RHThe washing machines didn’t help women?
IHThey did, but the manufacturers did not seriously ask consumers for ideas and comments. After the collapse of the bubble economy in the 1990s they realized that they should ask users too. Washing machines are now as sensitive as human hands. In architecture too, there should also be this intimate relationship. My starting point as an architect was to collect users’ opinions on design.
RHWhat obstacles did you face when entering university?
IHMy high-school teacher opposed the idea to enter a national university but my sister made me go anyway. As a result, I was not very motivated and didn’t attend regularly. My grandfather had a factory, which produced parts for ships. I was very attracted by ship drawings. In wanted to design them too so I often went yachting at Honmoku harbor in Yokohama as a member of the university yacht club. I was totally into yacht design then. I worked at Kiyonori Kikutake’s studio as a part-time worker during spring vacation after I completed the third year of university. I made perspective drawings for a competition for the international convention center project in Kyoto and for the Asakawa apartment building project. I was very excited to see how architectural design is produced. Kikutake’s wife was very grateful and showed me their famous Sky House. I was touched by the way it is designed to serve human life. On my way back I thought, I really want to become an architect. Immediately after that experience, I started to study architecture. I concluded that architecture is a very inclusive art serving society, tradition and nature. It was a big turning point for me when I started to design a series of public buildings. I participated in an open architectural competition of Shonandai Culture Centre in Fujisawa and won the first prize. Women in their 30s or 40s are very active nowadays. I have many female architects at my studio, receive many resumes of women students. More and more female students study at science and technology colleges. Women are very energetic. Their energy and power is admirable. I think they should be evaluated more in society. It seems that women currently benefit most when working in a partnership (with a man).
