21 Facts About Kisho Kurokawa

Kisho Kurokawa was a leading Japanese architect and one of the founders of the Metabolist Movement.

Kisho Kurokawa then attended University of Tokyo, under the supervision of Kenzo Tange.

Kisho Kurokawa then went on to study for a doctorate of philosophy, but subsequently dropped out in 1964.

Kisho Kurokawa was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Architecture by the Chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia in Sept 7,2002.

Kisho Kurokawa had a daughter, potter Kako Matsuura, and a son, renowned photographer Mikio, from his first marriage to his college classmate.

Kisho Kurokawa was a stakeholder and founding Chair of the Executive Advisory Board of the Anaheim, California-based university since 1998 and his wife Ayako Wakao-Kisho Kurokawa serves as Honorary Chairman of the institute.

Kisho Kurokawa wrote extensively on philosophy and architecture and lectured widely.

Kisho Kurokawa wrote that there are two traditions inherent in any culture: the visible and the invisible.

Yet, Kisho Kurokawa's architecture evolved from the Japanese tradition, and there is a Japanese aesthetic in the context of his work.

Kisho Kurokawa's architecture focused on keeping traditional Japanese concepts invisible, especially materiality, impermanence, receptivity and detail.

Kisho Kurokawa specifically referred to these four factors in his discussions of new wave Japanese Architecture.

Kisho Kurokawa died of heart failure on October 12,2007; he was 73.

Kisho Kurokawa noted that, with the exception of Kyoto and Kanazawa, most Japanese cities were destroyed during World War II.

Kisho Kurokawa noted that both Edo and Kyoto were almost entirely destroyed during several battles of the Warring States period in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Kisho Kurokawa explains that the Japanese tried to exploit the natural textures and colors of materials used in a building.

Kisho Kurokawa opened structures and made no attempt to hide the connective elements, believing that beauty was inherent in each of the individual parts.

Kisho Kurokawa's architecture follows the string of receptivity but, at one point, tries to diverge and find its own identity.

At first, Kisho Kurokawa's work followed the Modern Movement that was introduced in Japan by Tange, Isozaki and their peers.

Kisho Kurokawa mostly used steel in open frames and units that were prefabricated and interchangeable.

Kisho Kurokawa explained that the attention paid to detail in Japanese work derived essentially from the typical attempt to express individuality and expertise.

For four decades, Kisho Kurokawa created eco-friendly and sustainable architectural projects.