A look inside the Nakagin Capsule Tower, a landmark of the Japanese Metabolist movement that stood for over 50 years
Comprised of two steel and concrete towers outfitted with 140 prefabricated living capsules, the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo is one of the most iconic and influential architectural marvels of the postwar period. A touchstone of the Metabolist movement, the tower was designed by the office of Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa (1934–2007) and completed between 1970 and 1972. Each capsule was intended for single occupancy and came outfitted with its own ensuite bathroom, a foldout desk, a telephone, a reel-to-reel tape player, a Sony color television and a "porthole" window overlooking the city. In this volume of the MoMA One on One series, curator Evangelos Kotsioris delves into the groundbreaking design, construction, evolution and ultimate need for the demolition of this remarkable structure in 2022. It is published in advance of MoMA's exhibition of one of the original capsules, the first to be publicly shown in the United States.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Archinect
Josh Niland
Kisho Kurokawa’s groundbreaking feat of Metabolism will be given a proper consideration with a recovered capsule (#A1305 – once the building’s highest) and 45 other archival materials that showcase and contextualize the visionary contribution to late-modernism that the world lost in 2022 at the conclusion of a drawn-out process.
designboom
Kat Barandy
In a city shaped by constant renewal, this retrospective probes what it means to preserve an architectural concept.
STATUS: Forthcoming | 8/12/2025
This title is not yet published in the U.S. To pre-order or receive notice when the book is available, please email orders @ artbook.com
FORMAT: Pbk, 7.25 x 9 in. / 48 pgs / 35 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $14.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $22.95 ISBN: 9781633451735 PUBLISHER: The Museum of Modern Art, New York AVAILABLE: 8/12/2025 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Forthcoming AVAILABILITY: Awaiting stock TERRITORY: NA ONLY
Kisho Kurokawa: Nakagin Capsule Tower MoMA One on One Series
Published by The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Text by Evangelos Kotsioris.
A look inside the Nakagin Capsule Tower, a landmark of the Japanese Metabolist movement that stood for over 50 years
Comprised of two steel and concrete towers outfitted with 140 prefabricated living capsules, the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo is one of the most iconic and influential architectural marvels of the postwar period. A touchstone of the Metabolist movement, the tower was designed by the office of Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa (1934–2007) and completed between 1970 and 1972. Each capsule was intended for single occupancy and came outfitted with its own ensuite bathroom, a foldout desk, a telephone, a reel-to-reel tape player, a Sony color television and a "porthole" window overlooking the city. In this volume of the MoMA One on One series, curator Evangelos Kotsioris delves into the groundbreaking design, construction, evolution and ultimate need for the demolition of this remarkable structure in 2022. It is published in advance of MoMA's exhibition of one of the original capsules, the first to be publicly shown in the United States.
