ARCHITECTUREJAPAN
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan with its upturned eave

Cultural Venues · Modern Heritage · Public Architecture

Tokyo Bunka Kaikan東京文化会館

Location
Tokyo Taitō City
Opened
1961

Photo: Ka23 13, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

02

Overview

Beneath a great upturned eave. The temple of music in the Ueno woods.

A concert hall opened in 1961. Designed by Kunio Maekawa, it stands facing the National Museum of Western Art by his mentor, Le Corbusier.

It is distinguished by a massive upswept concrete eave and low volumes that seem set within the woods. For more than half a century it has served as a home for opera, ballet and classical music.

This description has been translated from the Japanese original.

Official website

03

Data

Only verified information is shown.

Opened
1961
Architect
Kunio Maekawa
Use
Concert hall
Location
5-45 Uenokōen, Taitō City, Tokyo
Category
Cultural FacilitiesModern ArchitecturePublic BuildingsTokyoUeno

05

Videos

Related videos (YouTube)

Video titles and channel names are shown in their original language. Copyright belongs to each video's publisher.

OfficialSource: 東京文化会館チャンネル Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Channel (YouTube)Watch on YouTube ↗

Playing loads the video from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode).

OfficialSource: 台東区公式チャンネル (YouTube)Watch on YouTube ↗

Playing loads the video from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode).

06

Architect

Kunio Maekawa

Kunio Maekawa1905–1986

Born in Niigata Prefecture. After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University he went to France and trained in Le Corbusier's atelier. On returning to Japan he worked to establish modernist architecture in the country.

He designed many public and cultural buildings, notably Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Ueno Park. At the National Museum of Western Art, he was one of the disciples who realised Le Corbusier's design on the Japanese side.

The National Museum of Western ArtProfile

07

Location

5-45 Uenokōen, Taitō City, Tokyo

Open in Google Maps ↗Get directions ↗Open in OpenStreetMap ↗

09

Sources

References

10

Photo Credits

Image sources, authors and licences

  • 01Ueno 20260127 100718.jpg

    Photo: Ka23 13

    CC BY 4.0·CC BY (Attribution)·Wikimedia Commons

  • 02Tokyo Bunka Kaikan.jpg

    Photo: Drivephotographer

    CC0·CC0 (No rights reserved)·Wikimedia Commons

  • 03Tokyo Bunka Kaikan 2023 Nov 23 12-27PM.jpeg

    Photo: Nesnad

    CC BY 4.0·CC BY (Attribution)·Wikimedia Commons

  • 04Tokyo bunka kaikan03s3200.jpg

    Photo: 663highland

    CC BY 2.5·CC BY (Attribution)·Wikimedia Commons

  • 05Bunka Kaikan @ Ueno Park (9254175526).jpg

    Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France

    CC BY 2.0·CC BY (Attribution)·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.