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Furukusa, an experience-based guesthouse: a courtyard of moss and a black river-stone path, seen through an opening in an earthen wall
A bamboo window frame, joined by hand, seen from above
An open-air bath enclosed by a plastered earthen wall set with river stones
Chopping straw to mix into wall clay
An earthen wall with a bamboo window, and a plaster-finished kamado stove
The courtyard seen through an indoor window

Skills earnedacross Japan and abroad,brought to lifeas a garden.

Shujiro Nishikubo, a garden craftsman in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, creates garden spaces for shops, facilities, and private homes.

Founded in 2013Kanagawa and all of JapanBringing the visions of owners and builders to life

Tell us about your project

Share your site, schedule, and budget freely｜Inquiries by email

“Not only garden work— plastering, woodwork,
anything about your space. Just ask.”
Shujiro Nishikubo, Founder, Shonan Niwakaze

Why usThree reasons clients come to Shonan Niwakaze

BreadthCountless sites

For more than 13 years, as a travelling contractor, he has built gardens across Japan and in three other countries. Countless sites were handed to him with a simple “Leave it to Nishikubo.” He was the one called in when a job was in trouble. Now he brings what he learned there to clients across Japan, centered on Kanagawa, in the form of gardens.

Chopping straw

DepthStudy, night after night

Wood joinery, plaster mixes, tool sharpening—he tries anything that catches his interest. His research often runs late into the night and through his days off, and he enjoys every minute. Above all, he loves natural materials and traditional methods.

The courtyard seen through an indoor window

RangeNot only Japanese gardens

“What I have learned are materials and methods from all over Japan and abroad. They are my toolbox for shaping the garden each client wants. Japanese or Western style, I already have the skills to make it real.”

WorksOur work

At Furukusa, an experience-based guesthouse, we shaped the whole space—from the courtyard and walls to the sign lettering and a kamado stove.

The Furukusa courtyard: an earthen-wall gate, an open-air bath, and a black river-stone path
A courtyard enclosed by earthen wallsFurukusa, experience-based guesthouse
Earthen bath wall accented with river stones
An earthen bath wall accented with river stonesFurukusa, experience-based guesthouse
A stone path lit at night
The path at nightFurukusa, experience-based guesthouse
Sign lettering raised from the wall in plaster
Sign lettering made in plasterFurukusa, experience-based guesthouse
River stones set into a slab of sabi-mikage, a rust-toned granite
River stones set into a rust-toned granite slab, underfootFurukusa, experience-based guesthouse
The courtyard seen through an indoor window
The courtyard, framed by a windowFurukusa, experience-based guesthouse

One storyHow a garden
takes shape.

A record of building an earthen wall and a kamado stove under the eaves at Furukusa.

Under the eaves, before work beganBefore
The finished earthen wall and kamado stoveAfter
  1. 01

    Read the site

    Under the eaves before work, with scaffolding still in place

    Under the eaves, scaffolding still in place. Beyond the block wall, rice paddies stretched out.

  2. 02

    Make the materials

    Preparing straw for the clay
    Split bamboo for the wall base

    We chopped straw to mix into the wall clay and prepared the base materials. Each piece of bamboo in the window frame was joined by hand. Few gardeners go this far.

  3. 03

    Plaster and build

    Clay applied over the bamboo lath
    A kamado stove built from firebricks

    Over a woven bamboo lath (takekomai), we built up layers of specially mixed clay, planning the texture and color it would take on as it dried. In front of the wall, we built a kamado stove from firebricks.

  4. 04

    Finish

    The finished wall and kamado stove
    The drip pattern on the earthen wall surface

    Through the bamboo window, you catch a glimpse of the rice paddies—a view and a source of light. The client is delighted with the plaster-finished kamado. The drip pattern on the earthen wall is intentional: extra straw brings out a coarse grain with a rich texture and color.

StudyNightly research

He tests the techniques he uses on site himself, after the day’s work.

Sign lettering raised in plaster

Plaster mixes

Even sign lettering is raised from the wall in plaster. He adjusts the mix of clay and straw to test each finish.

Wood joinery

He studies the joints that connect wood to wood through repeated trial pieces, and puts them to use in wall posts and fittings.

Tool sharpening

A sharp edge decides the finish. He sharpens and cares for his tools every night.

Q&ABefore you contact us

I don’t know what kind of garden suits my space.

That is no problem at all. Drawing on our experience, we share the finished image through conversation and perspective drawings. We visit the site, learn about the building and how you will use the space, and then make a proposal.

I’m not sure how to talk about my budget.

We ask about your budget first and plan within it. Rest assured, we never let costs grow along the way.

I can’t picture the finished result.

We believe communication and visualization matter. We find out what helps you picture the result best, and present our proposal in that form.

① We listen→ ② We visit the site→ ③ We propose within your budget

Tell us about your dream
and the life you picture.

Email us

Inquiries by email only
We visit the site before making a proposal