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Kōgei Nyūsu [Industrial Arts News]

Page 1 from Kōgei Nyūsu with drawings of a couch, measurements, and columns of text in Japanese.
Page 2 from Kōgei Nyūsu with drawings of a chair and table, measurements, and columns of text in Japanese.
Page 3 from Kōgei Nyūsu with drawings of a chair, measurements, and columns of text in Japanese.
Page 4 from Kōgei Nyūsu with drawings of a table, measurements, and columns of text in Japanese.
Page 5 from Kōgei Nyūsu with drawings of a drawer, measurements, and columns of text in Japanese.
Page 6 from Kōgei Nyūsu with drawings of an ironing board, measurements, and columns of text in Japanese.
Page 7 from Kōgei Nyūsu with drawings of a bed frame, measurements, and columns of text in Japanese.
Page 8 from Kōgei Nyūsu with drawings of a drawer and a table, measurements, and columns of text in Japanese.

“Designing Furniture for Dependents Housing” Kōgei Nyūsu [Industrial Arts News], October 1946

Toyoguchi (1905-1991), one of Japan’s most prominent furniture designers of the post-war period. He reflected on the challenges that the Japanese encountered in producing furniture for dependents housing, such as using the U.S. measurement system (i.e. inches, feet, yards), the difference in body size between the Japanese and the Americans, and a shortage of materials. But he also acknowledged the benefits of working on the project. “In the end,” he wrote, “we were able to produce something standardized and modern; something we didn’t have in Japan. We are very pleased with our achievement. And through the process, we witnessed the revival of industrial arts.”