Bronze Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2021
Inage Ryouen Crematorium and Temple
by Eitaro Satake and Shinichiro Yamada
- A' Design Award 2021 Bronze Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Bishamondo
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 9,385
- Verification code 0B7FE8DCE7 · Verify this award
About Inage Ryouen Crematorium and Temple
Inage Ryouen is a memorial building that combines a temple and a mechanical ossuary near Tokyo. Urbanization and changing family structures have created a shortage of graves in cities. Inage Ryouen answers this need with an indoor cemetery that is easy to visit. In conventional mechanical cemeteries the remains are kept in small niches, while here the remains are stored in the basement under a tombstone, as in a traditional grave. Stone, wood and paper were used in the construction. A lounge, a temple, a worship room and a rooftop garden are arranged on three floors.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Inage ryouen is the first grave-type mechanical ossuary in Japan and it is a memorial architecture for bereaved families to conduct the funeral ceremony and pay their respect.
Change in lifestyle and urbanization creates a need for a change from a traditional local graveyard to an easy access urban ossuary.
Inage ryouen is a solution to the urban grave shortage, and memorial halls that are easy to visit. It has been designed so that it does not feel like a machine, and this indoor cemetery is as close as possible to a traditional grave site. - Dimensions & Packaging
- It is located around Tokyo, 1440 square meters in area, 2740 square meters in floor space, 3 stories above the steel frame. The garden and the ossuary are arranged on the roof, the second floor is a temple and the first floor is a lounge.
Lounge, Temple, Rooftop Garden and Worship Room with distinct functions on each floor for stress-free funerals and memorial services. - Tags
- temple,columbarium, ossuary, memorial hall, Inage, Inage ryouen, STAR, Japan
- Production Technology
- Conventional mechanical cemeteries have a small niche/ locker columbarium, whereas here the remains are stored under the tombstone. We developed a new system with Toyota L&F that allows us to secure storage space in the basement, just like traditional graves.
Natural materials such as stone, wood, and paper were used for the construction, architectural and interior design such as furniture, signage, gravestone materials, and also transport systems. - Project Duration
- Project completed in 15/03/2018
Project Location: 3-7-5 Inage Higashi, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba, Japan - Operation Flow
- Conventional mechanical cemeteries have a small niche/ locker columbarium, whereas here the remains are stored under the tombstone. We developed a new system with Toyota L&F that allows us to secure storage space in the basement, just like traditional graves.
A solution to the shortage of graves in urban area, and memorial halls that are easy to visit and respect individuality, located near the Tokyo Metropolitan city. - Inspiration
- In Japan, with the aging of baby boomers, the number of deaths has doubled from 1980 to 2020, and has exceeded 1.3 million.
Also, due to the low birthrate and aging population, urbanization, and change in family structure, there is a growing need for a solution to the shortage of graves in urban areas and memorial halls that are easy to visit and respect individuality. - Image Credits
- Photographer Kai Nakamura, 2018