Lighting Fixations
ART DECO & SHOWA MODERNISM
Lighting design in 1920~30's Japan
A confluence of design styles (created by designers, artists, artisans and architects: F. L. Wright, A. Raymond, J.H. Morgan, H. Rapin, K. Maeda, A. Endo, etc.) that influenced and were influenced by both Japanese and Western aesthetics can still be seen in various buildings in Japan. Although this period wasn't the first exchange of design ideas between Japan and the West, the massive rebuilding needed after the 1923 earthquake, especially in Yokohama and Tokyo, attracted a bevy of architects and an array of architectural styles. (This same earthquake also totally destroyed one of Wright's projects: the late Prairie-style Arinobu Fukuhara House and part of the newly opened Imperial Hotel.)
Shown above: a sampling of lighting fixtures found in several buildings from the Taisho (1912-1926) and Early Showa (1926-1930's) Periods. While many reflect deco and modernism, some still retain either an earlier arts and crafts feel or classical design.
