Nagase Kyozo (永瀬狂三)
Kyozo NAGASE (1877 - January 21, 1955) was an architect mostly active in Kyoto. He left many of his masterpieces at Kyoto University since he enrolled in the Eizen (Building and Repairs) Department of Kyoto Imperial University.
His Career
He was born in Tahara City, Aichi Prefecture in 1877. His grandfather was Yatao SUZUKI, a Kunimoto Karo (chief retainer) of the Tahara clan, and his family took the name of NAGASE since his father's generation.
The origin of his name 'Kyozo' (literally meaning devil's advocate) came from Chapter 13 Shiro, Volume 17 of Rongo; Confucius says, 'if you cannot be a friend of a man of common sense with no shortcoming, then make friends with either a devil's advocate or a moral zealot, because devil's advocates often study hard and moral zealots are very unlikely to be tempted by a desire.'
He graduated from the Department of Architecture of the University of Tokyo in 1906 and joined Shimoda Kenzo Goshi Company (Kikutaro SHIMODA) in Yokohama City. He joined Tatsuno/Kataoka Design Office in 1908. He became a part-timer at Kyoto Imperial University in 1909. He was appointed to an instructor in the Department of Engineering at Kyoto Imperial University in 1917. He became the Director of the Department of Engineering at Kyoto Imperial University in 1919. He became the head of the Department of Eizen of Kyoto Imperial University after the reorganization of the University in 1920. He became an instructor at Kyoto Institute of Technology (and continued lecturing until 1944). He retired from Kyoto Imperial University in 1929. He became the Principal of Kyoto Engineering School (and continued to hold the post until 1945). He died in 1955.
His masterpieces
The student meeting place at Kyoto University (1912)
The Exhibition Hall in the Department of Literature at Kyoto University (co-designed with Jibei YAMAMOTO in 1914 and registered as a tangible cultural property in Sakyo-ku Ward, Kyoto City)
The Promotion Center of the Medical School at Kyoto University (former research laboratory for the Department of Physiology, Sakyo-ku Ward, Kyoto City, 1914)
Farm and Horticultural laboratory attached to the Department of Agriculture at Kyoto University (Sakyo-ku Ward, Kyoto City, 1924)
Research Center for Geophysics attached to the Department of Science at Kyoto University (registered tangible cultural properties, Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, 1924)
The Main building of the headquarters at Kyoto University (co-designed with Goichi TAKEDA and Shizuo SAKA, Sakyo-ku Ward, Kyoto City, 1925)