Zaha Hadid's project for Tokyo Olympic stadium sparked quite a bit of controversy and criticism from prominent Japanese architects, getting called by the eminent Arata Isozaki, a "disgrace to future generations". The main points of contention are the mammoth dimensions, its futuristic yet abstract form and location. Yet, thinking about the Japanese tradition and buildings that may bridge modern times and tradition, the mind automatically conjures up visions of Togo Murano's buildings.
Today's it's actually the thirthieth anniversary of his death, so it's worth remembering him. Born in 1891 in Karatsu, Japan, Tōgo Murano kept on working until his death and visited a construction site just a day before he died (November 26, 1984).
After his graduation in 1918 he worked as apprentice at the Kansai office of Setsu Watanabe in Osaka where he spent eleven years. In the early '20s he was sent to America and Europe: this opportunity helped him enriching his architectural vocabulary and he became interested in Nordic architecture (Saarinen's and Östberg's work, such as Stockholm City Hall, were later on echoed in Murano's Memorial Cathedral for World Peace (1954), Yonago Public Hall (1958) and the Round Library at Kansai University (1959)). In 1929 Murano opened his own office in Osaka and, twenty years later, he reorganised his office and entered into partnership with Tiuchi Mori.
Murano was accomplished in the sukiya style (see Kasuien Annex to the Miyako Hotel in Kyoto) and his work also had an Expressionist aspect. He favoured balancing Japanese traditions with Western elements, designing architecture (he completed half of his life's work after the age of seventy), and interior pieces including furniture, lighting fixtures and ornaments.
His work includes large public buildings, hotels and department stores, and the history of his career has a collebrative edge about it. The construction company involved in many of Murano's works had a team of designers and a site manager reserved for him and, while Murano's office didn't produce many design drawings prior to construction, the site manager would calculate costs based on past experience.
After the construction work began, an architect from Murano & Mori Associated Architects and Murano's team of designers from the construction company produced detailed full-scale drawings and mock-ups of building elements. Murano would then make changes, until he was satisfied (the parts with which he was less concerned were left to be designed by the construction company).
Among his most famous designs there are the Morigo Company Tokyo branch (1931), Ube City Public Hall (1937), the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace (1954), the Nishinomiya Trappist Monastery (1969) and the Yatsugatake Museum of Art. Opened in 1980 at the foot of Yatsugatake Mountain, this building consists in a continuous sequence of domes.
Though Murano was criticised and considered as a commercial architect for the volume of his work, he was respected for the relationship of cooperation between the architect and the construction company (a great lesson in collaboration) and his passion for granting top priority to the requirements of his client.
Last but not least, the most remarkable thing often noted about him is that Murano had a personal, national and era/period style, something quite unique that can't be said about many contemporary (artist), architects (and designers as well...).
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