Containing a wealth of texts and images, Thomas Daniell’s Graham-funded book An Anatomy of Influence elucidates the theory and practice of 12 leading Japanese architects (Hiromi Fujii, Terunobu Fujimori, Hiroshi Hara, Itsuko Hasegawa, Osamu Ishiyama, Arata Isozaki, Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma, Kazuyo Sejima, Kazuo Shinohara, Shin Takamatsu, and Kiyoshi Sey Takeyama). Rather than the usual array of exquisite yet autonomous buildings, this newly released publication focuses on the hitherto unexplored lives of their architects, and the intellectual, social, and political environment in which they worked. The result is not only a fascinating perspective on modern Japanese architecture, but a profound recasting of our understanding of the modern Japanese architect.

Thomas Daniell is a Professor of Architectural Theory and Criticism at Kyoto University, Japan. A two-time recipient of publication grants from the Graham Foundation, his latest book is An Anatomy of Influence (AA Publications, 2018). His previous books include FOBA: Buildings (Princeton Architectural Press, 2005), After the Crash: Architecture in Post-Bubble Japan (Princeton Architectural Press, 2008), Houses and Gardens of Kyoto (Tuttle, 2010), Kiyoshi Sey Takeyama + Amorphe (Equal Books, 2011), and Kansai 6 (Equal Books, 2011).