Yoshinobu Ashihara

Yoshinobu Ashihara
Native name	芦原 義信
Born	7 July 1918 Tokyo
Died	24 September 2003 (aged 85) Tokyo
Nationality	Japanese
Alma mater	University of Tokyo
Occupation	Architect
Known for	Sony Building, Komazawa Gymnasium

Yoshinobu Ashihara (芦原 義信 Ashihara Yoshinobu, 7 July 1918 – 24 September 2003) was a Japanese architect noted for projects such as the Komazawa Olympic Gymnasium (1964) and the Sony Building (1966).

Education and Career

Ashihara was educated at both the University of Tokyo and Harvard University. After graduating from Harvard in 1953 with a master's degree in Architecture, Ashihara worked in the architectural practice of modernist Marcel Breuer. Founder of his own firm Yoshinobu Ashihara Architecture Associates in 1956.

In the later stages of his career, he was appointed Professor of Architecture at the University of Tokyo. President of the Japan Institute of Architects from 1980 - 1982 and the Architectural Institute of Japan from 1985 - 1987.^[1]

He was the recipient of both the Order of the Sacred Treasure and the Order of Culture.

Projects

Project	Date	Location	Image
Komazawa Olympic Gymnasium and Control Tower[2]	1964	Setagaya, Tokyo
Atelier, Musashino Art University[3]	1964	Kodaira, Tokyo
Sony Building[3][4]	1966	Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo
Fuji Film Building[3]	1969	Minato, Tokyo
National Museum of Japanese History[3]	1980	Sakura, Chiba
Headquarters, Daiichi Kangyō Bank[3]	1981	Chiyoda, Tokyo
Gotenshita Memorial Arena, University of Tokyo[3]	1989	Hongō, Bunkyō, Tokyo
Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre[3][5]	1990	Toshima, Tokyo
Okayama Symphony Hall[6]	1991	Okayama, Okayama
Film Centre, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo[7]	1994	Chiyoda, Tokyo
Ishikawa Ongakudō[8]	2001	Kanazawa, Ishikawa

Publications

Ashihara published a large number of architecture focused studies and texts, most prominent being The Aesthetic Townscape (Japanese first edition 1979 and English translation in 1983) and the Hidden Order: Tokyo through the Twentieth Century (Japanese first edition 1986, English translation in 1989).

See also

• List of Important Cultural Properties of Japan (Shōwa period: structures)

References

1. "Yoshinobu Ashihara - Biography". Yoshinobu Ashihara Digital Forum. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
2. "Komazawa Olympic Gymnasium and Control". Yoshinobu Ashihara Digital Forum. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
3. Watanabe Hiroshi (2001). The Architecture of Tōkyō. Edition Axel Menges. ISBN 3-930698-93-5.
4. "Sony Building - History". Sony. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
5. "Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space Concert Hall". Nagata Acoustics. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
6. "Ishikawa Ongakudo Concert Hall". Nagata Acoustics. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
7. 1990年代 (in Japanese). Yoshinobu Ashihara Digital Forum. Archived from the original on August 23, 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
8. "Ishikawa Ongakudo Concert Hall". Nagata Acoustics. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.

External links

• Yoshinobu Ashihara Digital Forum