Nobuko Nakahara
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Nobuko Nakahara (, January 5, 1929 – July 5, 2008) was a Japanese architect who reached prominence after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Nakahara was one of the first women to become a Class 1 licensed architect in Japan. During the 21st Century, she did majority of works in Japan but very less works in western field.


Biography


Early life

Nobuko Nakahara was born in
Urawa, Saitama was a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. On May 1, 2001, Urawa was merged with the cities of Ōmiya and Yono to create the city of Saitama. Since April 1, 2003, the area of former Urawa City has been divided into 4 wards: Urawa-ku, ...
in 1929. When she was 12 years old, she entered a girls' high school, but was not able to finish because of the
Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...
which turned the school turned into a factory. During the war, she stayed in Urawa. Many houses survived but people were under restricted control of using light. After getting used to living in the dark, Nakahara "felt how bright the world was." She claimed the experience initiated her interest in light and Shadow.


Education

In 1945, she matriculated to Kasei-Gakuin Special School in
home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...
program, educating women to be a good housewife and a good mother. After graduation, Nakahara found herself dissatisfied with her course of study and resolved to pursue architecture at
Musashi Institute of Technology , often called or TCU for short, is a private university focused on engineering, environmental and information sciences, located in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan. The university has four campuses, the Setagaya campus close to the Tama River at Oyam ...
, the current
Tokyo City was a Cities of Japan, municipality in Japan and capital of Tokyo Prefecture (1868–1943), Tokyo Prefecture (or ''Tokyo-fu'') which existed from 1 May 1889 until the establishment of Tokyo Metropolis on 1 July 1943. The historical boundari ...
University in 1951. Her effort and work were approved by Kiyoshi Ikebe. Between 1952 and 1958, she pursued postgraduate education at the Institute of Industrial Science,
University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...
, where she actively contributed to Kiyoshi Ikebe's research topic, "the cubic minimum house" (
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
: 立体最小限住居の設計).


Death

Nobuko Nakahara died on July 5, 2008, at age 79.


Career

In 1955, Nobuko Nakahara worked at Kenji Hirose, Architect & Associates, gaining valuable professional experience in the field. In 1957, she achieved a significant milestone by acquiring the Class 1 architecture license in Japan, becoming one of the first women in the country to obtain this license. In 1958, she co-founded the firm Hayashi-Yamada-Nakahara, Architects and Preservation, where she dedicated her expertise to architectural and preservation projects. In 1985, Nobuko Nakahara was appointed as an associate professor in the Faculty of Home Economics at Tokyo Kasei Gakuin University, and her commitment to academia led her to become a professor in the same faculty in 1988. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to advancing the field of architecture and promoting the significance of home economics in education and practice.


Projects

1962 - Chokakuin Buddhist Temple in Saitama, Japan (
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
: 長覚院) * The temple located in a quiet residential area. Its large free interior space was achieved by combining four HP shells. The most advanced technology derived from post war society was adapted to present traditional
Japanese architecture has been typified by wooden structures, elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or thatched roofs. Sliding doors ('' fusuma'') and other traditional partitions were used in place of walls, allowing the internal configuration of a space ...
as a modern construction. 1964- Kimuraya Villa (
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
: 木村別邸) * Scholars believed it is a combination of Structural Functionalism and Japanese Style. The villa exposed the interior structure but thoughtfully designed a harmonious Japanese-style decorated space with traditional elements. 1968 - Fan-shaped House/Tsuji Villa (
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
: 扇形の家/辻別邸) 1972 - Maeda Villa (
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
: M氏別邸) 1985 - Chashitsu no aru ie (
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
: 茶室のある家, lit. 'Tea House')


Influence

She participated in PODOKO (named from pensedo, kiskutedo, and kureedo, in Esperanto meaning “while thinking, discussing, and creating”), an association of women architects created in 1953 while female workers were treated with contempt on the building site. She founded this organization with 28 women architects to bravely acquire rights, not individually, but emphasizing the importance of being collectively. In 1963, Nakahara helped to initiate the 6th Congress of UIFA as an intern architect in Paris. UIFA's concept of providing female architects an opportunity to communicate with international colleagues followed her ideology to gather female architects together. Then, She became the first president of the Japan branch of the UIFA (French: L'Union Internationale des Femmes Architectes, lit. 'International Union of Women Architects'), UIFA JAPON. The organization was dedicated to building international connections with UIFA and other oversea organizations. Nakahara had revolutionary design concepts and many titles to prove her profession. However, it is still very hard to find any material documenting her bio and works. She devoted herself to speaking for female architects in unfriendly circumstances. Following the feminism waves, Nakahara shifted her focus from architecture and design to education and feminism movements. There are many studies about her works around the 2000s, and Japanese Scholars titled her to be "a tea ceremony architect with a deep knowledge of Japanese culture," (
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
: 日本文化に造詣の深い茶人建築家) based on her effort of organizing the 12th UIFA Congress, Tokyo, Japan, in 1988; while she performed the tea ceremony to welcome 300 members in the congress.


See also

* Masako Hayashi


References

{{Authority control Japanese women architects Tokyo Kasei-Gakuin University alumni People from Saitama (city) 1929 births 2008 deaths University of Tokyo alumni