Architectural Promenades in the Work of Tōgo Murano: a Twentieth-Century Practice between Pragmatism, Mathematics, and Kazari

• Applicant: Dr. Maki Iisaka
• Subject Area: Art History ; Asian Studies
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 533082497

The project aims to evaluate, through a number of case studies, the ways in which the Japanese architect Tōgo Murano (1891–1984) conceived, developed, and implemented the idea of architectural promenade as a singular but instructive example of how the philosophy of pragmatism has inflected architectural practice. It seeks to describe Murano's promenade as a dramatization of the “stream of thought” introduced by the American philosopher William James (1876–1907) and reinterpreted by the Japanese philosopher Ōdō Tanaka (1868–1932), all in connection with the idea of the space of perception promulgated by the French mathematician Henri Poincaré (1854–1912). It also aims to identify various influences of Japanese cultural practices within this architectural theatre, in terms of both formal organization and symbolic content, through the lens of the traditional decorative ethos of kazari. Ultimately the project aims to portray Murano as a quintessentially modern architect who drew inspiration from a globalizing world while seeking to negotiate between individual expression and societal need, with particular emphasis on the importance of pragmatist thinking in guiding this endeavour.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants