AZUMA FARM Koiwai

The scenery of Koiwai Farm, shaped by the coexistence of nature and people

Azuma Farm Koiwai stands quietly in Koiwai, Iwate Prefecture. Once covered in volcanic ash and too barren for even grass to grow, this wilderness has been restored over more than 130 years into a thriving forest rich with life. Spanning approximately 2,000 hectares, the forest has been nurtured not by reshaping nature to suit people, but by choosing to live alongside it. While single-species plantations of cedar and cypress have become common in Japan in recent years, Koiwai Farm also plants broadleaf trees—protecting biodiversity as it continues to cultivate the forest today. Within one corner of this woodland lies Azuma Farm Koiwai: a peaceful pasture of about 8 hectares, surrounded by trees.

Architecture Brought to Life by Trees Raised at Koiwai Farm

The architectural design of Azuma Farm Koiwai was led by Shiro Miura of Rokkakuya, a Kyoto-based firm known for traditional Japanese architecture. At Koiwai Farm, forests have been carefully cultivated over more than 130 years, with each tree planted by hand. In designing the building to harmonize with this original landscape, Miura worked closely with the farm team—walking into the woods himself to identify, select, and fell the trees to be used in construction. Honoring the time and history embedded in the land, every tree is used without waste and carried forward as material that shapes a new landscape for future generations. The spatial experience also reflects the vastness and strength of Tohoku’s terrain, along with the quiet mystique found in the works of Kenji Miyazawa, who loved this region. The aim is an architecture where nature and people, past and present, coexist in gentle balance.