was an architect who created the prototype of the Imperial Crown Style for the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

. He was a native of Akita, in northern

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

, and moved to Tokyo in 1881, when he was fifteen. At

Keio University , abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally established as a school for Rangaku, Western studies in 1858 in Edo. It was granted university status in 1920, becomi ...

, he enrolled in an architecture course under Josiah Conder.

Early years

Kikutarō Shimoda was born in 1886, was the eldest son of Satake clansman, Junchū Shimoda, in

Kakunodate, Akita was a town located in Senboku District, Akita Prefecture, Japan. In 2003, the town had an estimated population of 14,138 and a density of 90.26 persons per km2. The total area was 156.63 km2. On September 20, 2005, Kakunodate, along with t ...

(now part of

Semboku, Akita 270px, Kakunodate is a city located in Akita Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 24,045 in 10,398 households, and a population density of 22 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Semboku is locat ...

, Japan. During his third year studies at , he moved to Tokyo to take up language studies at , after which in 1883 he took the entrance exams for the (now part of the University of Tokyo). Out of the 1000 entrance exam participants, Shimoda passed the exams placed 47th out of the top fifty passing entrants.

Tertiary education

In 1885 having passed the entrance exams, Shimoda enrolled in the School of Architecture at the Imperial College of Engineering, along with Tamisuke Yokogawa. Not satisfied with

Tatsuno Kingo was a Japanese architect born in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Kyushu. He was a Doctor of Engineering; conferred as Jusanmi (従三位, Junior Third Rank) and Kunsanto (勲三等, Order of Third Class); and served as dean of Architecture Departm ...

's lectures, who had recently returned from studying in the United Kingdom, Shimoda also took lectures from Hanroku Yamaguchi, who had been conducting lectures on French School architecture, which was not a mainstream architectural movement, at the Department of Education. During this time, Shimoda translated, ''European and American General Architecture'',This is a back translation of Shimoda's Japanese title and may differ from the English original and taught English at (present day, Seisoku Gakuen High School. In 1889 his father died suddenly, and Shimoda took out an Army scholarship-loan. Shimoda gradually developed an inclination toward the theory of Evolution and the field of biology, and began to show disinterest in his college studies. Due to this, when graduation approached, Shimoda did not get along with his academic supervisor Tasuno Kingo, which became an obstacle to negotiating his final graduation design,In Japan most university courses require students to produce a final "capstone" piece of academic research such as a ''graduation thesis'' which may include and architectural design in turn Shimoda did not complete his university studies. Out of Hanroku Yamaguchi's good will, who was then the head of the technical maintenance department at the Ministry of Education, allowed Shimoda to be employed at the Ministry. Shimoda published his translation of ''European and American General Architecture'', which was an architectural review introducing residential housing. Together with the proceeds from this publication and his father's inheritance, he provided for his family, also raising capital for managing the architectural designs of and private villas, he left for the United States.

Career in America

Upon his arrival in America, he took up employment at the New York offices of

A. Page Brown A. Page Brown, born Arthur Page Brown (December 1859 – January 21, 1896), was an American architect known for buildings that incorporated classical styles in the Beaux-Arts manner. Having first worked in the office of McKim, Mead and White ...

. In 1892 Shimoda submitted a personal entry in the architectural design competition for the California Pavilion at the

1893 World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ce ...

, he lost to Brown, but moved to Chicago to take up a position as Construction Site Deputy Manager, improving his professional experience. While managing the California Pavilion construction site, Shimoda studied steel frame construction methods, under

Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the ''Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been "the most successful power broker the American archi ...

who was General Manager of site construction for the Exposition. Wishing to further his study of steel-frame construction, he took up employment at D.H. Burnham & Company, which allowed him to work on steel-frame construction projects such as

Reliance Building The Reliance Building is a skyscraper located at 1 W. Washington Street in the Chicago Loop, Loop Community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago, Illinois. The first floor and basement were designed by John Root of the Burnham and Root ar ...

, Western Union Telegraphy Building, the Great Northern Hotel and

Marshall Field Marshall Field (August 18, 1834January 16, 1906) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field's, Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores. His business was renowned for its then-exceptional level of qua ...

department store. In May 1895, at the Illinois Cook County Court, Shimoda became a naturalized citizen of the United States, thereafter he left founded the offices of G.K. Shimoda located in the

Monadnock Building The Monadnock Building (historically the Monadnock Block; pronounced ) is a 16-story skyscraper located at 53 West Jackson Boulevard in the Chicago Loop, south Loop area of Chicago. The north half of the building was designed by the firm of B ...

on West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago. It was during the Autumn of 1896 that Shimoda married an American citizen named ''Rose'', who was employed as Frank Lloyd Wright's secretary.Several sources state that Shimoda's wife name was ''Rose''. One biographical novel published in Japanese names her ''Rose Campbell'' During his time in Chicago, he had briefly worked under

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...

. In September 1897, Shimoda became the first Japanese national to pass the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

exam.AIA License No.471 Shimoda became well known among the Japanese expatriate community in Chicago, and received visits from Japanese nationals visiting the area. When he received a visit from

Katayama Tōkuma was a Japanese architect who designed the original buildings for the Imperial Nara Museum as well as the Kyoto Imperial Museum and was significant in introducing Western, particularly French architecture into Japan. Coming from Chōshū, T� ...

, the chief engineer to the

Imperial House of Japan The is the reigning dynasty of Japan, consisting of those members of the extended family of the reigning emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present constitution of Japan, the emperor is "the symbol of the State ...

for the construction of

Akasaka Palace is a of the government of Japan. Other state guesthouses of the government include the Kyoto State Guest House. The palace was originally built as the in 1909. Today the palace is designated by the government of Japan as an official accommod ...

, Shimoda introduced him to Daniel Burnham. In 1909, for this service to the Imperial Household, Shimoda would receive a grace-and-favor payment of 500 yen in gold.

Return to Japan

In 1898, he returned with his wife to

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, where he involved himself in various controversies regarding prestigious buildings being planned in Japan. At first he opened an architectural office in Tokyo, and worked to popularize low cost steel frame construction methods, but met with opposition from Kingo Tatsuno, and in 1901 he moved to Yokohama to establish , which specialized in architectural and building services exclusive to the foreign expatriate community. In 1918, he strongly opposed the Westernised design of the planned Diet Building, and instead proposed a design in a style he called ''Teikan-heigo'', or 'Imperial Crown Eclecticism'. This style combined a Western Neoclassical facade, with a roof style derived from those on Japanese temples and shrines. His proposal for the competition was rejected, so he submitted a design directly to the Diet. This was also rejected, and the competition was won by Fuzuko Watanabe. During this period, Shimoda was also involved in a dispute over claims about his design proposal for the

Imperial Hotel, Tokyo The is a hotel in Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda ward, Tokyo. It was created in the late 1880s at the request of the Japanese aristocracy to cater to the increasing number of Western visitors to Japan. The hotel site is located just south of the Im ...

, which was later formally awarded as a commission to Frank Lloyd Wright. Notable works during this period included The Shanghai Club interior (c. 1910) in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

; and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank,

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

Branch (c. 1904).

The Imperial Style prototype

Shimoda's development of the imperial style prototype for the Japanese empire evolved into two variations. The ' Imperial Crown style' has a Beaux Arts style body, with a Japanese style roof; while the 'Asian Renaissance Style' has a modern style body, with a Japanese style roof. There are other differences in detailing which relate to layout and relative symmetry.

Gallery

File:Kikutarō Shimoda Standard Sekiyū Yokohama.jpg, Photographic postcard of the New York Standard Oil Yokohama Branch (left), designed by Shimoda and completed in 1904 File:Tor Hotel Shimoda Kikutarō.jpg, Tor Hotel in Kobe, Japan (1939), photographed by Iwata Nakayama. File:Kobe Japan Tor Hotel 1908AD.jpg, Tor Hotel in Kobe, Japan. File:Old Hongkong Shanghai Bank - panoramio.jpg, Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank in Nagasaki, Japan.

Notable works

*Shanghai Club – interior (c.1910) *Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, Nagasaki Branch (c.1904) *Tor Hotel (c.1908, demolished in 1950) *Yokohama Yamatecho US Navy Hospital (c.1908) *Commissioned the steel structure of the East Palace *Shanghai General Assembly interior design (c.1912) – now Dongfeng Hotel

Notes

References

Publications

''Ideal Architecture'' (Japanese title: ''Shiso to Kenchiku''), Shimoda Kikutaro – Printed in Tokyo by Seijosha. Published in 1928. {{Authority control Japanese architects 1866 births 1931 deaths Imperial Crown Style architecture People from Semboku, Akita