Bronzes (II)

Supermaniac Inc.

Taiza Onsen SUMIHEI “KINEAN”

(Kyotango, KYOTO)

"SUMIHEI" is a ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) established over 140 years ago in Kyotango. Kyotango is located in the northernmost area of Kyoto, and the coastline is extended with beautiful scenery. Also, Kyotango is a treasure-trove of food, especially seafood, such as Taiza snow crabs, and it is the largest hot spring resort in Kyoto. Kyotango's rich natural landscapes such as the sea, mountains, and highlands make the changing of the four seasons outstandingly clear.

We have been working on SUMIHEI for more than 10 years, and the separate cottage "KINEAN" (the first two rooms "Kaze-no-Ne" and "Nami-noNe") was the first one. We had discussed deeply with the client and the staff to find out what is really the lure of Kyotanago where is far away from central Kyoto, and there is nothing but nature and came to realize that the nothingness is beautiful and it emphasizes the great nature they have. Therefore, we decided to make SUMIHEI a place where people can fully sense the breathtakingly beautiful and colorful four seasons in Kyotango. In Japan, we do not only see the changing of the season, but the sounds also make us feel the seasons, so we reflected it to the naming of the cottages. The meaning of "KINEANN" is the sounds of the seasons.

The separated cottages we designed in 2010 have been continuously popular, and it is hard to book during the busy season, so in 2017, we extended "KINEAN" onto the newly bought land in front of it. The client has been planning of this extension for the customers longing to stay at KINEAN. Also, this project meets another demand from customers; the family hot spring where you can reserve spacey hot spring and use it privately with family or friends.

For this extension, we have built 3 new buildings; lobby building, north building, and south building. The lobby building has a lobby lounge and the family hot spring. The lobby lounge is where the customers can relax just looking at the magnificent view of the sky and the ocean. You can also enjoy various books and magazines with drinks. The most significant feature of the lobby lounge is the cloud-like-shaped sofa we design just for this lounge. It is an excellent feeling just to lay down on the couch and watch the sun goes down / up. Also, we designed the bench using Tango Chirimen textile. The outside terrace has an outdoor sofa & table with bioethanol stoves, and you can enjoy the scenery even closer. Next to the lobby building, there is the south building with Han-no-Ne and Hata-no-Ne, and the north building with Hoshi-no-Ne and Tsuki-no-Ne. Every room has different artwork inspired by Japanese traditional art technique called Oshie (raised cloth) using Tango Chirimen textile on the bedroom back wall. Those artworks are like a symbol of each room; Tango snow crab for Han-no-Ne, the weaving of the textile for Hata-no-Ne, shooting stars, and cosmos for Hoshi-no-Ne, and moon for Tsuki-no-Ne.