An Installation That Lets You Experience the Culture of Dashi　　

“Katsuo Gravity” is a permanent installation at Kayanosha in Kyoto’s Gion district, featuring a performance of freshly shaved bonito flakes as its centerpiece.
 Shaved to a thickness of approximately 0.02 mm, the bonito flakes dance erratically inside the glass enclosure as they catch the air, gradually accumulating on a disc-shaped stage. Once a certain weight is reached, the disc tilts, and the flakes fall once more. While a single flake of katsuobushi dances lightly, the flakes acquire a tangible mass as they pile up. This contrast in properties is expressed within the space as an ever-changing landscape.

The project began with the question of how to convey the act of “shaving bonito flakes in-store” as an experience to customers.
 Through repeated deliberation, we decided to focus not on the machine itself, but on the sequence of phenomena—the freshly shaved bonito flakes being created, floating, and settling. We compared multiple shaving machines and, in collaboration with an engineering firm, designed the form, mechanism, and store operations as an integrated whole. The result is a permanent installation that symbolizes the store’s theme: “Experiencing dashi culture with all five senses.”