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.
Kenji Ekuan | |
|---|---|
榮久庵 憲司 | |
| Born | September 11, 1929 |
| Died | February 8, 2015 (aged 85) Tokyo |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Alma mater | Tokyo University of the Arts |
| Occupation | Industrial designer |
| Website | www |
Biography
editBorn 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
editProducts 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
edit- 253 series Narita Express train, 1991[6]
- E3 Series Shinkansen Komachi train, 1997[6]
- E259 series Narita Express train, 2009[6]
- E233 series commuter train, 2006[7]
-
Narita Express 253 series -
E3 Series Shinkansen -
Narita Express E259 series -
E233 series
Logos
edit- Tokyo Metropolitan Government logo, 1989
- Ministop convenience store logo[8]
- Japan Racing Association logo[9]
-
Tokyo Metropolitan Government logo -
Ministop store logo -
Japan Racing Association logo
.svg)
He also served as co-general producer for the World Design Exposition 1989 held in Nagoya.[10]
Honors and awards
edit- 1979: Colin King Grand Prix - International Council of Societies of Industrial Design[10]
- 1995: Sir Misha Black Medal[11]
- 1997: Ordre des Arts et des Lettres - French Minister of Culture[5]
- 2000: Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette[10]
- 2003: Lucky Strike Designer Award - Raymond Loewy Foundation[12]
- 2004: Commander in the Order of the Lion of Finland[13]
- 2014: Compasso d'Oro for Lifetime Achievement - Associazione per il Disegno Industriale[14]
Published books
edit- Kenji Ekuan (1 March 1998). The Aesthetics of the Japanese Lunchbox. Diane Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-7567-7620-6.
References
edit- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b "Design World Mourns the Loss of Kenji Ekuan". Industrial Designers Society of America. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
- ^ "History". Outline. GK Design Group. Archived from the original on 2015-02-18. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
- ^ a b "Japanese designer of soy sauce bottle, Kenji Ekuan, dies aged 85". The Straits Times. 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2015-02-11.
- ^ a b c d e "The Works of GK Design Group". GK Design Group Inc. Archived from the original on 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
- ^ "栄久庵憲司さん死去 山手線や中央線、「こまち」などの車両デザインに関わる" [Kenji Ekuan, involved in the design of Yamanote Line and Chuo Line vehicles, dies]. Traffic News (in Japanese). 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
- ^ "Industrieel designer Kenji Ekuan overleden". The Art Server (in Dutch). 2015-02-09. Archived from the original on 2016-11-21. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
- ^ a b c "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. Archived from the original on 2015-02-11. 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.