The 4th room, with the theme of “Dragon”, was created when the artist Kiyoko Abe stayed in our hotel for 10 days from 11th January to 21st January 2014.
Looking out over Tokyo Tower from the huge window, the Dragon floats in. Taking the walls of the room as if they were a horizontal sheet of paper, she painted the story of the natural world. She says: “I want guests who stay in this room with its wonderful view, to view the panorama of modern Japanbeneath their eyes, while at the same time realizing that people have lived, and are now living, in the raw world of Nature”.
The Dragon flying all over the room symbolizes the energy of Nature, and she hopes that this room (= space) will come alive with the Dragon’s energy.
Staff recommendation comment
In Japan, the Dragon is a creature that represents good luck and creation, protector of the family, and longevity. In the Artist Room King Dragon, artist Kiyoko Abe succeeded in perfectly expressing the relationship of coexistence between Man and Nature, painting an imposing dragon that crosses the whole room from the entrance to the bed, even throughout the bathroom. The Dragon seems to stare intensely at a young woman wearing a colorful kimono, a symbol of purity and hope; their meeting, although two opposite figures, is the ideal example of mutual respect and admiration. In the room, there are also other human figures of an ancient Japanese era, deliberately painted by the artist, to accentuate the difference between the panorama of modern Tokyo, a frenetic city with tall buildings, and the characters inside the room portrayed in their everyday moments.
We highly recommend the Artist Room King Dragon to guests who want to enjoy a relaxing yet lively room while enjoying a stunning view of Tokyo Tower and the city.
Room #3112 | Completion Date: January 2014
A Marriage with Nature
I have been studying how to express people’s will for a long time. I have often observed the fact that the human heart has the same dynamics as the law of natural phenomena or the laws of Creation. Nature and the Creation are both a threat and a benefit to humans, and everybody is living with this history. So, I thought I would express the relation between human beings and nature, and the feeling of the Japanese toward Nature, in this room.
I think the feeling of the Japanese toward Nature is that of dignified coexistence and respect. In order to create a room where you can experience this, natural dignity is portrayed by a dragon, which represents the Creation, and the dignity of a human being who confronts the dragon is denoted by a girl’s figure as a symbol of pure hope.
This confrontation is just like a marriage with pleasure and pain as companions.
The dragon was regarded as the energy of Nature itself, and in this room which is filled with this image, I hoped to create a space which will stimulate you.
It would be ideal if those who stay in this room, with its scenic view, and while looking out over modern-day Japan, enjoy the drama that people have lived and are living which is unfolding in the midst of Nature, while ensconced in the bosom of the dragon which entered nimbly from outside the window.
Kiyoko Abe
Artist born 1970, in Tokyo.
Draws portraits with “sumi” (Japanese ink), on the lines of modern people.
Her personal reticence is directly reflected in works that manifest a mixture of strength and fragility,
and her pictures of women with great insight despite their instability have received very high acclaim.