Japanese Literary Awards

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Riki Watanabe

わたなべ りき

Watanabe Riki

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1911-07-17 （Shirokane, Minato, Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2013-01-08 age 101
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Zen (philosophy/interest)
Residence History
Shirokane, Minato, Tokyo, Japan (birthplace) → Ginza, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan (studio/office)

Career

Occupations
Product designer, Industrial designer, Design educator
Active Years
1936-2013
Affiliations
Japan Industrial Designers Association (JIDA; board member), Japan Design Committee (founding participant), Q Designers (founding member), Tokyo Zokei University (professor)
Memberships
Japan Industrial Designers Association, Japan Design Committee, Craft Center Japan (founding participant)
Influenced By
Mies van der Rohe, Bruno Taut, Charles Eames, George Nakashima, Anatoly Lunacharsky

Education

Tokyo Higher School of Industrial Arts (later part of Chiba University)
Woodcraft Department
Period: 〜1936
Year of Graduation: 1936
Country: Japan
After graduation studied under Bruno Taut at Gunma craft institute
Tokyo Imperial University (course completed)
Forestry course (forest utilization)
Period: 1943
Year of Graduation: 1943
Country: Japan
Served as university assistant and seconded to aviation research institute

Awards

Shinkenchiku Award (15th New Works Exhibition)
1951
Organization: New Works Exhibition (organizers)
Result: 受賞
Milan Triennale Gold Medal
1957
Work: Torii-shaped stool (exhibited work)
Organization: Milan Triennale
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Industrial Design Award (13th)
1967
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers (Mainichi Industrial Design Award)
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1976
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Kunikai Kitaro Industrial Craft Award
1991
Organization: Kunikai Kitaro Industrial Craft Award (awarding body)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Himo Chair

1952 Chair (furniture)

A chair characterized by simple structure and material use; considered a representative postwar Japanese furniture piece.

ConcisenessFunctional beauty

Riki Bench

1960 Bench (furniture)

A bench designed for Tendo Mokko balancing simple lines with comfortable seating.

Wood texturePracticality

Wall Clock (Riki Clock series)

1970 Clock (product design)

Wall clock designed for Hattori Seiko; later produced and popularized by companies such as Takaoka Lemnos.

LegibilityMinimal design

Pole Clock (Dai-ichi Life, Hibiya)

1972 Public clock / design

A pole clock installed in front of Dai-ichi Life headquarters; a landmark work that influenced later public clocks in Japan.

Consideration for public spaceDesign philosophy for public clocks

Bibliography

  • Herman Miller Story: Eames Was Born Here. Heibonsha, Nov 2003

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Concise and concentrated simplicityMinimalismPragmatic aesthetic
Recurring Motifs
Zen-influenced simplicityEmphasis on wood grain and materialityFocus on legibility and functionality

Legacy

One of the leading designers who established modern design in postwar Japan. Influential across furniture, clocks and public design; praised for a Zen-influenced concise aesthetic and practical beauty.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Industrial Designers Association

Archives

  • National Diet Library (Riki Watanabe related holdings)

In Popular Culture

  • Riki clocks have been widely used in homes and public facilities and became design icons

Quotes

  • My masterpiece
    Source: Riki Watanabe, commentary (regarding the pole clock) (1972)

Trivia

  • Born in 1911 and died in 2013 at the age of 101; a Japanese centenarian.
  • His 1972 pole clock for Dai-ichi Life influenced public clock design across Japan.
  • Practiced Zen from his junior-high years; Zen philosophy influenced his aesthetic.