Noguchi Room at Keio University

Now let’s focus on cultural properties at Keio University. First, in this video, let’s look at the situation on the Mita campus, including the “Ex-Noguchi Room” that is the theme of this course. We’ll learn about architecture and outdoor sculpture, and touch on the rich artistic environment of the Mita Campus.

*This map shows the Mita Campus today. Please refer to this map to visualize the campus and its cultural properties. ^{The map is distributed by the Keio University Art Center at the “Architecture Promenade,” an architecture event for the public. It indicates the main buildings and outdoor artworks on campus. © Keio University Art Center Click to take a closer look}

Cultural properties on the Mita Campus of Keio University

The Mita Campus of Keio University has a history going back almost 150 years. The forerunner of the university was relocated to the former residence of the Shimabara Han (Domain) in 1871, during the lifetime of Yukichi Fukuzawa (1835-1901, founder of Keio University). Many cultural properties on the campus represent not only the virtues of learning, but also that long tradition.

Buildings

Buildings are cultural properties representative of the Mita Campus. The Enzetsu-kan (Public Speaking Hall, dating to the era of Fukuzawa), Old Library, and Jukukan-kyoku (Keio Corporate Administration) have historical value. They also have high artistic value due to rich variations in style—such as, the Enzetsu-kan in quasi-western style, the Old Library in gothic revival, and the Jukukan-kyoku in renaissance revival.

	Mita Enzetsu-kan, Completed in 1875 Click to take a closer look
	Old Library (by Sone-Chujo Architect’s Office), Completed in 1912 Click to take a closer look
	Jukukan-kyoku, Completed in 1926 Click to take a closer look

Like the Old Library (1912), the First School Building (1937) by the Sone-Chujo Architects’ Office draws on the then-current trend of avante-garde modern architecture which shied away from ornamentation. It also has value as a robust building built after the Great Kanto Earthquake. The Keio University Library (New Library, 1981) and the Graduate School Building (1985) were built facing the central plaza by Fumihiko Maki (1928- ) a Japanese modern architect of the 1980s. The Keio University Library faces the plaza that was the center of the former Keio Gijuku. This plaza was surrounded by the Old Library and the Jukukan-kyoku, and Maki’s structural ingenuity in responding to both the old and the new is a point of interest.

	First School Building (by Sone-Chujo Architects’ Office), Completed in 1937 (Photo: Ryota Atarashi) Click to take a closer look
	Keio University Library (New Library, by Fumihiko Maki), Completed in 1981 (Photo: Ryota Atarashi) Click to take a closer look
	Graduate School Building (by Fumihiko Maki), Completed in 1985 (Photo: Ryota Atarashi) Click to take a closer look

Yoshiro Taniguchi (1904-1979)—an architect representative of the Showa period—was a key figure behind many of the buildings on the Mita Campus. Single-handedly, he restored the Mita Campus of Keio University which had been devastated by World War II. He conceived of a “symphony of structural form” on Mita Sanjo (Mita hilltop), incorporating windows reminiscent of the upper and lower windows of the Enzetsu-kan into the design of each building to provide a sense of unity over the entire campus.

	“Keio University in Mita, Minato City”, August 13, 1956 (Photo: Suiyo Sato) Click to take a closer look
	Second School Building (Building No. 5, by Yoshiro Taniguchi), Completed in 1949 (No longer extant, Source: Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies) Click to take a closer look
	Third School Building (Building No. 4, by Yoshiro Taniguchi), Completed in 1949 (No longer extant, Source: Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies) Click to take a closer look

Taniguchi designed many other buildings connected with Keio such as the school building of the Keio Girls Senior High School (no longer extant), the Yochisha at Tengenji (Keio Elementary School), and the Keio University Hiyoshi Dormitories.

Sculptures

In addition to buildings, there are many sculptures on the Mita Campus. We cannot overlook Heiwa kitaru (“Coming of Peace”) by Fumio Asakura (1883-1964), a giant of figurative sculpture. The statue’s location, formerly the front plaza of the university, was where students departed to the front in World War II. Asakura’s youth, standing here, and two other nude youths Seinenzo (“Youth”) and Wadatsumi-zo, express the vitality of youth creating the future, mourn the dead, and assert the nobility of peace. Gakusei (“Student”), Wakai Hito (“Young Person”), and Mu (“Nothing”) by Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) are important works for the history of modern sculpture. These sculptures will be discussed in later Steps, and can be appreciated by anyone. Other modern sculptures are Chishiki no Kaben (“Petals of Knowledge”) and Hoshi e no Shingo (“Signal to the Stars”) by Yoshikuni Iida (1923-2006).

	Heiwa kitaru, Fumio Asakura, 1952, Bronze Click to take a closer look
	Seinenzo, Kazuo Kikuchi, 1948, Bronze Click to take a closer look
	Wadatsumi-zo, Shin Hongo, 1950, Bronze Click to take a closer look
	Gakusei, Isamu Noguchi, 1951, Iron Click to take a closer look
	Wakai Hito, Isamu Noguchi, 1950, Iron Click to take a closer look
	Mu, Isamu Noguchi,1950-1951, Andesite (Shiraka-ishi, a type of white granite) Click to take a closer look
	Chishiki no Kaben, Yoshikuni Iida, 1981, Stainless steel Click to take a closer look
	Hoshi e no Shingo, Yoshikuni Iida, 1984, Stainless steel Click to take a closer look

Busts

There are many cultural properties with a close connection to Keio, like the Bust of Yukichi Fukuzawa and the Bust of Kaoru Osanai. The Mita Campus boasts a wealth of culture, almost like an outdoor museum.

	Bust of Yukichi Fukuzawa, Kaseki Shibata, 1953, Bronze Click to take a closer look
	Bust of Kaoru Osanai, Fumio Asakura,1958, Bronze Click to take a closer look

Yoshiro Taniguchi (1904-1979)

^{Taniguchi during his work at the Mita Campus (at right in photo) (Source: Banraisha: A Concerto of Yoshiro Taniguchi and Isamu Noguchi(in Japanese), edited by Makiko Sugiyama, 2006, Kajima Institute Publishing, p. 64, photo by: Yoshio Watanabe)}
Taniguchi was an architect representative of the early Showa period. As a flag-bearer of modern architecture in Japan, his specialty was simple designs making ample use of straight lines. He didn’t simply incorporate modern design concepts. He aimed for rational architecture grounded in scientific understanding.