings, and the view of the whole campus is kept well-ballanced.

How do you feel my idea that the auditorium full of monsters has a big meaning?
As Dr. Itoh always referred to it, the monsters, ghosts or anything that he favoritely used as a decoration are not an escape from reality nor amusing himself.
I am confident that Dr. Itoh had the deep reason to have to do that way especially for Kanematsu Auditorium. Needless to say, they have strong relationship with the Four-God Statues relieved on the upper part of the facade.
Besides, Kanematsu Auditorium is well said to be the requiem of his own to the Kanto Great Earthquake occurred several years before. Therefore he had the special consideration of earthquake-resistance and fireproof, too.

He commuted again and again to the remote place just developing until the completion of the auditorium, not only on a holiday but whenever he could.
After finishing the exterior, he is said to have shaped clay and made each monster himself in the working room of his own.
It was the days when the wooden Kunitachi Station with the triangle rooftop between Kokubunji and Tachikawa stations the previous year, and a couple of four-car trains ran a day.
This is my idea of how Kanematsu Auditorium was constructed as the only Western-style building of Dr. Itoh's life.
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