A newly opened museum in the Japanese city of Taketa resembles a long bamboo fence, thanks to the canes that cover its entrance.

The poles continue inside the Kengo Kuma-designed Taketa History and Culture Museum, where they form the sloping ceiling of its entrance lobby, as well as the grounds. A bamboo walkway and elevator links the museum with the nearby hillside and historic home of Edo-era painter Tanomura Chikuden.

Kengo Kuma and Associates has kept the rest of the materials palette simple, focusing on whitewashed walls, polished stone floors and minimal exhibition spaces. At night time, light spills out of the museum, emphasising the texture of the individual canes that cover its exterior.

The Taketa History and Culture Museum is located close to one of Taketa’s historic sites – the mountaintop ruins of an 836-year-old castle, which visitors can hike up to after learning about the region’s history inside the museum.

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