The Mountain Plaza

2000 ~ 2016

Ceramic Amphitheater Art Center

The Mountain Plaza is a ceramic open-air amphitheater in the satoyama—woodland-farmland hills—of Mihama, Aichi. Proposed in 2000 and realized entirely on site over sixteen years, its central acoustic shell was formed from roughly 60 tons of clay. Over ten years, a kiln was constructed around the clay structure, fired for forty days to 1,200 °C, then dismantled. The kiln’s bricks were reused to form the terraced seating, folding material reuse into the work’s structure.

The project advanced with the understanding and participation of the local community; more than 2,000 volunteers contributed. Many materials were reclaimed, and the soil, seasons, and weather set the terms of making. Holding moisture in the clay with blankets through dry winters, rebuilding after typhoons—such practical decisions accumulated into layers of time now visible in the work.

Conceived as a place for “nature—space—people,” the acoustic shell returns voices and music to performers and audience. At the same time, the terraced seating gently draws a theater’s outline into the surrounding hills. The Plaza is a space for people, made by people—a place for new expressions: performances, music, readings, learning, and gatherings. The photographs on view trace how raw clay became a rock-like material and how the site became a space where people connect with their environment.

The Mountain Plaza was made on site, fired on site, and given back to the site. What endures is not only technical scale but a sense of place shaped by time, hands, and relationships.