Padel Tokyo Mizumachi

【project overview】
More than 50 years have passed since Oda Castle's exterior was restored with reinforced concrete in 1960, and the building underwent a comprehensive earthquake resistance renovation project called the "Heisei Great Renovation" in 2015. As a result, displays within the castle tower were also completely renewed, and our company assisted with schematic design and working drawings (both as subcontractors to an design administration company) as well as the displays production work.

[Customer Issues]
The theme of this project was "to promote the historical appeal of Odawara, with Odawara Castle at the center as a hub for historical tourism." To achieve this, the mission was to prepare displays that would enable people to correctly understand the history of Odawara Castle and Odawara City, and as a result, to increase the appeal of Odawara Castle as a historical tourism facility.
One issue was that because the Odawara Hojo clan was defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's forces in the Battle of Odawara, the general public had a strong image of them as "losing military commanders." As a result, the ideals and achievements of the Odawara Hojo clan in nation-building that they pursued in Odawara over five generations and a hundred years were not fully conveyed.
The city of Odawara wanted to pass on what the Hojo clan left behind in Odawara, so the challenge was how to communicate this to visitors in an easy-to-understand way and increase the number of fans of the Odawara Hojo clan.

【solution】
In response to this issue, in the first displays zone on the first floor, a model of the castle tower was placed as the focal point, alongside a gorgeous Edo-period castle town map, to convey that Odawara Castle's castle tower was built in early modern times (the Edo period).
By comparing Odawara Castle with well-known castles such as the "Top 10 castle towers in Japan," visitors can link their own knowledge to Odawara Castle, which will hopefully increase their understanding and interest. The graphic explanations are centered around pictures and illustrations, and are designed to be understandable even to foreign visitors without having to read text.
In order to increase the number of fans of the Odawara Hojo clan, the achievements and history of the five generations of the Hojo clan are presented in a dramatic style reminiscent of a historical drama. By portraying the feelings of the parents and children that would have been there, the film portrays the Hojo clan as people and is sure to resonate with visitors.
The video content was also produced in a "travel program style" to ensure that general tourists and children would not get bored and would enjoy watching it until the very end. Another major feature of this project was that displays were created utilizing the efforts and materials of the local people, such as using local actors for the roles and using the local traditional craft of marquetry and locally produced materials for interiors.
In particular, the restoration of the altar on the top floor that enshrines a statue of Marishiten (the castle's guardian deity) was carried out mainly by local lumber cooperatives and construction companies, and is the greatest attraction of Odawara Castle's main tower, bringing the skills of ancient craftsmen back to life in modern times.