St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo
Encyclopedia
St. Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Tokyo
. It is located in the Sekiguchi neighborhood of Bunkyo, Tokyo
, Japan
.
The original structure of 1899 was a wooden building in the Gothic
style. It was burned during World War II
. The present church, designed by Tange, Kenzo
, dates from 1964. Kenzo Tange won the competition for the reconstruction of this church in 1961. It was built with assistance from Wilhelm Schlombs
, architect to the Archdiocese of Cologne, the engineer Yoshikatsu Tsuboi, who worked with Tange on many of his projects and the Zurich architect Max Lechner.
The plan of the building is in the form of a cross, from which eight hyperbolic parabolas
rise in a manner similar to a contemporary (but slightly later) landmark cathedral in San Francisco
, also known as St. Mary's Cathedral
. These open upwards to form a cross of light which continues vertically the length of the four facades. To this rhomboid
volume other secondary constructions are added, including the baptistry and the baptismal font. Their rectangular volumes contrast with the symbolic character of the cathedral. The bell tower is 60 m in height and stands at a little distance from the main building of the cathedral. The exterior surfaces are clad in stainless steel
, which gives them a special radiance in keeping with the religious character of the building.
Since 2004 he has a large organ
built by the Italian Mascioni.
File:20030702 2 July 2003 Tokyo Cathedorale 1 Tange Kenzou Sekiguchi Tokyo Japan.jpg|St. Mary's Cathedral
File:StMary'sCathedral-Tokyo-01.jpg|Cathedral interior
Image:stmary3.jpg|Cathedral interior
Image:stmary4.jpg|Cathedral interior
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Archdiocese of Tokyo
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tokyo is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Japan. It was erected as the Apostolic Vicariate of Japan on May 1, 1846 by Pope Gregory XVI, and its name was later changed by Pope Pius IX to the Apostolic Vicariate of...
. It is located in the Sekiguchi neighborhood of Bunkyo, Tokyo
Bunkyo, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as scholars and politicians have lived there...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The original structure of 1899 was a wooden building in the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style. It was burned during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The present church, designed by Tange, Kenzo
Kenzo Tange
was a Japanese architect, and winner of the 1987 Pritzker Prize for architecture. He was one of the most significant architects of the 20th century, combining traditional Japanese styles with modernism, and designed major buildings on five continents. Tange was also an influential protagonist of...
, dates from 1964. Kenzo Tange won the competition for the reconstruction of this church in 1961. It was built with assistance from Wilhelm Schlombs
Wilhelm Schlombs
Wilhelm "Willi" Schlombs was a German architect and church builders. As Cologne Erzdiözesanbaumeister he was largely responsible for the reconstruction of the historic church building in the Archdiocese of Cologne after World War II...
, architect to the Archdiocese of Cologne, the engineer Yoshikatsu Tsuboi, who worked with Tange on many of his projects and the Zurich architect Max Lechner.
The plan of the building is in the form of a cross, from which eight hyperbolic parabolas
Paraboloid
In mathematics, a paraboloid is a quadric surface of special kind. There are two kinds of paraboloids: elliptic and hyperbolic. The elliptic paraboloid is shaped like an oval cup and can have a maximum or minimum point....
rise in a manner similar to a contemporary (but slightly later) landmark cathedral in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, also known as St. Mary's Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, also known locally as Saint Mary's Cathedral, is the principal church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco in San Francisco, California...
. These open upwards to form a cross of light which continues vertically the length of the four facades. To this rhomboid
Rhomboid
Traditionally, in two-dimensional geometry, a rhomboid is a parallelogram in which adjacent sides are of unequal lengths and angles are oblique.A parallelogram with sides of equal length is a rhombus but not a rhomboid....
volume other secondary constructions are added, including the baptistry and the baptismal font. Their rectangular volumes contrast with the symbolic character of the cathedral. The bell tower is 60 m in height and stands at a little distance from the main building of the cathedral. The exterior surfaces are clad in stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
, which gives them a special radiance in keeping with the religious character of the building.
Since 2004 he has a large organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
built by the Italian Mascioni.
File:20030702 2 July 2003 Tokyo Cathedorale 1 Tange Kenzou Sekiguchi Tokyo Japan.jpg|St. Mary's Cathedral
File:StMary'sCathedral-Tokyo-01.jpg|Cathedral interior
Image:stmary3.jpg|Cathedral interior
Image:stmary4.jpg|Cathedral interior