If one thing perfectly embodies Kyoto’s protection of culture and craft, it is Gion Matsuri, held each summer in sweltering heat, as it has been for over a thousand years. 

 

As an architectural designer, my favourite part of July is watching neighbourhood communities each reassemble their huge wooden float, with its own unique characteristics; no mechanical fixings, just timber slotted together and bound tightly with rope.  Once complete these towering structures (weighing over 12 tons) twist and creak as they are pulled through Kyoto’s streets.

 

This series is very gradually building into a large collection of photographs, one that I will continue to add to and edit as future festivals pass by.  It is truly a privilege to watch generations transferring these special skills year after year.