On the day I visited Moriyama's residence, Yuki's bag contained a second sweater that had just been completed.

"Since I've come all this way, I wanted Moriyama-san to wear it, so I brought a cardigan that I had just finished knitting."

"It's a little embarrassing," said Moriyama-san with an embarrassed smile. "I don't usually buy clothes. When I have money, I buy books or DVDs—is it okay for men to wear them?"

 "This cardigan is unisex, so it's okay. And the Aran sweater is originally a fisherman's knit, so there's nothing to be ashamed of." After Yuki-san said that, Moriyama-san put on his cardigan. "It suits you. The back is also nice." When Yuki says so, Wahei Kimura, who holds the camera, also agrees, "Yeah, it's good. White knit suits you quite well."

The sleeves of the newly knitted sweater were stamped with foil.

The "sweaters in memory" that YUKI FUJISAWA has worked on so far have been stamped with foil. A vintage sweater filled with someone's memories has been stamped with foil so that it passes into someone else's hands and new memories are layered on top of each other. This time, Yuki-san seemed to be wondering whether or not to use foil stamping when knitting a sweater from scratch.

“ At first, I was thinking of letting the customer choose which color of foil to use. If people want to buy this sweater, they want the one I designed, so I thought it would be nice if I could confidently say, 'This color of foil goes well with this sweater.'"

 “Ah, so is the architecture here,” said Mr. Moriyama. “Even when I asked Mr. Nishizawa for the design, I didn’t say anything unnecessary.

Ceramic buttons are lined up on the table. The ceramic buttons made for this year's knit are baked in various colors such as blue and white, pink and gray, brown and green. At this year's order fair, Yuki said that she wanted customers to be able to freely choose the buttons. However, Yuki says that he wants to make a set of recommendations, as customers may be worried about "anything is possible".

 "If you were Mr. Moriyama, which button would you choose?"

 “Even if they have the same color, if you look closely, you can see that each one is different.”

 “Yes.

 "What should I do? Then I feel like I'm in pieces."

 "What about Kazuherin?"

 “I have already decided from the first time I saw it.

 "Hey, let me serve you some cold tea." A little while after I started selecting buttons, Mr. Moriyama brought me a cup of tea. The bread that Yuki-san bought as a gift and the sweets that Moriyama-san gave us were lined up on the table, making it look like a small tea party. In the living room of "Moriyamate Eito" is a table designed by Maarten van Severen.

“Mr. Fujisawa, you have a shelf designed by Mr. Daisuke Motoki, right?”

"Yes, it's in the atelier. It's too big, so I was worried when I bought it. If the time came to take a break from the atelier someday, I wouldn't be able to enter my house. What if I run out of space to keep it? I thought, but there was Mr. Moriyama." When Yuki said so, Moriyama laughed and said, "I'll always be waiting for you."

While I was being shown around Building A, I heard a sound coming from somewhere. It is "INCENSE" recorded in "VISIONARY SOUNDTRACK BY TOWA TEI". The sound seemed to come from underground. There was a basement room in Building A, which was a space that combined an audio room and a theater room. The walls are lined with movie DVDs, records, CD albums and books. Again, the books were arranged so that the spines were not visible.

A wall of books is plastered with a Russian poster of Godard's film, Do It Yourself. Mr. Wahei Kimura, who was staring at the wall through the viewfinder, asked, "Mr. Moriyama, are you tilting the poster to match the tilt of the book?"

If you look closely at the Moriyama residence, you will find things placed everywhere. Around the stairs leading to the basement of "Moriyamate Eito", small "beckoning cats" were lined up, and cat figurines were arranged on the shelves. It is said that Yuki Fujisawa and Wahei Kimura arranged cat figurines because they love cats.

Mr. Moriyama also showed me his recent favourite, an annex (C building). There was a wooden chair dyed black. This work is made by cutting Noto cypress and dyeing it with a mixture of pine soot and persimmon tannin, which has long been used for wooden exterior walls. It is said that he bought it at the Siin Siin "Zui Conn" exhibition held at the "LICHT gallery" in Aobadai, Tokyo at the end of last year.

A space where things are arranged with attention to detail can sometimes give a sense of tension. But the Moriyama residence has a strange comfort. One of the reasons for this is that even trivial objects are placed in the space. If you look at the table, you'll find plants in yogurt containers that you've finished eating, and camera film that someone forgot. I think that kind of playfulness also gives a sense of openness. However, I feel that the blank space, which cannot be explained by itself, creates a sense of comfort.

“I tend to get bored easily, so I put the things I buy in various places and try them out,” says Moriyama. “Originally, I was running a liquor store. In the old liquor store, even the living space was lined with cardboard boxes, and I really didn’t like that. I used to have my own room on the second floor, but I didn't want the copper engravings and books to fade when the light hit them, so I lived with the shutters closed. I've come to think that I don't care if it fades.After all, I guess I like things.If you don't like it, you can put it all outside, but I like the paper itself, so I can see the paper. There was a time when I tried to reduce the number of things, but a minimalist space is no good.”

The objects placed in the Moriyama residence are constantly moving without being fixed in one place. That's why it feels so airy and comfortable.

“ The painter Morandi said that the day was over just by moving the vase a little bit, and I think I can understand that sentiment a little bit. That's why the day goes by while I'm moving things around a bit."

Yuki told me that Mr. Moriyama only goes out a few times a year. It's true that one day can be over in the blink of an eye when I'm thinking about how to arrange things in Moriyama's house, which consists of 10 buildings. Even now, 17 years after the completion of the Moriyama House, Mr. Moriyama continues to think, " How should I interpret this building? "

“When I finish paying off the loan, I will be living alone, so I can't sleep just thinking about it,” laughs Moriyama. “My favorite place changes depending on the season. There are seven buildings where people can live, so you can spend time in a different building every day. I thought it would be more interesting if there was some kind of restriction on things.

The Moriyama residence has a strange blank space. That space alone is interesting, and talking with Mr. Moriyama is even more interesting.

“When I first started YUKI FUJISAWA, I used to rent a so-called white cube space to display my works. But I didn't find it interesting.In the first place, clothes are usually kept in a closet, and I think it's complete when people wear them.Arranging clothes in a white cube space But when I gave a presentation at the Hara Museum, I got the feeling that it was originally Mr. Hara's house. In my mind, the Moriyama House and the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art are linked, so I wanted to hold an unveiling party here.”

People pass by the window. There is an alley there, and neighbors come and go. Standing in the living room of Moriyamate Eito, you can feel the atmosphere of the town.

"It's fun just watching people come and go from here." Mr. Moriyama said so while looking out the window. “Even when it was a liquor store, it was open on this side, so I was always looking at the same view. Rather, I prefer a place where people can be seen."

When Mr. Moriyama took over the liquor store from his parents, there was a reception desk near the current living room, and Mr. Moriyama looked out on the street from there. Even now, when it is no longer a liquor store, the Moriyama residence is open to the street. I'm waiting here for someone to come from there.

WordsRinshi Hashimoto

Photo Kazuhei Kimura