On Oct 26 in Tokyo, the Japanese government announced that architect Tadao Ando and fashion designer Issey Miyake are among this year’s seven inductees to the Order of Culture, and that photographer Eiko Hosoe is among this year’s 17 new Persons of Cultural Merit.
Ando and Miyake are among Japan’s most accomplished figures in their respective fields. Ando, 69, is recognized for his distinctive use of concrete in creating private residences, museums and other facilities such as the Church of the Light (1989), considered one of his most iconic buildings. Dedicated to researching new approaches to fashion, Miyake, 72, fuses traditional sensibilities and cutting-edge technology in creating his innovative designs, often made from a single sheet of fabric, as exemplified by the clothing line Pleats Please.
Known for his textured, strikingly composed black-and-white images, the photographer Eiko Hosoe, 77, is among a circle of artists and intellectuals who helped to define avant-garde culture in post-war Japan. During that time, he collaborated with figures including the author Yukio Mishima, who posed for a series of photos published under the title Ordeal by Roses; the Butoh dancer Tatsumi Hijikata, who performed for the photobook Kamaitachi; and the poet and filmmaker Shuji Terayama.
Presented annually by the Emperor of Japan in a ceremony on Culture Day (Nov 3) at the Imperial Palace, the Order of Culture is Japan’s highest cultural distinction, and carries with it a lifetime pension. The distinction of Person of Cultural Merit also carries with it a lifetime pension, and will be presented in a separate ceremony Nov 4. The nominees for the distinctions are proposed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and confirmed by the Cabinet.
Also among the actors, athletes, historians, scientists, writers and other cultural figures honored this year is the dramatist Yukio Ninagawa, who will be inducted into the Order of Culture.