The Metabolist Imagination : Visions of the City in Postwar Japanese Architecture and Science Fiction

Japan’s postwar urban imagination through the Metabolism architecture movement and visionary science fiction authors The devastation of the Second World War gave rise to imaginations both utopian and apocalyptic. In Japan, a fascinating confluence of architects and science fiction writers took advantage of this space to begin remaking urban design. In The Metabolist Imagination , William O. Gardner explores the unique Metabolism movement, which allied with science fiction authors to foresee the global cities that would emerge in the postwar era. This first comparative study of postwar Japanese architecture and science fiction builds on the resurgence of interest in Metabolist architecture while establishing new directions for exploration. Gardner focuses on how these innovators created unique versions of shared concepts—including futurity, megastructures, capsules, and cybercities—making lasting contributions that resonate with contemporary conversations around cyberpunk, climate change, anime, and more. The Metabolist Imagination features original documentation of collaborations between giants of postwar Japanese art and architecture, such as the landmark 1970 Osaka Expo. It also provides the most sustained English-language discussion to date of the work of Komatsu Sakyō, considered one of the “big three” authors of postwar Japanese science fiction. These studies are underscored by Gardner’s insightful approach—treating architecture as a form of speculative fiction while positioning science fiction as an intervention into urban design—making it a necessary read for today’s visionaries. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction 10 1 City Visions: Metabolism and Science Fiction 36 2 Ruined Cities: Isozaki Arata and Komatsu Sakyō 62 3 Planetary Cities: Komatsu Sakyō’s Disaster Fiction 78 4 Future City: The 1970 Osaka Expo 96 5 Liquid Cities: The Technopolis from Expo to Cyberpunk 120 6 Metabolist Echoes: Akira, Patlabor, and Yanobe Kenji 152 Notes 174 Selected Filmography 204 Bibliography 206 Index 224 A 224 B 224 C 224 D 225 E 225 F 225 G 226 H 226 I 226 J 227 K 227 L 228 M 228 N 229 O 229 P 230 R 230 S 230 T 231 U 232 V 232 W 232 Y 232 Z 232 Color Plates 234 "This manuscript examines the relationship between architecture, urban design, and science fiction in postwar Japan, focusing on Metabolism, an avant-garde architectural movement formed in 1960 and influenced by the science fiction of Komatsu Sakyô, who collaborated with Metabolist architects during the 1970 World Expo in Osaka. By envisioning both utopian and apocalyptic (sci-fi) futures, Metabolist architects imagined large-scale megastructures based on biological concepts"-- Provided by publisher