ST.
MARY’S CATHEDRAL - Rebuilding Postwar Japan
img1. Interior view of the St. Mary’s
Cathedral.
(https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/t-magazi-
ne/hotel-okura-tokyo.html?_r=1)
by Rai Karam Elahi & Suraj Panwar
The paper covers a broader urban perspective of the events
after World War II 1945 till the construction of St. Mary’s ca-
thedral 1964. The buildings emerging yet again after another
rebirth of the city of Tokyo cannot be looked in isolation.
They are the offshoots of a broader urban transformation the
city was going through; influenced by a breed of young visio-
nary Japanese Architect’s emerging into the scene, searching
for a new architectural identity for the post war Japan. Given
advantage of the American aid and the economic boom, the
developments were rather happening at a faster rate. With
Architects, engineers and technology pouring from the west,
Japanese architects quickly took advantage of the technology
and the need for new building typologies emerging helped
them unravel their traditional cultural expression and artistic
abilities into architectural design. This paper will be focusing
on the works of Kenzo Tange as a prominent figure in the
new Japanese architectural ideology because of his signi-
ficant works, which led up to one of his remarkable works
in manifestation of his free formal expression and unique
approach to the expression of faith and architecture in St.
Mary’s Cathedral in the city of Tokyo. Analysis referring to
the backdrop of the Cathedral and characters involved will be
focused into perspective.
The events between 1945 to late 1960’s for Tokyo became a
unique example of a total renewal of urban planning and de-
velopment along with the exploration and theory of a new ar-
chitectural identity. The city witness innovative and aesthetic
approaches based on their native culture. The motivated and
patriotic people of Japan wanted an approach rejuvenating the
city and respecting its past but with modern ideology and te-
chnology, so it could cope with the future.
3 TOKYO
 Starting from a national perspective the financial help and as- 1. A post-war Japanese architectural
movement that fused ideas about
sistance provided by the Americans advanced the improve- architectural mega structures with
ment of Japanese substantial industry. Japan started its work those of organic biological growth. It
had its first international exposure
of modernizing its industries and integration of the cutting during CIAM’s 1959 meeting and
edge modern innovations from abroad. Their sole aim was to its ideas were tentatively tested by
students from Kenzo Tange’s MIT
give an immaculate impact to the world to overcome their hu- studio.
2. Main characters involved in the
miliating defeat in the Second World War. development of the theoretical ideo-
Japanese architects had national pride and they worked on logy and work of the movement.
3. Arata Isozaki is a Japanese
one single goal. With rapid developing economy and cultural architect from Ōita. He graduated
growth, their visions and public work had to be beautiful and from the University of Tokyo in
1954. Isozaki worked under Kenzo
functional to be internationally recognized. Tange before establishing his own
So the work began with new groups of architects and designers firm in 1963.

emerged putting forward new theories, speculations and pro-

posals about the contemporary design of the city, inspired by
natural phenomena’s leading to theories and inspiration from
the works of the progressive Western world.
A world deign conference was held in Tokyo in 1960, in whi-
ch a series of debates and discussions were held to overco-
me major issues on the subject of industrial and urban archi-
tecture. They also debated for architectural solutions to urban
expansion which was the result of its economic growth lea-
ding to shortage of usable land. These debates trickled down
to the essence of single buildings as well.
Metabolism1 is defined as a term from
biological research, describing the ana-
bolic and katabolic process of a living
body. The Urban sociologist Ernest
Burgess defined the term in his article
‘The Growth of Cities. ‘Social metaboli-
sm ‘was the term to defined explaining
the process of development and tran-
sformations of cities. Japanese Meta-
bolists2 stressed upon the Urban forms
which rapidly developing in the Urban
environment and society, and attended
to the new challenges proposed by mo-
img1.Sankei Kokusai Hall, Ginza
Tokyu Hotel. dern technology and industrialized architecture.
[http://www.thisisdisplay.org/features/a_perso-
nal_account_of_the_world_design_conference_in_
Furthermore, the ideologies proposed by the Metabolists Ar-
tokyo_1960,
1960 - Ginza Tokyo Hotel chitects such as Kenzo Tange, Isozaki3 and others, proposed
and Graphic Design 3 ]
Japanese planning in the context of aesthetic principles. In-
vestigating the method proposed by Swiss architect Le Cor-

ST . Mary’s Cathedral - Rebuilding Post War Japan

4
4. Charles-Édouard Jeanneret,
known as Le Corbusier, was a
Swiss-French architect, designer,
painter, urban planner, writer, and
one of the pioneers of what is now
called modern architecture.
5. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
is a memorial park in the centre of
Hiroshima, Japan. It is dedicated to
the legacy of Hiroshima as the first
city in the world to suffer a nuclear
attack, and to the memories of the
bomb’s direct and indirect victims.
6. Kagawa Prefecture government is
the smallest prefecture of Japan (by
area). It is located on Shikoku island
and the capital is Takamatsu.
7. Eero Saarinen was a 20th-cen-
tury Finnish American architect
and industrial designer noted for his
neo-futuristic style.
busier4 , their design processes visualized a number of scales
of interventions, from a dwelling to an urban scale, giving
significance additionally to visual aesthetic factors. Through
their ideology they managed to seek
immense attention from the western
world, whose urban environment was
soon to be a noticeable question of fur-
ther analysis and investigations.
The paper emphasises on the one of
the most influential post-war archi-
tect’s Kenzo Tange, whom managed to
meld traditional Japanese architecture
with scientific and technological inno-
vations exported from modern tech-
nology in terms of structure. During
1950s and 1960s he designed several
iconic buildings, such as the Yoyogi
National Stadium for Olympic Games
held in 1946, Tokyo. Furthermore, Ja-
pan being constantly hit by major ear-
thquakes, this directed to the develop-
img2.Tange Kenzo, A Plan for
ment of earthquake resistant construction, which led to the Tokyo 1960 1961-.
construction of 36 story high and the first Skyscraper, the Ka- [https://www.domusweb.it/en/news/2011/05/03/
metabolism-the-city-of-the-future.html, Kawa-
sumigaseki Building in 1968. The buildings constructed were sumi Akio,TANGE ASSOCIATES.]
far unique as Japan was facing with the need of buildings to
cater the new architectural typologies.
Tange began his remarkable work which gained international
and national attention in projects such as Hiroshima Peace
Memorial5 complex in 1955, and Kagawa Prefectural Go-
vernment Office6 in 1958. He used a combination of frame
structures to create his artistic architectural forms into life.
This new system was replaced by Japanese traditionally exi-
sting wooden frameworks. He managed to produce structures
that did not exist bearing iconic forms. Later, these succes-
sful experiments led him to imagining the hyperbolic inclined
walls for the St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Tange was experimenting with a lot of different structural con-
struction technology. In the National Gymnasium, Tange was
influenced by the formal expression of the roof from a Finnish
architect Eero Saarinen7 as well as the Philips Pavilion by Le
Corbusier. The swimming pool he built incorporates the
5 TOKYO
 Japanese traditionalist roof
of Todai-ji Temple8. What he
did was to follow his prin-
cipal to incorporate the tra-
ditional Japanese elements
into modern forms. The roof
was supported by columns
and a curvy linear suspen-
sion structure used mostly
in bridges. he used all three
8. Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple
complex that was once one of the
powerful Seven Great Temples,
located in the city of Nara, Japan.
Its Great Buddha Hall houses the
world’s largest bronze statue of
the Buddha Vairocana, known in
Japanese as Daibutsu.
9. Robin Gerard Penleigh Boyd CBE
was an Australian architect, writer,
teacher and social commentator. He,
along with Harry Seidler, stands as
one of the foremost proponents for
the International Modern Move-
ment in Australian architecture.

principles to highlight and

img3. Arial view of Yoyogi National
Gymnasium.
emphasised the structure.
His expression was to cre-
ate emotional as well as an
awe factor for the spectators.
He emphasised more in the
symbolism found in simple
shapes and forms so that it
could be understandable by
the common people.
The main characteristics
used by Tange were to hi-
ghlighting the essence of
raw materials and elevations
with thin, light and restri-
cted lines. We can see the use
of raw concrete in the inte-
rior of the Cathedral.
Modernism evoked the tra-
ditional qualities of Japan;
in fact some may argue that
Japanese traditions already
were based on the qualities that modernism was advocating. A
monograph was written on Kenzo Tange by Robin Boyd9 as he
started to get international reorganization through his works.
A decade after the war in the Pacific ended, the Western wor-
ld gradually began to realize that many important qualities of
its accepted modern architecture were in fact very old. These
qualities had existed for centuries in many Japanese buildings.
Japanese tradition contained not only the simplicity, lightness,
and openness which contemporary Western designers had re-

ST . Mary’s Cathedral - Rebuilding Post War Japan

6
10. The Unité d’habitation is a
modernist residential housing design
principle developed by Le Corbusier,
with the collaboration of painter-ar-
chitect Nadir Afonso.
11. Marunouchi is a lively business
district where sleek office towers
overlook the stone moats and lush
greenery of the Imperial Palace East
Gardens.
cently been advocating, not only the modulated repetition of
elements so familiar in contemporary Western building, but it
often demonstrated the same aesthetic values as well. It relied
on the use of ingenious construction and untreated natural
materials to build a sort of refined extension of nature: a con-
centration of nature’s own kind of beauty. (Boyd 1962)
Tange initially wanted to go beyond the traditional human
scale of Buildings, which we can see in the Cathedral. He em-
phasised the scale to connect it with the scale of the mid evil
cathedrals to integrate the feeling of faith.
After visiting Le Corbusier’s Unite D’habitation10 in Marseille,
he felt the large sense of scale used in the building, as com-
pared to traditional Japanese homes in Tokyo district of Ma-
runouchi11 . He felt that the experience was “oppressed and
suffocated” and “extremely antisocial and rather pre-modern”
(Tange, Shinkenchiku Magazine, pg 55). He started incorpo-
rating a balance element of the two scales which were the bu-
ilding and the human scale. He quoted “two scales were meant
to interact with eachother” (Tange, Shinkenchiku Magazine,
pg 58).
He strongly believed that the “the role of tradition is that of a
catalyst, which furthers a chemical reaction but is no longer
detectable in the end result” (Tange, 1946-1969 Architecture
and Urban Design, pg.9), which builds on the fact that the Ca-
thedral and his buildings could have their original forms, not
being replicated in what the Japanese traditional temples and
buildings actually were.
During his study as a student at the “Tokyo University”, he
combined western innovations in modern architecture but
building methods were incorporated using Japanese traditio-
nal form and style, but they were mainly western style buil-
ding with Japanese sloped roofs superimposed.
He intended to follow some principles and methods as his gui-
ding factors in design which were to simplify the form and
plan configuration, physical symbolic representation, stren-
gth, no ornamentation, crude form or being true to materials.
He strongly believed that in Japanese culture beauty was reco-
gnized as very sacred and close to Japanese culture.
His innovative changes in the architecture and structure of
Japan were mainly an innovative process of borrowed techno-
logy, modification with sensible indigenous techniques along
with trial and error methods. Modern materials like untreated
crude concrete were eventually incorporated with Japanese
aesthetics. 7 TOKYO
How we can compare the materials chosen for the Cathedral is 12. The Archdiocese of Cologne is an
archdiocese of the Catholic Church
evident in the basic construction of a Japanese house. The ma- in western North Rhine-Westphalia
terials are kept in their original shape as no refining materials and northern Rhineland-Palatinate
in Germany.
such as sandpaper or nails for extra support or paint and un- 13. Wilhelm “Willi” Schlombs was
treated wood is thought to be used. Their interpretation from a German architect and church bu-
ilder. As Cologne Erzdiözesanbaum-
tradition is to keep all materials in their natural state. eister he was largely responsible for
the reconstruction of the historic
In 1899, firstly it was built by as the Chapel of French Mis- church building in the Archdiocese
sionaries Seminary, and later in 1900 it became the church of of Cologne after World War II.
14. Yoshikatsu Tsuboi was an engi-
Sekiguchi parish. Then in 1920 it became the Cathedral Chur- neer who worked with Kenzo Tange
ch of Archbishop of Tokyo, until 1945. In the Second World in his projects .He was recognized
widely for his research in the field
War it was destroyed in an air raid as it was constructed in a of applied mechanics, especially the
wooden gothic style. As the church had to be rebuilt, the Ar- theory of plates and shells.

chiocese of Koln12 of Germany helped in reconstructing.

In 1961, Kenzo Tange won the competition to rebuild it. The
design was put to life in cooperation with Wilhelm Schlombs13
, Max Lechner and engineer Yoshikatsu Tsuboi14. The cathe-
dral was built between 1963 and 1964.
In Christianity, a church is a sacred sanctuary where the reli-
gious Christian can assemble to perform their religious duties.
In history the Church has the highest level of power in gover-
ning the masses, thus leading to the most elevated extravagant
architectural design involving innovation, scale, structure,
material and engineering. It made possible to understand that
the design had to be built on the highest level of the western
construction technology and artistic value.
“After experiencing their grandeur, trying to reach the sky, and
their ineffably mystical spaces, I began to imagine new spaces,
and I wanted to create them using modern technology” (Boyd
1962). This building most strongly reflects Tange’s philosophy
of how architectural creation requires that the anatomy of re-
ality, its substantial and spiritual structure, to be grasped as
a whole (Boyd 1962). For Tange, the design of the cathedral
was a contextual response to a religious site. That required the
church goers to feel a sense of awe and wonder at the power-
ful architecture which intern would yield a strong emotional
response (Kroll 2010).Tange believed that “tradition can, to be
sure, participate in a creation, but it can no longer be creative
itself ” (“Biblography: Kenzo Tange”).
Tange’s response relates to the materialist relations and me-
taphors linking to factors of architectural essence and religion.
The site of the new cathedral is restricted to an irregular,

ST . Mary’s Cathedral - Rebuilding Post War Japan

8
15. Cruciform is referred to having
the shape of a cross.
16. Notre Dame du Haut is a Ro-
man Catholic chapel in Ronchamp,
France. Built in 1954, it is one of the
finest examples of the architecture of
Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier.
pentagonal plot. It is surrounded by existing buildings on
three sides and one connects it to the local road. The contex-
tual answer to the site of the church in a contrast, the imme-
diate context is eviscerated and irregular, while the surface of
the Cathedral is smooth and unobtrusive. This impression is
further exaggerated with the color and linear divisions coping
with regularity.
In Tange’s design the religious symbolism has been used and
incorporated in architecture with an innovatively creative
process. The religious significance has been kept intact as the
eight curved walls ascending from the base to the meet at a
level they signify a cross.
The external “hyperbolic” bends of the church are reinforced
steel and a further outer layer of stainless steel. The roof is
created by a beam system used in traditional Japanese con-
struction, yet this time done in concrete and left exposed along
with the inclined walls of the cathedral. Likewise another ele-
ment of Japanese asymmetrical composition is seen in the
overall form with variable heights of the Church. For the unu-
sual design of the building Tange had perceived to visualize
the building as “a bird with its wings outstretched” (Ohsumi).
The exterior of the Cathedral is a cladding of stainless steel
supports and aluminium frames which diffuse light much ho-
mogenously as compares to the environment and its glitter is
interpreted as symbolically the light that Christ makes shine
upon the world and hearts of men.
While the exterior is illuminated by glittering reflection, the
character of the interior space is rather intimate, dark and
rough, provided by huge exposed concrete inclining walls.
The plan is in the shape of a cruciform15 . Scarce but sharp
light is provided by long longitudinal skylights and windows
protruding light into the cathedral bouncing off the hard in-
terior surfaces. The interior has a eight curved walls creating
a cave-like space, similar to the elements residing in the Ron-
champ chapel16 and the overall stimulus feeling of the Gothic
European Churches. This mainly was the result of Tange vi-
siting medieval gothic churches and the characters involved
with him building the Cathedral. The cruciform skylight rea-
ches through the structure vertically and extends down throu-
gh the facades to the ground level. Another prominent feature
is the free standing tower 60m high piercing the sky with it
9 TOKYO
 img5.Arial Masterplan view of St.
Mary’s Cathedral.
[https://divisare.com/projects/310813-kenzo-tan-
ge-xia-zhi-tokyo-st-mary-s-cathedral-sekiguchi-
bunkyo-ku-tokyo-japan]

ST . Mary’s Cathedral - Rebuilding Post War Japan

10
 img6.Front Facade view of St.
Mary’s Cathedral with tower.
[shttps://divisare.com/projects/310813-kenzo-
tange-xia-zhi-tokyo-st-mary-s-cathedral-sekiguchi-
bunkyo-ku-tokyo-japan]

11 TOKYO
protruded cross, asymmetrically composed in the frame to 22. Et aut aperovidi aut aut ut qui
voluptis net poreris quia consen-
state a bold gesture. tium doluptasitat eliqui voluptat
The character of the cathedral’s design unambiguously allows liquibusam.

it to be incorporated into the principles of modern architectu-

re. We can clearly see in his building that he did not let pre-
cedents overpower his work because of his own personal arti-
stic aesthetics are strong. This building most strongly reflects
Tange’s philosophy of how “architectural creation requires that
anatomy of reality, its substantial and spiritual structure, to be
grasped as a whole” (Boyd 1962)

ST . Mary’s Cathedral - Rebuilding Post War Japan

12
BIBLIOGRAPHY

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(Tange, Shinkenchiku Magazine, pg 55)
(Tange, 1946-1969 Architecture and Urban Design, pg.9 )

15 TOKYO