Transnational Connections for Architectural Design between Germany and Japan on the Eve of World War II

Abstract

Due to the image of efficiency and strength of modern Western architecture during the 20s and 30s, several Japanese architects adopted European rationalist architecture as a solution for their buildings, becoming the main promoters of what is known as the International Style in Japan. To comprehend modern architecture, they took several trips to Europe—mainly to German speaking countries—where they made connections with important figures like W. Gropious and L. Hilberseimer. Thus, their buildings are the result of European influences on Japanese architecture during the interwar period. This paper will analyse the cultural, social and political conditions both in Germany and Japan in order to understand the underlying principles that made it possible for Japanese architects to approach new modernist theories and designs proposed in the West. The paper has the further aim of developing how this approach led to the introduction of modernism in Japan before the war ended, with the exchange of intellectual ideas between the two countries.Theme I : Design Theories and Ideas in Europ