Takamasa Yoshizaka

In 1971, three members of Yosizaka's practice: Hiroyasu Higuchi, Reiko Tomita and Koichi Otake left to form the architectural practice Atelier Zo. One of his students, Saito Yuko wrote the book Yoshizaka's Method about the design for Ura Taro's house and formed her own practice Atelier Site. Japanese Design Magazine Casa Brutus named him one of Japan's Modern Masters in a recent special issue.

After graduating from university, he worked at Le Corbusier's atelier in Paris for two years working on projects in France and India. After his return to Japan, he collaborated on Le Corbusier's National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo in 1959. He set up his own practice called Atelier U in 1964.

On his return to Japan in late 1952, he continued his own works. In 1959, he was appointed as a professor of Architecture at Waseda University before forming his own practice, Atelier U in 1964.

In 1951 another group of Japanese students came to France to study. Amongst them was Ura Taro, a mathematician. He and Yosizaka became good friends and Ura asked Yosizaka to design his home upon his return to Japan.

In 1950 he accepted a French Government grant to work and study architecture in France where he enjoyed two years working at Le Corbusier's atelier in Paris.

Yoshizaka arrived in Marseilles in late September, 1950. On 24 September 1950 he was shown around Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation which was under construction at that time. Two weeks later he was in Paris at Le Corbusier's office.

After entering Waseda University Architecture Department in 1938 he graduated in 1943 before being drafted into the army. On returning from the war he went to live again in Shinjuku but built himself a house as the previous one had been burnt down in American bombing on 25 May 1945.

Yosizaka was a keen mountaineer. He joined the mountaineering club at high school in 1935 and in 1960 led an expedition to Mount McKinley in Alaska.

Takamasa Yosizaka was the first-born son of Toshizo and Hanako Yosizaka. He was born in Koishikawa in Tokyo. In 1921 he and his family left for Geneva where his father was an official for the Japanese government setting up the International Labour Organization. They returned to Japan in 1923 and moved to Hyakunin-cho in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Takamasa Yosizaka (吉阪 隆正, Yosizaka Takamasa, February 13, 1917—December 17, 1980), family name also romanized as Yosizaka, was a Japanese architect and former president of the Architectural Institute of Japan and a keen mountaineer.