Buckets, Saikachi, and Collective Neighborhood Governance

Exploring Oimawashi houses with episodes

In 2023, Kawauchi Oimawashi area in Sendai became Aobayama Park.

There used to be Oimawashi houses on that site. We hold an exhibition to look back on their 77-year history and everyday lives.

For direction and creation, we feature Sasa Shun and Date Nobuaki, two artists who do research on the lives of people in a community and produce artistic expressions. It is an attempt to produce pointillism of a community from each artist's perspective, focusing on the way of life they had built themselves and the townscape.

Date: Friday, November 3 (National Holiday)-Sunday, December 24, 2023

10:30-18:30 (last admission at 18:00)

Closed on November 30 (Thursday)

Venue: Sendai Mediatheque 6F Gallery 4200

Admission: ¥500 (free for high school students or younger children)

Half price for those who live in Sendai and 65 years old or older, and those who have a disability certificate

Directed and created by Sasa Shun and Date Nobuaki

Organized by Sendai Mediatheque (Sendai Cultural Foundation)

Contributions from Shinden Houses Association, Sendai Ryokusaikan Visitor Center, Aobayama Park (Aobayama Area Management), Sendai Municipal Library

Grant from Japan Foundation for Regional Art-Activities

About Oimawashi Houses

On the state-owned land at Kawauchi Oimawashi Area, located in between Mt. Aoba and Hirose River, Japan Housing Corporation built emergency temporary housings after World War Two, and people who lost their houses in the war and those who withdrew from overseas began to live there. Because Japan Housing Corporation was dissolved soon afterwards, residents made the decision to stay there, purchasing the buildings and paying rent for the land to the state. However, at that point, the city government had already decided to make the area parkland and, as such, did not carry out full infrastructure development of the residential land there. Thus, residents shared the costs, paved the roads themselves, and installed water services so that they could continue living there. For a long time, the city government and residents discussed the option of moving, and as the last house was demolished in February 2023, a community of Oimawashi officially put an end to its history.

Reference: "60 Years of Oimawashi Houses Association," "History of Sendai City," "History of Sendai's Urban Development"

Flyer(PDF)