Yoshinobu Ashihara: Biography

  Architect, 1918-2003. Born in Tokyo, Ashihara graduated from the University of Tokyo and received his master's degree in architecture from Harvard University. In 1956, he established his own firm Yoshinobu Ashihara Architect and Associates. He was professor at Hosei University, Musashino Art University, and University of Tokyo and served as president of the Japan Institute of Architects and also of the Architectural Institute of Japan.
  His works, many of which received awards, include the Komazawa Olympic Gymnasium, the Sony Building, the Japan Pavilion at the Montreal Expo, the National Museum of Japanese History, and Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space. His books include The Aesthetic Townscape (winner of the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award) and The Hidden Order:Tokyo Through the Twentieth Century.
  He received his doctoral degree from the University of Tokyo and was later appointed Honorary Professor there. He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure and the Order of Culture.