International architects in Japan
日本で活躍した海外の建築家
Emperor Meiji (1852-1912) ended the isolationist policy during the Edo period (1603-1868) in which Japan had been closed to the outside world. The new government pursued an intensive modernisation policy during its long reign. In this context, numerous European and American engineers and architects travelled to the archipelago to lead large and small construction projects. The works of the Briton Thomas Waters (1842-1898) being among the first of this genre. The Meiji government also reformed university education by inviting Westerners to transmit their knowledge to the young elite. British architect Josiah Conder (1852-1920) was known as the first professor of architecture in Japan.
