Tanoue left Tokyo in 1923 and journeyed north to Hokkaido, where he started an architectural office in 1924. Over the years, he developed a new style of housing for the northern island that took its snowy climate into consideration. Although he designed many Modernist office and municipal buildings, his residential designs retained a Wrightian spirit and organic character.

Among Tanoue's many successful designs were the Kita Ichijo Church (1927), Takada House (1927), Oguma House (1927), now relocated and open to the public as Lloyd’s Coffee shop, and the Abashiri Museum (1936). Tanoue’s Ban House (1927), which was one of the stars of Shunji Iwai’s popular film Love Letter, was mysteriously burned to the ground in 2007. (KS)