Azusa Sekkei

Azusa was founded in 1946 as a limited partnership company by Fuminaga Kiyota, who had worked for the Ministry of Communication and then for Imperial Japanese Airways, the predecessor of Japan Airlines. In the midst of postwar chaos, the firm was headquartered at Mr. Kiyota’s home in Nakano-ku, Tokyo, headed by him as its first president, and joined by six other members. The word “Azusa” in their name reflects Mr. Kiyota’s passion for architecture. He wished the firm to be steady and graceful while showing dignity and strong resolve, just like a tree of azusa (catalpa). When Mr. Kiyota chose the name of the firm, he did not include his own because of his believe at the time that the raison d’être of a corporate architectural firm was the sustained fulfillment of its social responsibility in the field of architecture as a corporate citizen. This belief of the founder has been passed down to us who work on architectural projects today.