MAEKAWA Kunio

前川國男 (1905 – 1986)

1905 born in Niigata | 1928 graduates from “Tôkyô Imperial University” (today “University of Tôkyô”) | 1928-30 travels to Paris and becomes the first Japanese apprentice to LE CORBUSIER | 1930-35 returns to Japan and joins the office of Antonin RAYMOND in Tôkyô | 1935 founds his own office “Maekawa Associates” in Ginza, Tôkyô – which serves from 1938-41 as a training ground for TANGE Kenzô |  1945 his office is destroyed by an air raid during the Pacific War | 1947-61 he employs ÔTAKA Masato | 1951 joins international congress CIAM with TANGE Kenzô and YOSHIZAKA Takamasa; reunites with LE CORBUSIER | 1959-62 becomes president of the “Japan Institute of Architects” (JIA) | 1965-1969 vice-chairman of the international UIA (Union of Architects) | 1986 died