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Isamu Kenmochi

1912 – 1971

Japanese industrial designer

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About Isamu Kenmochi

Lived 1912 – 1971 (aged 59). Isamu Kenmochi was a Japanese designer.

Isamu Kenmochi (, 1912 - 1971) was a Japanese modernist designer significant in the development of Japanese industrial design after World War II.

Isamu Kenmochi was born on 2 January 1912 in Tokyo. Kenmochi graduated from the Tokyo College of Industrial Arts (, now Chiba University Faculty of Engineering) in 1932. After his graduation, Kenmochi worked at the Industrial Arts Research Institute in Tokyo. Together, the two developed a number of furniture designs, pioneering the Japanese Modern style which integrated the material culture of Japanese furniture with modernist styles.

In 1952, Kenmochi visited the United States, later writing about the visit in the Industrial Arts Research Institute's publication, Kogei Nyusu. Later that year, Kenmochi became a founding member of the Japan Industrial Designers Association.

In 1964, Kenmochi's 1958 design for a lounge chair commissioned by the Yamakawa Rattan Company was added to the design collection of the MoMA. The design additionally won the G-Mark Prize (Good Design Selection System).

Kenmochi died by suicide on 3 June 1971 in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Education
Tokyo College of Industrial Arts, Chiba University
Employers
Industrial Arts Research Institute, Tama Art University, Kyoritsu Women's Junior College, University of Tokyo
Awards
G-mark prize; Mainichi Design Prize

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Isamu Kenmochi's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Isamu Kenmochi?

Japanese industrial designer (1912–1971)

When was Isamu Kenmochi born?

Isamu Kenmochi was born on 2 January 1912 in Tokyo Prefecture.

When did Isamu Kenmochi die?

Isamu Kenmochi died on 3 June 1971 in Shinjuku.

What was Isamu Kenmochi's occupation?

Isamu Kenmochi was a designer.

What nationality was Isamu Kenmochi?

Isamu Kenmochi was Japanese.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Isamu Kenmochi

· Wikidata: Q11397916

· DBpedia: Isamu Kenmochi

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Isamu Kenmochi. https://biography.guide/isamu-kenmochi/

MLA: "Isamu Kenmochi." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/isamu-kenmochi/.

Chicago: "Isamu Kenmochi." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/isamu-kenmochi/.

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