Client
Uji City

Architecture
GENETO Architects

Support
Religious corporation Hwang 檗Mune-Daimonzan Manboku Temple
Osaka Seikei University
Tea DMO
Uji City
G8 Research Institute

Execution:
Nippon Shomei Co., Ltd

Photos:
Yasutake Kondo
Frank Vetter (portrait orientation)

Completion
2025

Project Team DAY & LIGHT
Frank Vetter

In 1661, the Chinese monk Ingen Ryūki Zenji founded the Manpuku-ji Zen temple. The complex, whose layout and architecture follow the style of China's Ming Dynasty, was recently declared a National Treasure. Between November 2025 and February 2026, it will be honoured through a special light installation.

The lighting design, developed in collaboration between the architectural firm GENETO and the lighting designer Frank Vetter, deliberately avoids the use of decoration. The light alone – like a manga illustration or a painting on a midnight-black canvas – highlights the distinctive features of the temple gardens and buildings.

At the heart of the concept is the dragon: its form, laid out in the floor plan of the complex, becomes visible at night through light.

For the drawing with light, four colours are used:

• Red – like the element of fire – marks the central connections of the buildings.
• Gold – Symbol of divine connection: the „Golden Path“ and the form of the dragon. In the firelight, gold appears in a warm amber.
• Blue – representing the sky – highlights the buildings, as well as special lettering.
• White – like the element of air – is everything in between – the wooden structures as seating are the clouds. There you can linger and absorb your surroundings.