"Tadao Ando: Living Architecture"

Japanese architects are full of energy. One truly feels this when visiting Paris or New York. Among them, the most spirited is Tadao Ando, who is based in Osaka and active all over the world. Now 78 years old, he is widely recognized as a social hero; while he took the world by storm with his beautiful concrete expressions, he is also known for his hot-blooded nature and his tendency to throw himself into action when facing a crisis.

I first met him in the early 1980s, when an editor of an architecture magazine introduced us so that I could see his residential works. Since then, we have crossed paths in various situations, and that connection led me to publish this biography.

Writing the life of an architect as a biography is difficult. Unlike an artist who focuses solely on their work, an architect is deeply committed to society through the act of building, and their scope of activity is diverse. Furthermore, in Ando's case, he has built a network of contacts all over the world, interacting equally with everyone from neighborhood women to the world's leading art collectors and even presidents of major powers. Dealing with such a person, there is no telling how much time and effort the research alone would take. Nevertheless, the reason I dared to take on this task was that I wanted to capture the cultural phenomenon now categorized globally as "Tadao Ando" as accurately as possible across national borders.

What I noticed during the actual research was that Ando is extremely highly regarded in France, and there is a wealth of excellent criticism. The pilgrimage of French people to see Ando began in the 1980s, and large-scale exhibitions have been held many times based on that accumulated interest. Ando has designed numerous art museums, and his compatibility with these institutions has likely elevated his reputation even further.

Architects who were called "masters" in the past used to stride about with a long trail of disciples, but Ando travels through the city alone on the subway. A University of Tokyo professor who graduated from high school and was a former professional boxer, a great architect whose motto is living in a row house—this unique, monk-like way of life has attracted many people. I would be honored if you could catch even a glimpse of this architect, who looks out at the world from a corner of Osaka and continues to send messages to people across borders.

"Tadao Ando: Living Architecture"

Riichi Miyake

Misuzu Shobo

328 pages, 3,000 yen (excluding tax)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.