A Japanese Manga Artist’s House by Tan Yamanouchi & AWGL

Japanese practice Tan Yamanouchi & AWGL have built a wooden single-family home for a Japanese Manga artist. The location of the house is closely associated with cartoonists in the heart of Tokyo. The homeowner, a young and emerging cartoonist, wanted a space where they could complete their work, a compact living space that doesn’t open too much to the outside, and most importantly, a space that would inspire their creativity. The goal was to create a “building that is slightly detached from everyday life” while still connecting to it, with a slightly fictional narrative, and to create such a way of living.

The inspiration for this design came from an image of a movie scene where the land associated with cartoonists rises dramatically and a building is born, with owls flying around inside. The design team aimed to incorporate the specific lifestyle of a cartoonist in the modern era while also preserving the fictional imagery.

Photography: Katsumasa Tanaka