Land
for Fujita's cabin was purchased by Florence Carr in 1928. Fujita
and Carr, a Euro-American secretary and social worker, had a long-term
relationship and were living together in Chicago at that time. Carr
purchased the property because of Minnesota state laws that restricted
the land ownership of Asian aliens. They eventually married in 1940,
in part to protect their mutual property in several different states.
Carr did not accompany Fujita on his many retreats to the cabin
which he used until 1941, shortly before America entered World War
II. Fujita was able to avoid wartime internment by residing in Chicago,
and chose instead to retreat to a cabin in Indiana just an hour
from the city.
Fujita
built his Rainy Lake cabin in the border lakes region of Minnesota,
near the Canadian border, shortly after the land was purchased.
Marked by their simplicity, his rustic wooden one-room cabin and
its setting are evocative of both the architecture and landscapes
of Japan. The natural materials, minimal decoration, side entrance,
moderate pitched roof, veranda, and lack of foundation are all typical
features of modest residential Japanese construction. The cabin
is integrated into the surrounding forested landscape: the floor
to ceiling windows to give extensive views of the natural rock around
the house, and of the lake, which provided an atmosphere conducive
to reflection.
Land
for Fujita's cabin was purchased by Florence Carr in 1928. Fujita
and Carr, a Euro-American secretary and social worker, had a long-term
relationship and were living together in Chicago at that time. Carr
purchased the property because of Minnesota state laws that restricted
the land ownership of Asian aliens. They eventually married in 1940,
in part to protect their mutual property in several different states.
Carr did not accompany Fujita on his many retreats to the cabin
which he used until 1941, shortly before America entered World War
II. Fujita was able to avoid wartime internment by residing in Chicago,
and chose instead to retreat to a cabin in Indiana just an hour
from the city.
Fujita
built his Rainy Lake cabin in the border lakes region of Minnesota,
near the Canadian border, shortly after the land was purchased.
Marked by their simplicity, his rustic wooden one-room cabin and
its setting are evocative of both the architecture and landscapes
of Japan. The natural materials, minimal decoration, side entrance,
moderate pitched roof, veranda, and lack of foundation are all typical
features of modest residential Japanese construction. The cabin
is integrated into the surrounding forested landscape: the floor
to ceiling windows to give extensive views of the natural rock around
the house, and of the lake, which provided an atmosphere conducive
to reflection.