Kisho Kurokawa's Nakagin Capsule Tower: The Rise, Fall, and Museum Afterlife of a Metabolist Icon
The Museum of Modern Art in New York will showcase Capsule A1305 from July 10, 2025, to July 12, 2026. This capsule is part of the Nakagin Capsule Tower, designed by Kisho Kurokawa and completed in 1972 in Tokyo’s Ginza district. Originally a highlight of the Japanese Metabolism architectural movement, the structure consisted of 140 modular units intended for renewal every 25 to 35 years. Due to logistical challenges and other factors, many capsules faced difficulties in replacement. Although the tower was scheduled for demolition in 2022, Capsule A1305 has been generously donated by several benefactors, including the Nakagin Capsule Tower Preservation Project.
Key facts
- Kisho Kurokawa designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo's Ginza district, completed in 1972.
- The building consisted of 140 prefabricated capsules attached to two reinforced-concrete cores.
- Capsules were intended to be replaced every 25 to 35 years, while the cores remained permanent.
- Each capsule measured approximately 2.5 by 2.5 by 4 meters and offered about 10 square meters of living space.
- The tower's demolition began in 2022; 23 capsules were salvaged and restored.
- Capsule A1305 entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
- The exhibition 'The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower' is on view at MoMA from July 10, 2025 to July 12, 2026.
- The building included asbestos insulation and suffered from corroded pipes, failed mechanical systems, and deteriorating exterior panels.
Entities
Artists
- Kisho Kurokawa
- Kiyonori Kikutake
- Fumihiko Maki
- Tomio Ohashi
- Noritaka Minami
- Jeremie Souteyrat
- Kiyoshi Awazu
- Jonathan Dorado
- Takayuki Sekine
- Jo Carole Lauder
- Ronald S. Lauder
- Alice Tisch
- Tom Tisch
Institutions
- Kisho Kurokawa, Architect & Associates
- Nakagin Capsule Tower Preservation and Restoration Project
- Nakagin Capsule Tower Building Preservation / Regeneration project
- Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA)
- Museum of Modern Art, Saitama
- Bijutsu shuppan-sha
Locations
- Tokyo, Japan
- Ginza, Japan
- Japan
- New York, United States
- United States
- Saitama, Japan