Modern Heritage
St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo東京カテドラル聖マリア大聖堂
- Location
- Tokyo Bunkyō City
- Completed
- 1964
Photo: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
02
Overview
Eight curved surfaces close towards the sky, and light falls in the form of a cross.
The cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo, built in 1964 to a design by Kenzo Tange. Eight hyperbolic paraboloid (HP shell) walls rise and meet at the top to form a cruciform skylight.
The exterior is clad in stainless steel sheets whose sheen shifts with the weather and time of day. Inside, tall walls of exposed concrete enclose a serene space for prayer.
This description has been translated from the Japanese original.
03
Data
Only verified information is shown.
- Completed
- 1964
- Architect
- Kenzo Tange
- Use
- Church (cathedral)
- Structure
- HP shell structure
- Location
- 3-16-15 Sekiguchi, Bunkyō City, Tokyo
04
Gallery
5 photographs
05
Videos
Related videos (YouTube)
Video titles and channel names are shown in their original language. Copyright belongs to each video's publisher.
Playing loads the video from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode).
Playing loads the video from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode).
06
Architect
Kenzo Tange
Kenzo Tange1913–2005
Born in Osaka Prefecture. After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University and working in the office of Kunio Maekawa, he taught at the University of Tokyo after the war while undertaking numerous national projects.
His works, including the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Yoyogi National Gymnasium, St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, came to symbolise their respective eras. In 1987 he became the first Japanese recipient of the Pritzker Prize.
07
Location
3-16-15 Sekiguchi, Bunkyō City, Tokyo
08
Related Architecture
Public BuildingsModern ArchitectureYoyogi National Gymnasium
国立代々木競技場
- Location
- Shibuya City, Tokyo
- Completed
- 1964
- Architect
- Kenzo Tange
Public BuildingsSkyscrapersTokyo Metropolitan Government Building
東京都庁舎
- Location
- Shinjuku City, Tokyo
- Completed
- 1990
- Architect
- Kenzo Tange
MuseumsModern ArchitectureHiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
広島平和記念資料館
- Location
- Hiroshima (Naka Ward), Hiroshima Prefecture
- Opened
- 1955
- Architect
- Kenzo Tange
StationsHistoric BuildingsTokyo Station Marunouchi Building
東京駅丸の内駅舎
- Location
- Chiyoda City, Tokyo
- Opened
- 1914
- Architect
- Kingo Tatsuno, Manji Kasai
09
Sources
References
- 東京カテドラル聖マリア大聖堂 — WikipediaWikipedia日本語版
- Wikidata Q1193480Wikidata
10
Photo Credits
Image sources, authors and licences
01St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo - DSC07746.JPG
Photo: Daderot
CC0·CC0 (No rights reserved)·Wikimedia Commons
02St. Mary's Cathedral Tokyo 2012.JPG
Photo: Kakidai
CC BY-SA 3.0·CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike)·Wikimedia Commons
03St. Mary's Cathedral Tokyo.jpg
Photo: Kakidai
CC BY-SA 4.0·CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike)·Wikimedia Commons
0420030702 2 July 2003 Tokyo Cathedorale 5 Tange Kenzou Sekiguchi Tokyo Japan.jpg
Photo: Morio
CC BY-SA 3.0·CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike)·Wikimedia Commons
05St. Mary's Cathedral Tokyo2.jpg
Photo: Wiiii
CC BY-SA 3.0·CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike)·Wikimedia Commons
- Photos have been resized and colour-graded for consistent display. Adapted CC BY-SA photos may be reused under the same licence terms.