Kisho Kurokawa 1934-2007

Yesterday, I picked up a two day old newspaper to discover that Kisho Kurokawa had passed away at the relatively spritely age of 73.

Kurokawa was one of Japan's great modern architects. His legacy, through such buildings as the National Art Center Tokyo, will no doubt be enjoyed for a long time. It will be interesting to see the fate of the Nakajin Capsule Tower in Shimbashi now that the respected and eloquent voice of Kurokawa is not there to defend it.

Although the sudden death of someone in their 70s can hardly said to be unusual, Kurokawa really seemed to be full of vitality and was just as prolific as ever. The video below (in Japanese) mainly concentrates on his (not so successful) political career but things like his glass sided election car indicate the original approach he had to just about everything.