Room with Hundred Boxes of Soil

Up the stairs, we have a small loft with a wall full of hundred drawer boxes with stone-shaped knobs made of pottery.
Each drawer is a tiny exhibition of its own, presenting the world of soil, from a multitude of different perspectives, from architecture, ceramics, and civil engineering, to language, ethnicity, biology, environment, and more. Please come and have a peep of the charms and wonders of clay, packed in these small boxes.

Exhibits of various themes relating to soil are presented in the 40cm × 30cm boxes.

The tiny honeycombs made of mud are truly a work of art. Come and see the “works” of potter wasps and spider wasps.

Natural mineral pigments made of finely ground ore are mainly used in Japanese paintings.

Desert Rose is found in deserts where there once was an oasis. It is a crystal, formed by the gradual evaporation of water with high concentration of minerals.

Shiny mud balls with polishing by a plasterer. The process of the polish is also explained.

Sand kaleidoscope - patterns emerge by turning like an hourglass.

Silk handkerchiefs dyed with soils of various colors from all over Japan. Pieces of color soil used are shown together with the dyed fabric.

The library of soil from Aichi prefecture, presenting the beauty of clay. It is amazing to note that soils are not just brown or black but have a myriad of hues, pink, orange, light blue…