Saturday Afternoon, February 9, 2013
Well who knew??? We did. Yes our old friend Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous (and infamous) American architect not only designed and built in the USA, he also lived and worked in old Japan. He first visited in 1905 and described Japan as; “the most romantic, most beautiful” nation on earth". Of the dozen buildings he designed in the 1910s to 20s, 6 were actually built. Today, only a school and Yamamura House survive, along with portions of the Imperial and Hayashi House.
Our Japanese friends must have thought us crazy (and Wrightly so) but they were willing to help us find a few vestiges of architectural history in Tokyo.
Way back in 1915-1923 the Imperial Hotel was designed and built. The Japanese government, keen to modernise, wanted a hotel to make westeners feel comfortable. The hotel structure famously survived the Great KantÅ earthquake of 1923 that devastated much of Tokyo. It stood there from that year until 1967 and was known as the Wright Imperial. Travellers from around the world referred to it as "The Jewel of the Orient." Eventually it was demolished to make way for the present hotel. You know what joni mitchell said about putting up parking lots.
And so we saw a model...
Main entrance and lobby present Imperial.
The lobby pays tribute.
This Oya stone relief is from a design Wright used in a corner of the main lobby and is characteristic of his abundant usage of geometric patterns. It was carved by artisans from the Oya Quarry in Tochigi Prefecture who recreated parts of the original Imperial during it's relocation to Meiji Village in Inuyuma in Aichi Prefecture
However... Old Imperial Bar, a smallish, tavern-like dining venue in the hotel, totally tucked back on the mezzanine floor so that it's not some tourist-filled hotspot does have a few bits salvaged from the original building.
Original Wright mural.
The bar.
Original Wright screen.
Architectural cross-section.
Well, that was nice... But there is another building in Tokyo that is still in original condition... And still in use.
Tucked away in some back streets that took no little time and effort of our patient hosts to locate,,,
No, not this one, but Just around the corner from this "Wright style" building....
Not sure who designed this one but clearly a lot of references to his work
We finally found the Jiyu Gakuen Girls' School Myonichikan, ("myonichikan" meaning "house of tomorrow" and Jiyu Gakuen "School of Free Spirit").
The owners wanted to build a "christian" school for Japanese girls. They met Wright through Arata Endo, chief draftsman for the Imperial Hotel, who shared credit on the school design with Wright—a first for the American. Endo became his devoted collaborator and, after Wright left in 1922, his lifeline to Japan.
Designed on a strict budget, Jiyu Gakuen features Wright's trademark low-rise symmetry, clean, minimalist (for those days) lines and simple, elegant adornment. Walk through the main entrance down a low-ceilinged corridor dimly lit with natural light and step up a brief flight of stairs into the split-level dining room, a breathtaking expanse of open space. Windows flooding the rooms with light are decorated with geometric shapes.
Opened in 1912
A class room. The building is no longer a school but used for a variety of functions such as the handcraft sale the day we visited.
Wright and Endo's chair and table designs, sized for children, sit in the room.
Ceiling light and skylight
Entry doors
Shoe cupboard
The Lounge Hall in the main building has a big window facing the courtyard. The window frame and crosspieces have a very characteristic Lloyd Wright design.
The large mural in the lounge hall was rediscovered after the restoration. It was painted to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the school, and it is unknown when it was concealed under a thick layer of mortar....
It appears to depict the exodus from Egypt. But, look what else we discovered on the mural...
That's right, the Tetragrammaton, the four letters in Hebrew language that spell YHWH. English, JEHOVAH
Typical Wright geometric art glass.
Pendant lights in the dining room.
The school Auditorium capable of seating around 300 people stands across the street.
Ok, ok enough about Wright. Rest assured we will not be likely to encounter any more Wright buildings again for some time.... But who knows?
Maho and Alex
Finish a perfect day with a perfect meal at a Japanese resturant. See the shoe cupboards in the entry
This is the bamboo key to the individual locker
Shinsuke and Maho
Thank you Shinse and Maho for a delightful day
Lloydnalex
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