Kenji Ekuan
| Kenji Ekuan | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 榮久庵 憲司 |
| Born |
September 11, 1929 Tokyo |
| Died |
February 8, 2015 (aged 85) Tokyo |
| Residence | Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Alma mater | Tokyo University of the Arts |
| Occupation | Industrial designer |
| Organization | GK Design Group |
| Website |
www |
Kenji Ekuan (榮久庵 憲司 Ekuan Kenji, September 11, 1929 – February 8, 2015) was a Japanese industrial designer, best known for creating the design of the Kikkoman soy sauce bottle.
Biography
Born in Tokyo on September 11, 1929, Ekuan spent his youth in Hawaii.[1] At the end of World War II, he moved to Hiroshima, where he witnessed the atomic bombing of the city, in which he lost his sister and his father, a Buddhist priest. He said the devastation motivated him to become a "creator of things".[2][3] Later he attended Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (present-day Tokyo University of the Arts). In 1957, he founded GK Industrial Design Laboratory (ＧＫインダストリアルデザイン研究所).[1] "GK" stood for "Group of Koike", as Koike was the name of an associate professor at the university.[4]
In 1970, he became president of the Japan Industrial Designers' Association and five years later he was elected as president of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design.[5]
During his lifetime he served as chair of the Japan Institute of Design, dean of Shizuoka University of Art and Culture was and a trustee of the Art Center College of Design.[3]
Ekuan died in the hospital in Tokyo on February 8, 2015, at the age of 85.[1]
Selected works
Products that Ekuan oversaw the design of included the following.
- Kikkoman soy sauce bottle, 1961[6]
- Yamaha VMAX motorcycle, 2008[6]
-
Kikkoman soy sauce bottle
-
Yamaha VMAX
Railway vehicles
- 253 series Narita Express train, 1991[6]
- E3 Series Shinkansen Komachi train, 1997[6]
- E259 series Narita Express train, 2009[6]
-
Narita Express 253 series
-
E3 Series Shinkansen
-
Narita Express E259 series
Logos
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government logo, 1989
- Ministop convenience store logo[7]
- Japan Racing Association logo[8]
-
Tokyo Metropolitan Government logo
-
Ministop store logo
-
Japan Racing Association logo
He also served as co-general producer for the World Design Exposition 1989 held in Nagoya.[9]
Honors and awards
- 1979: Colin King Grand Prix - International Council of Societies of Industrial Design[9]
- 1995: Sir Misha Black Medal[10]
- 1997: Ordre des Arts et des Lettres - French Minister of Culture[5]
- 2000: Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette[9]
- 2003: Lucky Strike Designer Award - Raymond Loewy Foundation[11]
- 2004: Commander in the Order of the Lion of Finland[12]
- 2014: Compasso d'Oro for Lifetime Achievement - Associazione per il Disegno Industriale[13]
Published books
- Kenji Ekuan (1 March 1998). The Aesthetics of the Japanese Lunchbox. Diane Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-7567-7620-6.
References
- 1 2 3 栄久庵憲司氏が死去 工業デザインの草分け [Pioneering industrial designer Kenji Ekuan dies]. Nikkei Shimbun (in Japanese). Japan: Nikkei. 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
- ↑ "From Soy Sauce To Bullet Trains: Famed Japanese Designer Dies At 85". NPR. 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2015-02-09.
- 1 2 "Design World Mourns the Loss of Kenji Ekuan". Industrial Designers Society of America. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
- ↑ "History". Outline. GK Design Group. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
- 1 2 "Japanese designer of soy sauce bottle, Kenji Ekuan, dies aged 85". The Straits Times. 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "The Works of GK Design Group". GK Design Group Inc. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
- ↑ 工業デザインの第一人者 栄久庵憲司さん死去 [First industrial designer Kenji Ekuan dies]. NHK News Web (in Japanese). Japan: NHK. 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
- ↑ "Industrieel designer Kenji Ekuan overleden". The Art Server (in Dutch). 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
- 1 2 3 "Japanese designer behind iconic soy sauce bottle dies at 85". ABS-CBN Corporation. 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
- ↑ Angus Montgomery (2015-02-10). "Kenji Ekuan, designer of bullet trains and soy sauce bottle, dies aged 85". Design Week. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
- ↑ "2003 Lucky Strike Designer Award - Kenji ekuan". Raymond Loewy Foundation. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
- ↑ "Kenji Ekuan - Chairman, GK Design Group". Hong Kong Design Centre. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
- ↑ "Kenji Ekuan, designer of the classic soy sauce dispenser, dead at age 85". Japan Times. 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2015-02-11.