Yoshihide Okuma (1905-1984) came to prominence as an architect in the postwar era, establishing a signature style of traditional wooden housing that harked back toward Japan's past when the country itself was undergoing rapid modernization.
"Gazing at Japanese Aesthetics," an exhibition of 200 of Okuma's design plans, photographs, architectural models and hand-drawn sketches, has recently opened at Galerie Taisei in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and runs through October.
The exhibition provides insight into how modern-day Japanese living was informed by an influential postwar architect. Okuma earned his reputation for designing modest housing for ordinary people while employed as an in-house architect in the design division for Taisei Corporation, one of Japan's largest general contracting companies.
"Gazing at Japanese Aesthetics" runs through October at Galerie Taisei, 17F Shinjuku Center Building, 1-25-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo (tel. [03] 5381-5510). Opening hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (closed Saturdays, Sundays and holidays). The venue is a 5-minute walk from JR Shinjuku Station's West Exit. Admission is free.
For further information in Japanese, including directions on how to get to the museum, visit www.taisei.co.jp
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