Set in the wooded surroundings of Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture, the Stone Church Kanzo Uchimura Memorial Hall, designed by architect Kendrick Kellogg in 1988, comprises 19 monumental stone arches in dialogue with glass, offering a peaceful interplay of architecture and nature. A recent project led by Masanobu Takeishi and Masako Yanagisawa of Illumination of City Environment, completed in May 2023 for Hoshino Resorts involved a careful lighting retrofit, 36 years after the church’s original completion.
The existing halogen system was replaced with dimmable LEDs that can adapt their intensity and colour temperature to natural conditions. The lighting is set to 4500K in bright daylight, 3500K under cloudy or rainy skies, and transitions gradually from 3000K to 2700K at dusk, reaching candlelight tones at night.
As a popular wedding venue, the chapel features 11 lighting scenes across 22 circuits, allowing for precise control throughout the ceremony. A dedicated colour temperature highlights the bride and groom within the vast interior.
Sixteen discreet spotlights reveal the textured surfaces of the stonework, while four narrow-beam projectors positioned eight metres high illuminate the altar and pews. During evening ceremonies, the artificial light is almost absent, leaving the candle flames to reshape the space.
The basement memorial to Kanzo Uchimura, constructed from glass and stone, is subtly lit to reinforce the stoic spirit of his non-church philosophy.
