In the Japanese city of Nara, Shingo Sakuma and Jin-Yi Liu have preserved an 18th century Shinto priest family’s residence on the edge of a primeval forest leading to the Kasugataisha Shrine. Now an art space, Toma House has been restored from near-collapse by the Toma family’s descendants, standing with the monumental architecture and spiritual landmarks of Nara’s historic Takabatakecho district, and the forest’s free-roaming deer – said to be sacred messengers of the Shinto gods. While exhibitions, workshops, and artist residencies occupy the space, parts of the property remain untouched, as Shingo and Jin-Yi enlist traditional craftspeople to restore its individual elements…