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Hajime Shimizu

しみず はじめ

Shimizu Hajime

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1902-03-13 （Tokyo-fu (former)）
Died
1972-03-17 age 70
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Architect, Essayist, Professor
Active Years
1926-1972
Affiliations
Okura Doboku (now Taisei Corporation), Nihon University, College of Industrial Technology (Professor), Hajime Shimizu Architectural Office
Influenced By
Fusei Tomiyasu

Education

Tokyo Imperial University, Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Engineering / Department of Architecture
Period: 1922-1926
Year of Graduation: 1926
Country: Japan

Awards

Japan Essayist Club Prize
1956
Work: Four Seasons of the Home
Organization: Japan Essayist Club
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Four Seasons of the Home

1956 Essays

An essay collection about housing and daily life arranged by the seasons. It discusses craftsmanship and traditional Japanese dwellings in a light, accessible style.

housingcraftsmanshipseasonalityJapanese tradition

Hotel Okura (design contribution)

1962 Architecture

One of Tokyo's representative hotel buildings. Shimizu worked in the design team and was involved in incorporating traditional Japanese design elements into details.

hotel architectureJapanese-style designdetail design

Hotel New Otani (design contribution)

1964 Architecture

A large-scale hotel project to which he contributed. He helped integrate urban hotel design with Japanese elements.

large-scale architectureurban developmentfusion of tradition and modernity

Bibliography

  • How to Build a Comfortable House
  • Every Child Needs a Nest: A Reader on Living
  • Housing
  • Four Seasons of the Home
  • Windows: Inside and Out
  • Health Methods for Houses
  • Scenes with Houses
  • Japanese Architecture and Its Craftsmen
  • Introduction to New Housing: Design to Enable People
  • Homes: Past and Present
  • Hajime Shimizu Essay Collections Vol.1-3
  • Homes and Climate/Land
  • My Dictionary of Architecture
  • Introduction to Architectural Studies
  • My Architectural Dictionary

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Plain, light essayistic toneConcrete descriptions rooted in craftsmanship and practicePractical explanations about architecture
Recurring Motifs
seasonality of the homerespect for craftsmanshippreservation of Japanese tradition

Legacy

Hajime Shimizu is known for applying traditional Japanese styles and techniques to modern architecture through his practical work at Taisei Corporation, teaching, and essays. His popular writings on housing influenced a broad audience and helped bridge architectural practice and cultural appreciation.

Academic Societies

  • Architectural Institute of Japan (related)

Trivia

  • Studied haiku under Fusei Tomiyasu.
  • Won the Japan Essayist Club Prize in 1956 for 'Four Seasons of the Home'.
  • Worked for many years in design at Okura Doboku (later Taisei Corporation), contributing to projects such as Hotel Okura and Hotel New Otani.