was a Japanese

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and academic authority on the works of

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...

. Known for the design of landmark structures such as the

Setagaya Art Museum The is an art museum in Yōga, Setagaya, Tokyo. The museum, which opened March 30, 1986, houses a permanent gallery and mounts seasonal exhibitions. Structure The main building of the museum, a contemporary design by architect Shōzō Uchii, ...

, Oita City Museum of Art, and the

Fukiage Palace The is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan, located in the Fukiage Garden on the grounds of the Tokyo Imperial Palace.　 Building structure and role Designed by Shōzō Uchii, it was completed in 1993 at a cost of billion (US$52 mi ...

, the residence on the grounds of the

Tokyo Imperial Palace is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda district of the Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda ward of Tokyo and contains several buildings including the where the Emperor h ...

for the Emperor of Japan. Uchii was awarded the R.S Reynolds Memorial Prize in 1980 for his design of the Treasury building of the

Kuon-ji is a major Buddhism, Buddhist temple in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Founded by Nichiren in 1281 it is today the head temple of Nichiren Shū. While the Ikegami Honmon-ji in Tokyo is also the Nichiren sect's administrative centre, Kuon-ji today ...

Temple in Minobu,

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 787,592 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the n ...

Early life, education and career

Uchii was born in Tokyo on the 20 February 1933. After graduating with both an undergraduate and master's degree from

Waseda University Waseda University (Japanese: ), abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Professional School by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the fifth Prime Minister of Japan, prime ministe ...

in 1958, he started his architectural career in the offices of influential

Metabolist was a post-war Japanese Biomimetic architecture, biomimetic architectural movement that fused ideas about architectural Megastructure (planning concept), megastructures with those of organic biological growth. It had its first international expo ...

pioneer

Kiyonori Kikutake (April 1, 1928 – December 26, 2011) was a prominent Japanese architect known as one of the founders of the Japanese Metabolist group. He was also the tutor and employer of several important Japanese architects, such as Toyo Ito, Shōzō ...

. Uchii started his own independent architectural practice, Shōzō Uchii Architect and Associates, in 1967. Uchii earned a PhD degree in Engineering from

Kyoto University , or , is a National university, national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen gra ...

in 1992. From 1979 to 1981, Uchii served as President of the

Japan Institute of Architects The Japan Institute of Architects (JIA; , ''Nihon kenchikuka kyōkai'') is a voluntary organization for architects in Japan, and an affiliated organization of the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA). The institution was founded in May 1987 ...

List of works

* Treasury building of the

Temple, Minobu,

(1976) * Tokyo YMCA Nobeyama Youth Center, Minamimaki,

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

(1976) * St. Hilda's School,

Shinagawa is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The Ward refers to itself as Shinagawa City in English. The Ward is home to ten embassies. , the Ward had an estimated population of 380,293 and a population density of 16,510 persons per ...

, Tokyo, main classroom building and auditorium (1978) *

, Setagaya, Tokyo (1986) *

Urasoe Art Museum opened in 1990 in Urasoe, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The collection has a particular focus upon Ryukyu lacquerware. See also * Okinawa Prefectural Museum The , or Okimu for short, is a museum in the most southern prefecture of Japan. The mu ...

Urasoe is a city located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The neighboring municipalities are Naha to the south, Ginowan to the north, and Nishihara to the east. As of February 2024, the city has an estimated population of 115,518 and a population den ...

Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west an ...

(1990) *

Fukiage palace The is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan, located in the Fukiage Garden on the grounds of the Tokyo Imperial Palace.　 Building structure and role Designed by Shōzō Uchii, it was completed in 1993 at a cost of billion (US$52 mi ...

inside the

, the Residence of the Imperial Family (1993) *

Nippon Sei Ko Kai The ''Nippon Sei Ko Kai'' (), abbreviated as NSKK, sometimes referred to in English as the Anglican Episcopal Church in Japan, is the national Christian church representing the Province of Japan (, ) within the Anglican Communion. As a member of ...

, Nazareth Convent and retreat center, Mitaka, Tokyo (1993) * Sunritz Hattori Museum of Arts, Suwa,

(1995) * The University of Shiga Prefecture, master plan and main campus structures (1997) * Motoazabu Hills, Forest Tower, Minato, Tokyo (2002)

Gallery

File:Setagaya Museum of Art.jpg,

File:Urasoe Art Museum01n3104.jpg,

File:The University of Shiga Prefecture.JPG, The University of Shiga Prefecture File:Motoazabu Hills.JPG, Motoazabu Hills, Forest Tower

Honors and recognition

Uchii's awards and honors include: * 1980 – R.S. Reynolds Memorial Award for Kuonji Temple Treasury, Minobu, Yamanashi * 1986 – Mainichi Art Prize

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uchii Shozo Japanese architects 1933 births 2002 deaths Artists from Tokyo People from Chiyoda, Tokyo Waseda University alumni