Kamakura was the center of Japan’s first samurai government, established by Minamoto no Yoritomo during the Kamakura period, and functioned as a natural fortress surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on one. To connect the inside and outside of this enclosed terrain, kiridoshi were created—spatial operations that cut through a confined world and open it to the outside.

The clients, a family relocating from Tokyo, sought an open and expansive way of living characteristic of Kamakura. However, the site was a flag-shaped plot surrounded by neighboring houses on three sides and a waterway on the remaining side, resulting in a closed condition. The design therefore began with the question of how openness could be achieved within such an enclosed site.

The plan is organized around a central courtyard, with the living–dining–kitchen and private rooms arranged in a centripetal configuration. This inward-looking composition is then cut through by multiple visual axes terminating in openings, allowing views to penetrate from one end of the house to the other and extend outward.

By cutting through both space and sightlines within the confined site, the project realizes an open and generous way of living.