Proud of Foreign Architecture

There are some that typically stirs Japanese nationalism up. Medals in Olympic games or Academy Awards in Hollywood should be included in them. Now, an old building in Tokyo designed by a French Architect, Le Corbusier, were chosen as new World Cultural Heritage of United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. Japanese media proudly reported it.

UNESCO picked seventeen buildings designed by Corbusier in such countries as France, Switzerland, Germany or India. World Heritage Committee of UNESCO recognized them as masterpieces for spreading new architectural concept to the world and fundamentally affected to modern architectural movement in twentieth century. Main Building of National Museum of Western Art in Ueno National Park, Tokyo, was one of the awarded architecture.

NMWA was constructed in 1959 for the collection of Japanese businessman, Kojiro Matsukata, which was donated by France after World War II. That is the only building in Japan designed by Corbusier. The building is known as spiral staircase inside or its ground floor made as pilotis with a number of pillars. When it requires more places for display, it will be lead to outer space, which concept is interpreted as endlessly growing museum.

This is the third attempt for those seventeen buildings to be World Heritage, following 2009 and 2011. With leadership of France, host countries made joint project for recommending Corbusier architect. They stressed his contribution to modern architecture this time. It became the first recipient that bridged multiple continents in the world.

Corbusier visited Japan only one time in 1955 to see the site for the museum. Three disciples in Japan actually worked for construction, based on architectural concept of Corbusier. Although he had not so famous to the public in Japan, Corbusier was introduced as one of the three greatest architects in the world with Frank Lloyd Wright from United States and Ludwig Mies van del Rohe from Germany. Japanese people also love world three greatest something.

In the selection process, UNESCO required NMWA to introduce natural sunlight in the building and recovering original scene of front garden to emphasize architectural concept of Corbusier. Rooftop garden is not open to the visitors. It is a great homework for Japanese experts to regain the value of the world famous architect.