Kisho Kurokawa Architect & Associates, Kisho Kurokawa, Nobuo Abe, Aiko Mogi, Koji Shimosawa, Kenjiro Ueda, Gengo Matsui
Capsule A1305 from the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building, Tokyo, Japan
1970–1972, restored 2022–2023
Steel, wood, paint, plastics, cloth, polyurethane, glass, ceramic, and electronics
During the demolition of the Nakagin Capsule Tower—carried out between April and October 2022—twenty-three capsules were rescued. They were later restored to varying degrees. Capsule A1305, once located on the top floor of Tower A, was among the best-preserved. Its restoration, overseen by Kurokawa’s office, incorporated small salvaged fixtures from other units to faithfully reflect the original design. For this exhibition, its interior has been carefully staged with objects once used to promote the capsule to businessmen, including an Olivetti typewriter, a Sharp calculator, and Pioneer headphones—items also depicted in promotional brochures and advertising ephemera displayed elsewhere in the exhibition.
The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower, July 10, 2025–July 12, 2026
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Kisho Kurokawa
Japanese, 1934–2007 3 works onlineWhat does architecture have in common with cells and evolution? According to architect Kisho Kurokawa (黒川紀章, also anglicized as Noriaki Kurokawa), they are all “part of a continuous natural entity.
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Metabolist architecture
A movement in Japanese architecture of the 1960s reflecting the belief that cities could be designed according to organic paradigms.
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With this declaration, Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa introduced the Nakagin Capsule Tower as a radically new vision for urban living.
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