Takamasa Yoshizaka
Encyclopedia
, family name also romanized as Yosizaka, was a Japanese
architect
and former president of the Architectural Institute of Japan
and a keen mountaineer.
After graduating from university he worked at Le Corbusier's
atelier in Paris for two years working on projects in France and India. After his return to Japan, he collaborated on Le Corbusier's National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo in 1959. He set up his own practice called in Atelier U in 1964.
He proposed a theory of Discontinuous Unity and translated many of Le Corbusier's works from French into Japanese.
in Tokyo. In 1921 he and his family left for Geneva where his father was an official for the Japanese government setting up the International Labour Organisation. They returned to Japan in 1923 and moved to Hyakunin-cho in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
After entering Waseda University
Architecture Department in 1938 he graduated in 1943 before being drafted into the army. On returning from the war he went to live again in Shinjuku but built himself a house as the previous one had been burnt down in American bombing on the 25 May 1945.
In 1950 he accepted a French Government grant to work and study architecture in France where he enjoyed two years working at Le Corbusier's atelier in Paris.
which was under construction at that time. Two weeks later he was in Paris at Le Corbusier's office.
Whilst in the office he worked on a number of projects including: site supervision at the Marseilles Unité d'Habitation, a Law School in Chandigarh
and Nantes-Rezé
Unité d'Habitation.
In 1951 another group of Japanese students came to France to study. Amongst them was Ura Taro, a mathematician. He and Yoshizaka became good friends and Ura asked Yoshizaka to design his home upon his return to Japan.
When he was living in Paris he appeared as an extra in the Julien Duvivier
film Sous le ciel de Paris where he cycles through a scene by the Seine on a bicycle.
Le Corbusier's only building in Japan is the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo. Le Corbusier's three Japanese apprentices: Kunio Maekawa
, Junzo Sakakura
and Yoshizaka were responsible for executing the plans and supervising the construction. The principle of using so-called local architects to implement his designs was so successful here that Le Corbusier insisted it should be done for the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts
in Harvard.
system of proportioning.
In 1971 three members of Yoshizaka's practice: Hiroyasu Higuchi, Reiko Tomita and Koichi Otake left to form the architectural practice Atelier Zo. One of his students, Saito Yuko wrote the book Yoshizaka's Method about the design for Ura Taro's house and formed her own practice Atelier Site. Japanese Design Magazine Casa Brutus named him one of Japan's Modern Masters in a recent special issue.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and former president of the Architectural Institute of Japan
Architectural Institute of Japan
The Architectural Institute of Japan, or AIJ, is a Japanese professional body for architects, building engineers, and researchers in architecture....
and a keen mountaineer.
After graduating from university he worked at Le Corbusier's
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
atelier in Paris for two years working on projects in France and India. After his return to Japan, he collaborated on Le Corbusier's National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo in 1959. He set up his own practice called in Atelier U in 1964.
He proposed a theory of Discontinuous Unity and translated many of Le Corbusier's works from French into Japanese.
Early life
Takamasa Yoshizaka was the first born son of Toshizo and Hanako Yoshizaka. He was born in KoishikawaKoishikawa
is a locality within Bunkyo, Tokyo. It consists of five sub-areas, . It is located nearby with the same name are two well regarded gardens: the Koishikawa Botanical Garden in Hakusan, and the Koishikawa Korakuen Garden in Korakuen....
in Tokyo. In 1921 he and his family left for Geneva where his father was an official for the Japanese government setting up the International Labour Organisation. They returned to Japan in 1923 and moved to Hyakunin-cho in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
After entering Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
Architecture Department in 1938 he graduated in 1943 before being drafted into the army. On returning from the war he went to live again in Shinjuku but built himself a house as the previous one had been burnt down in American bombing on the 25 May 1945.
In 1950 he accepted a French Government grant to work and study architecture in France where he enjoyed two years working at Le Corbusier's atelier in Paris.
Life with Le Corbusier
Yoshizaka arrived in Marseilles in late September, 1950. On the 24 September 1950 he was shown around Le Corbusier's Unité d'HabitationUnité d'Habitation
The Unité d'Habitation is the name of a modernist residential housing design principle developed by Le Corbusier, with the collaboration of painter-architect Nadir Afonso...
which was under construction at that time. Two weeks later he was in Paris at Le Corbusier's office.
Whilst in the office he worked on a number of projects including: site supervision at the Marseilles Unité d'Habitation, a Law School in Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
and Nantes-Rezé
Rezé
Rezé is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.It was also called Ratiate in the Middle Ages and Rezay in the High Middle Ages.Inhabitants of Rezé are called Rezéens.-Panorama:...
Unité d'Habitation.
In 1951 another group of Japanese students came to France to study. Amongst them was Ura Taro, a mathematician. He and Yoshizaka became good friends and Ura asked Yoshizaka to design his home upon his return to Japan.
Other interests
Yoshizaka was a keen mountaineer. He joined the mountaineering club at high school in 1935 and in 1960 led an expedition to Mt. McKinley in Alaska.When he was living in Paris he appeared as an extra in the Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier
Julien Duvivier was a French film director. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930-1960...
film Sous le ciel de Paris where he cycles through a scene by the Seine on a bicycle.
Return to Japan
On his return to Japan in late 1952 he continued his own works. In 1959 he was appointed as a professor of Architecture at Waseda University before forming his own practice, Atelier U in 1964.National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo
Kunio Maekawa
was a Japanese architect.-Formative years:He entered First Tokyo Middle School in 1918, and then Tokyo Imperial University in 1925. After graduation in 1928, he travelled to France to apprentice with Le Corbusier. In 1930 he returned to Japan and worked with Antonin Raymond, and in 1935 established...
, Junzo Sakakura
Junzo Sakakura
was a Japanese architect and former president of the Architectural Association of Japan.After graduating from university he worked in Le Corbusier's atelier in Paris. He rose to the position of studio chief during his seven year stay in the studio....
and Yoshizaka were responsible for executing the plans and supervising the construction. The principle of using so-called local architects to implement his designs was so successful here that Le Corbusier insisted it should be done for the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts
Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts
The Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts is the only building actually built by Le Corbusier in the United States, and one of only two in the Americas...
in Harvard.
Theories: Discontinuous Unity
Discontinuous Unity involves investigating the natural laws, autonomy, and individuality of the systems and construction of all of nature including the cosmos and discovering the relationship rules and patterns between these things and humanity and human living environment.
Yoshizaka and his team then attempt to apply this as a basic ideology to all design and planning included in the human environment: architecture, town planning and even cosmic spaces.
-Hiroki Onobayashi, August 1966 "A Profile of the Versatile Takamasa Yoshizaka" Japan Architect, p32
Legacy
Yoshizaka made many of Le Corbusier's works available to native speakers by translating them from French into Japanese. This included books about the modulorModulor
The Modulor is an anthropometric scale of proportions devised by the Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier .It was developed as a visual bridge between two incompatible scales, the Imperial system and the Metric system...
system of proportioning.
In 1971 three members of Yoshizaka's practice: Hiroyasu Higuchi, Reiko Tomita and Koichi Otake left to form the architectural practice Atelier Zo. One of his students, Saito Yuko wrote the book Yoshizaka's Method about the design for Ura Taro's house and formed her own practice Atelier Site. Japanese Design Magazine Casa Brutus named him one of Japan's Modern Masters in a recent special issue.
Selected writings
- Chandigarh: the new capital of Punjab, India, 1951, Tokyo, A.D.A Edita (1974)
- L'Unité d'Habitation, Berlin, West Germany 1956-58, Tokyo, A.D.A Edita (1972)
- Chapell Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, France, 1950-54, Tokyo, A.D.A Edita (1971)
- Group Organization and Physical Structure, Japan Architect, April 1966
Selected projects
- 1965: Inter-University Seminar House, Hachioji, TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
- 1962: Athenee Francais, Tokyo
- 1962: Gozu City Hall
- 1959: Kaisei Gakuin (Higher School), NagasakiNagasakiis the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
- 1957: Villa Cou Cou, Tokyo
- 1956: Ura House, nr KobeKobe, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
- 1956: The Japan Pavilion at the Venice BiennaleVenice BiennaleThe Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
, VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...