Vision and mission through the eyes of Kazuyo Sejima : career and works of a female Japanese architect

Abstract

After World War II, many traditional Japanese style houses were destroyed and replaced by western style buildings. The 'new wave' of architecture, what can be called 'post-modern architecture', had begun. When Western cities were destroyed, their buildings, which were made of bricks and stones, remained as proof of their past existence. In contrast, since Japanese cities were largely built of wood, they seemed to have disappeared easily. Historically speaking, Japanese cities have been troubled almost yearly by natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, floods and volcanic explosions. this continual repeated destruction of cities and buildings has given the Japanese an uncertainty about existence, a suspicion of the eternal. Prior to the war Japan had no architects, buildings were simply built by master craftsmen. The buildings were designed similarly in each region, and new craftsmen followed earlier practitioners.