what I see - a tokyo photolog: paint

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16 April 2012

25 November 2011

14 September 2009

通り抜け禁止
Originally uploaded by nofrills

前川國男 (1905-1986: read "Ma-ye-kawa, Kuni-o") is one of the most famous modernist architects in Japan. He studied under Le Corbusier and Antonin Raymond in the 1920s and 1930s. After World War II, he built numerous office blocks in Tokyo, as well as other cities around Japan. This building, 東京大栄ビル (read "Tokyo Dai-yei building), in Kyobashi area, is one of them.

Built in 1965, this building was known as 蛇の目ビル (read "Ja-no-meh building"), with the HQ of 蛇の目ミシン (Janome Sewing Machine) in it and a large sign on the roof.

Sadly enough, this iconic building will soon be gone, it seems. There is a re-development going on in the area, and 東京大栄ビル will be destroyed along with the neighbouring two iconic Western-style buildings (I will upload some pictures later). The office block is now almost empty, and the shutters are tight shut when I passed by it on a Friday afternoon.

See this spot on Google Street view. If you want to take pictures, hurry up.

More pictures. (Texts in Japanese):
home.j00.itscom.net/takana/ken-page/ken-tokyosta.htm
blogs.yahoo.co.jp/wattojunkyard/13468100.html
jp.zooomr.com/photos/k2japan/7142131/
chiakih.cocolog-nifty.com/ic/2006/01/post_6fa3.html
architect.dropsystem.co.jp/?p=240
honsha.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-03-27-5