Nokosokai: Boston School acquires Old Japanese Farmhouse

An historic milestone in U.S-Japan cultural relations will take place on March 16 at Soma, in Fukushima prefecture.

On that day, an old minka farmhouse (circa 1890) owned by the Konno family will be turned over to Lawrence Academy, a famous private American high school near Boston.

It will be dismantled, packed and two years from now it will be rebuilt and begin a new life in the USA.

Representatives of the school, including 16 students, will be present in Soma for this historic occasion, the first transfer of an ancient traditional Japanese farmhouse to be used in education for an American high school. (Some Soma High School students will be present on this day also)

The Konno family has donated this minka farmhouse as a Japanese goodwill gesture.

Minka architect Yoshihiro Takishita of Kamakura, author of Japanese Country Style (Kodansha International) made the contacts which resulted in the establishment of ties between Soma and the academy. He is president and founder of the Association for the Preservation of Old Japanese Farmhouses, Nokosokai, created as a non-profit organization to rescue these strikingly beautiful but fast disappearing architectural masterpieces.

He will deliver a lecture on the 16th on traditional Japanese wooden architecture, their dignity and uniqueness as well as the campaign to retore them in another location.

Other speakers are Tadao Satoh (principal of Soma High School), Dr.Marylou Curran (Lawrence Academy), Satoshi Konno (owner of minka), Harrelson Stanley (teacher of wood working and director of Shizutani School), Takako, Nonoyama (Konno family).

The press and public (limited) are invited to attend the hand-over ceremony and lecture.

Details of the house are given the architectural evaluation

The place : Soma High School, Building Wakakoma Kaikan
976-0042 57-1 Aza Ohtesaki, Nakamura, Soma-city, Fukushima pref.
Tel: 0244-36-1331 Fax: 0244-36-6149 (Masashi Igari sensei in charge)
16 March 2005, 09:00am-12:00 noon

For further information call the association office 0467-43-1496 or Fax 0467-43-7338
Email address: info@nokosokai.org
www.nokosokai.org