To commemorate its 120th anniversary, Jissen Women’s University constructed a new campus building based on the theme of kasane-no-irome, the traditional Japanese color combinations of the Heian period. The concept draws on the university’s cultural heritage, including its founder’s deep knowledge of waka poetry and its connection to Kuniko Mukōda, an acclaimed Japanese writer and alumna of the university.
Kasane-no-irome emerged during a period when the range of available dyes and pigments was limited. By layering and combining a small number of colors, people created a rich variety of hues associated with the changing seasons. This ingenious approach reveals a distinctly Japanese sensitivity to color and an appreciation for subtle combinations.
Each classroom is identified by a floating sign composed of two large fields of color, bringing vivid accents into the otherwise white and minimal interior. With a different color combination assigned to each of the nearly 50 classrooms, the system creates depth and visual richness across the expansive atrium while also functioning as an intuitive wayfinding system, allowing students to recognize the location of their destination at a glance.
The signage establishes an identity unique to the university while introducing a new approach to understanding space—one that seeks the “just right” degree of clarity for a university environment visited and experienced every day.