Vol. 42: FROM THE EDITOR

While the achievements of Major League Baseball player Shohei Otani or Japanese directors at overseas film festivals quickly garner attention in Japan, the international accolades accorded to the nation’s architects don’t generate as many headlines for some reason. This year, architect Riken Yamamoto became the ninth Japanese to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the “Nobel Prize of architecture,” and Japan now stands tied with the United States for the most laureates. The first Japanese recipient was Kenzo Tange in 1987, followed by Fumihiko Maki (1993), Tadao Ando (1995), Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa (2010), Toyo Ito (2013), Shigeru Ban (2014), Arata Isozaki (2019) and now Yamamoto. Why have so many Japanese been recognized in this way?

At the end of the Edo Period (1603–1868), Japan broke its long national isolation and sought to become a nation on par with Western powers. The approach it adopted ultimately culminated in defeat in World War II. Then, from the burned ruins, Japan rebuilt its cities and towns, spurring significant progress in architecture and building techniques. In this special issue, we explore the activities and the acclaim of Japan’s architects.