APPRENTICES

Kameki Tsuchiura    1897 - 1996
Nobu Tsuchiura    1900 - 1998

While still a student, Kameki Tsuchiura began working with Wright on the Imperial Hotel in 1921, via an introduction by Arata Endo. When Wright left Japan the following year, Kameki and his new bride Nobu soon followed. They stayed with Wright for two years, both in Los Angeles and at Taliesin, completing drawings for a number of projects. They also befriended fellow architects R.M. Schindler, Werner Moser and Richard Neutra.

After returning to Japan in 1926, Kameki continued to design in the Wright style, but because he wanted to improve Japanese housing, gradually embraced the International style for its functional, rational and economic aspects. Taking a cue from Wright's textile block houses in Los Angeles, Kameki pursued standardization and efficiency, replacing the blocks with drywall panels hung onto wooden frames.