...
In 1953, Kokusai Kenchiku once again hosted a debate: “Nationalism vs. Internationalism.” The erstwhile Corbusians, Maekawa and Sakakura, were part of it, as was the emerging genius Kenzo Tange, Maekawa’s former employee. Tange argued that technology determined the appearance of a country’s architecture, and that Japan, lagging behind the United States, would inevitably exhibit different forms. Maekawa dismissed Japanese attempts to exhibit “Japaneseness” as resulting from an “inferiority complex.” This endlessly recurring argument, known as the “Japan tradition debate” (Nihon dento ronso), came to affect the reception of later Modernists’ work as well. ...
This image is embedded in ...
- How Le Corbusier Became Big in Japan, Wednesday, August 8, 2018 - 12:00