International Project Launched Proposing 'FUDO,' a New Cultural Concept Establishing Space as the Subject of Culture

The General Incorporated Association Japan FUDO Culture Institute has been established, launching an international project that proposes 'FUDO,' a new concept to shift the subject of culture from 'objects' to 'space.' A symposium featuring architect Kengo Kuma, journalist Nobuyuki Hayashi, and Representative Director Shunya Yoshimi will be held on May 28.
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This time, we have established the General Incorporated Association Japan FUDO Culture Institute (Representative Director: Shunya Yoshimi, Director: Minoru Yoshikawa) and are launching an international project that proposes "FUDO," a new concept that shifts the subject of culture from "objects" to "space," thereby updating the understanding of cultural value through its practice.

"FUDO" is proposed not as the traditional "fudo" meaning climate or land, but as a term referring to "the experience of a place formed by the relationship between humans and the environment."

Until now, cultural dissemination has often been discussed in individual genres such as fine arts and crafts, architecture, interior design, and food, centering on works, artists, and techniques. However, we believe that Japan's strength lies in the comprehensive space and time itself, which integrates various elements including diverse "objects" such as crafts and architecture, "people" such as architects and chefs, and the surrounding "space" and "settings" that encompass these techniques.

Furthermore, we believe that the essence of Japanese culture is the experience created by the mutual interaction of "objects" and "people" with intangible "things" such as light and shadow, sound, scent, bodily movements and manners, the flow of time, and its accumulation.

The purpose of this project is not simply to introduce Japanese culture. In contemporary society, the practice of making spatial experience itself a work of art is expanding globally. Connecting with this international trend, we propose "FUDO" as a new cultural concept. In this project, we will not only present the theory but also implement programs that offer "experiences in space" in collaboration with domestic and international artists, architects, and researchers, aiming to update the framework of culture by shifting its subject from "objects" to "space."

To embark on this new challenge, the 1st symposium, titled "From 'Objects' to 'Space' as the Subject of Culture: Cultivating Society and Fudo through 'FUDO'," will be held from 14:00 on Thursday, May 28, featuring architect Kengo Kuma, journalist Nobuyuki Hayashi, and Shunya Yoshimi, Representative Director of our association.

**[Symposium Overview]**
Date: May 28 (Thursday) 14:00-16:30
Location: Kudan House (1-15-9 Kudankita, Chiyoda-ku)
Speakers: Kengo Kuma (Architect),
Shunya Yoshimi (Sociologist, Professor at Kokugakuin University Faculty of Tourism and Community Development, Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo)
Facilitator: Nobuyuki Hayashi (Journalist)
Application: https://fudo260528.peatix.com
*Program contents are as of now. Updates are planned for the future.

**[Greeting from Representative Director Shunya Yoshimi]**
"Fudo" consists of earth and wind. The history of earth is said to be only 500 million years within the 4.6 billion years of Earth's history. It has been nurtured through complex decomposition processes of plants and microorganisms, and its composition varies entirely depending on the land. On this earth, forests were formed, springs emerged, rivers flowed, and winds blew through the trees. Humankind before modernity knew the immense preciousness of this nature. People, knowing they were part of nature, then worked with nature to obtain crops and create various tangible things through various craftsmanship. Modernity believed it could sever this bond between humanity and nature through the power of technology, but global warming, etc.