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This paper outlines the career and architectural activities of Hiromichi Matsui and clarifies the characteristics of his architectural works. We classified his career into three distinct periods: Tokyo, Milan, and Kagoshima periods. In Tokyo, he was in charge of interior design at Isamu Kenmochi Design Associates. Matsui cultivated the philosophy proposed by Kenmochi that emphasizes the sense of scale based on full‐scale drawing. In Milan, he worked as a partner architect at Gregotti Associati and introduced Italian architectural culture to Japan. In Kagoshima, he was involved in educational and social activities, which included a role as a professor at Kagoshima University, etc. He designed three architectural works that, while reminiscent of his works at Gregotti Associati, also considered the regional features of Kagoshima. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seiichi Shirai was an architect, but in his later years he spent a lot of time practicing calligraphy. When the characteristics of this activity are compared to his Theory of Tradition, it can be said that his intentions for both activities were similar. In addition to the commonality of emphasizing "utility," provided by the Theory of Tradition, the concept of grasping the inner potential of an object without being misled by its external form and source, can be realized by "ascetic practices," which can cause something to exceed consciousness and form by practicing calligraphy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study are to reconstruct the design process of the Yonago Public Hall (1958) by T. Murano–Mori Architect Office and to reveal the architects' formal manipulations conducted under strategic design thinking. The study materials are the original design sketches that are in the possession of the Museum and Archives, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Japan. Initially, the chronological order of the design sketches was established by inspecting their dates and analyzing their formal similarities. Furthermore, the transformability (variations or changes of architectural form presented in a certain state of design) of each "study" (subdivided partial process in design) was analyzed and interpreted. Finally, the architects' formal manipulations were reconstructed and presented, and relevant design intentions were revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of Shirai's essay "The Jomon style" was not to admire the Jomon culture but to consider how to understand the inner potential of the object without being misled by its external form. His theory of tradition subsequently developed into the "theory of expansive tradition." He objected to confining the argument over tradition to Japan and set out to consider the concept from a universal viewpoint. He gave shape to it and proposed a new concept, namely the "Eurasian" style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]