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The northern Japanese countryside is a beautiful but challenging environment. Heavy snowfall in winter, hot, humid summers, high winds and seasonal changes in sunlight all make for challenging building conditions. Homes in northern Japan need to be versatile; warm in winter, cool in summer and able to handle large changes in humidity. Aimori Corporation's parent company Komatsu Kensetsu has over 85 years of experience building homes in these conditions. Thanks to our concentrated focus on local conditions, Aimori can create living spaces that are optimally suited, both structurally and aesthetically, to the landscape of northern Japan - in tune with the land.
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The city of Date, in the northernmost Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido, is bordered by Mt. Usu volcano to the northwest, the Horobetsu mountain range to the northeast and tranquil "Volcano Bay," so named because of its proximity to several active volcanoes, to the south. Date's climate is mild relative to the surrounding area, and the bay is the home of a thriving scallop farming industry. It is here in Date, on the shores of Volcano Bay, that Aimori Corporation has developed Zen Ocean Plaster, a new use for an ancient material.
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We at Aimori Studio are intimately familiar with both the harshness of the northern Winter and the vitality of the northern Spring - that is why we use the wood of the coniferous (Japanese larch and Yezo spruce) and broadleaved trees that grow here, in the forests of Hokkaido. We strive to create an indoor environment that is both conducive to healthy living and pleasing to the eye by using our unique Zen Ocean Plaster, made from the shells of scallops harvested from Volcano Bay, along with touches such as indigo-dyed fabrics, a local specialty. Aimori Studio actively supports the local use of local materials. The use of scallop shells in plaster is not new. Scallop shells have been used in Japanese construction as an ingredient in wall coatings for a long time. Plaster craftspeople have used the local soils and rocks, and scallop shell ash, made by incinerating scallop shells, in ingenious ways to create all different kinds of plasters. We used these craftspeople's many years of experience when developing our Zen Ocean Plaster.
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Handmade crafts show the spirit of the local environment. Craftspeople are intimately familiar with the nature and origins of the materials that they use, as well as the environment from which they come. They master the techniques and methods that are optimally suited to the local climate when creating their art. Craftspeople know that construction methods that have been refined in the harsh, northern climate are rugged and durable enough to withstand the severest conditions. At Aimori, we want to continue using and treasuring the traditional methods and techniques of northern Japan for ages to come.
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One of the major benefits of Zen Ocean Plaster is that it provides a lustrous finish, through the naturally glossy scallop shell ash incorporated into the base material. As opposed to traditional slaked-lime or clay plasters, which provide a matte finish, Zen Ocean Plaster, because of the near pure whiteness of the scallop shell material itself, has a subtle coloration that affords a clean, elegant look.
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