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The lecture hall at the University of Tokyo, with Kengo Kuma seated on the right of the second row.
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Architecture Professor Kevin Nute traveled to Japan in November to present a series of six lectures based on his new book, Frank Lloyd Wright and Japan Revisited (London: World Scientific, 2025).
The series, which drew an audience of more than 300 students and professionals, covered venues across Japan. Nute presented at the French and Italian Schools of the Far East in Kyoto, Kyoto University, Hiroshima University and Mie University. He also lectured to the American Institute of Architects in Japan and was hosted by renowned Japanese architect Professor Kengo Kuma at the University of Tokyo. Kuma also penned the foreword to the new book.
“It was wonderful to have the opportunity to share what I’ve learned over the last 30 years about Wright’s creative debt to Japanese culture with Japanese audiences,” said Nute. “They really seemed to appreciate it too.”
The lectures expanded on the arguments in his book, which re-examines Wright’s interpretations of traditional Japanese forms in the context of otherness, appropriation, abstraction and translation.
As a result of the lecture series, Nute is now in discussions regarding a Japanese translation of Frank Lloyd Wright and Japan Revisited, potentially making his work accessible to a wider audience.
AloJapan.com