Hanazono House: Inspiring Art in a Land of its Own

Shouya Grigg searched a long time until he found the perfect piece of land on which to create his masterpiece.

Despite its seclusion – see the orange glow of the rusted corten steel exterior in the right in the picture below – it’s just minutes drive to the Hanazono ski resort and the local town Kutchan, and just a few minutes further to Niseko’s main resort Hirafu.

While the 600sqm, five-bedroom house itself is a work of art, the creative photographer, graphic designer and man behind the Sekka brand says it’s looking outside that gives him most inspiration here.

“The views outside, no matter what season, are like an evolving painting on a wall,” Shouya says. “I don’t look outside in winter and see cold, wind and snow. As an artist I see pictures.

“This house gives me a lot of inspiration for my work. The way the snow comes down, the way it blows through the trees, the way it sticks to the windows, the way it drifts – here it’s like living in an art gallery.”

Mt Yotei is ever present, commanding and sometimes appearing so close it could well be a part of the sprawling 15,000 tsubo (5ha) property. With the only sign of life being Kutchan town’s houses just speckled thumbnails in the distance, Hanazono House is in a land of its own.