4-1 The Founding of the Hasebe & Takekoshi Architectural Office—Amid the Storms of the Great Depression—

In the 1920s, following World War I, markets in European countries—where purchasing power had declined due to the devastation of the war—continued to contract, a trend exacerbated by the Soviet Union’s withdrawal from the global market in the wake of the Russian Revolution. In the United States, however, the wartime boom—driven in part by exports to European nations—had led to overproduction, and speculative fervor was running high.
On October 24, 1929, stock prices crashed on the New York Stock Exchange, marking the beginning of a global financial depression that swept across the world. The Japanese economy, already weakened by the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and the Showa Financial Crisis, was also hit hard by the crisis.In urban areas, many companies went bankrupt and the streets were flooded with unemployed people; in rural areas, where crop failures due to cold weather had been ongoing, the situation became even more dire as the prices of rice and silk cocoons plummeted to nearly half their original value—a further blow compounded by the damage from the Showa Sanriku Earthquake and Tsunami (1933).

4-1: Wall Street in New York During the Great Depression
The building on the far right is the stock exchange.

Sumitomo also carried out a workforce reduction.

Although Sumitomo had weathered the Showa Financial Crisis that followed the Great Kanto Earthquake without suffering major damage, the global Great Depression led to a severe downturn in its business.By Showa 7 (1932), the company was forced to suspend pay raises and implement staff reductions. In the design and engineering department—then known as the Machinery Division of Sumitomo Limited Partnership (the successor to Sumitomo Head Office)—Construction Administration Department, staff members—numbering around 140 at its peak—were laid off one after another.In Kenzo Takekoshi’s autobiography, *Yūsen Jijo*, he poignantly describes the anguish he felt when he personally had to deliver layoff notices to his department members.
In Shōwa 8 (1933), when the number of Engineering Department staff had dwindled to about 30, Eikichi Hasebe, the department’s leader at the time, and Kenzo Takekoshi, unable to bear witness to any further losses among their colleagues, decided to leave Sumitomo themselves. Together with the department members, they established an architectural firm, determined to forge a new path forward.

Into the Storm of the Recession

Amid an unprecedented economic downturn, Sumitomo Joint-Stock Company showed great generosity toward Hasebe, Takekoshi, and their 30 colleagues—who had steeled their resolve to set out on this new venture—by lending them capital and offering other forms of support. The first year was a difficult one—so much so that they could not even pay bonuses. However, they were fortunate that the Hasebe & Takekoshi Architectural Office had taken over the work for the Osaka Stock Exchange, which they had been commissioned to do during their time in the Engineering Department, and this allowed them to gradually emerge from their difficult situation. Around this time, in the United States, the economy was beginning to show signs of recovery thanks to President Roosevelt’s New Deal policies. In Japan, although the economy was clearly driven by the war effort—with the government shifting to an active inflationary policy by issuing additional government bonds and increasing the military budget—it was also gradually showing signs of recovery.

4-2 Eikichi Hasebe (1885–1960)
4-3 Kenzo Takekoshi (1888–1981)

Although his first project after going independent was the Osaka Stock Exchange, he was also commissioned to oversee the design of the “Hosendo”—the Sumitomo family’s Buddhist chapel—the “Tokyo Bill Clearing House,” whose design was selected in a design competition, and the “Nippon Life Insurance Headquarters Main Building,” among others. The firm also received commissions for the design and supervision of numerous production facilities, including Sumitomo Metal Industries’ steelworks in Wakayama and Fengtian, China (now Shenyang), as well as factories for Sumitomo Electric Industries. It also undertook projects related to the Imperial Japanese Navy, such as the Etajima Naval Academy and the Maizuru Naval Arsenal. In line with this expansion of business, the Hasebe & Takeyoshi Architectural Office opened a Tokyo branch (1938), a Manchuria branch (1940), and a Nagoya sub-office (1939), growing into a large organization with 250 employees within 10 years of its founding.

4-4 New Cadet Hall, Etajima Naval Academy (1938)

"Guidelines for Staff Members"

When the Hasebe & Takekoshi Architectural Office was established in Showa 8 (1933), the code of conduct from the firm’s days as a construction department was formalized as the “Staff Guidelines,” setting forth the principles for the office’s operation.The content refers to enhancing one’s character, paying attention to health, continuously making fresh and accurate proposals with an eye toward the future, honing design skills through mutual learning, ensuring quality control in design and supervision, maintaining confidentiality regarding designs, and the proper safekeeping of original drawings.Regarding professional ethics, the guidelines specifically stipulated that staff must provide fair and courteous guidance to contractors and must never display even the slightest hint of arrogance, and that they must strictly refrain from accepting gifts or hospitality from those involved in construction projects.These “Guidelines for Staff Members” comprised 34 items, and their wording was extremely straightforward, as illustrated by the following example:
“1. Those engaged in architectural design supervision shall, in the course of their duties, strive to cultivate their character and endeavor to become individuals worthy of the public’s trust—both as engineers and as members of society.”

4-5 Japan Theological Seminary (1937); currently the Tokyo Lutheran Center
Kenzo Takekoshi described Eikichi Hasebe’s character as follows:
“I believe Mr. Hasebe was the most outstanding artistic architect across the Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa eras. Moreover, I hold him in the highest regard and admire him as a truly admirable person.… (omitted) … In every one of his works, the fundamental element is what is known as ‘the interplay of stillness and movement,’ rich in dignity. This is a reflection of Mr. Hasebe’s character.” Eikichi Hasebe, who had cultivated a deep spirituality—including Catholicism—since before the war, was baptized after the war and, as a devout Christian, brought his gentle and sincere life to a close in Shōwa 35 (1960).

The Corporate Structure as a “Vessel” and the “Spirit” Within It

The Hasebe & Takekoshi Architectural Office was established as an architectural design firm organized as a joint-stock company. This was the first of its kind in Japan. The initial capital borrowed was repaid as the business expanded, and by Showa 12 (1937), it had become, in both name and reality, an architectural design firm owned solely by Hasebe and Takekoshi.They adopted a corporate structure equivalent to what is known in the West as a “professional corporation.” This corporate structure, in which shares are not issued to outside parties, is the foundation of Nikken Sekkei’s current internal shareholder system.
This corporate structure—serving as a “framework”—and the spirit outlined in the “Staff Code of Conduct” have been passed down to the current Nikken Sekkei. These principles took their initial form at the time of the establishment of the Hasebe & Takekoshi Architectural Office.
In Showa 15 (1940), a modest company office with a floor area of 138 tsubo was constructed at 13 Kitahama 5-chome, Osaka. However, due to the circumstances of the time, reinforced steel could not be used, so the building was constructed of unreinforced concrete using bamboo, wood, and wire mesh as substitutes.

4-6 Perspective Drawing of the Tokyo Check Clearing House (Completed in 1937) by Kenzo Takekoshi
Kenzo Takekoshi, the artist who created this perspective drawing, studied in England for three and a half years until he was 30. During this time, he passed the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) architectural licensing exam, but he also demonstrated such exceptional talent as an etcher that he even secured an art dealer.Meanwhile, from the time he joined Sumitomo until the end of his life, he was deeply involved in the Kongo School of Noh theater, demonstrating a talent that even connoisseurs held in high regard. In Showa 18 (1943), he played the shite role in his own Noh play, “Zeami.” He also authored two books on Noh.

Regarding the Name of the Hasebe & Takekoshi Architectural Office

The official name is “Hasebe-Takekoshi Architectural Office.” This reflects the fact that it is an architectural firm formed by the unity of Hasebe and Takekoshi, and it was agreed that the middle dot “・” would not be included. Consequently, in the design documents—which are an integral part of the firm’s identity—the firm’s seal was affixed without the dot “・.”This notation also offers a glimpse into the enthusiasm with which Hasebe and Takekoshi approached the management of their architectural firm.
However, it is also true that omitting the “·” can make the name difficult to understand. Later in life, in his own autobiography, Takekoshi adopted the easier-to-understand notation that includes the “·.” In this series, we have used the notation with the “·” for clarity.Incidentally, Takao Konishi’s book *Up to 13 Kitahama 5-chome* uses the notation with the “・,” while Takayuki Hashimoto’s *From 13 Kitahama 5-chome* uses the notation without the “・.”

4-7 Kanegafuchi Spinning Co., Maruko Plant (1936)
4-8: Combined Welded and Riveted Steel Pipe Structure at the Sumitomo Metal Industries Anshan Steel Pipe Plant in Manchuria (1941)
Although welding was being used at the time by shipbuilding companies and in boiler fabrication, it had not yet been adopted by structural steel fabricators in the construction industry. The Hasebe & Takekoshi Architectural Office was a pioneer in the use of welded structures during this era.
4-9 The etching on the cover, created by Takekoshi himself, depicts the Nishi-Yokobori River.

(References)
Kenzo Takekoshi (1980), *Yūsen Jijyo*, Sōgensha
Kenzo Takekoshi (1958), *Noh Gaku Zanmai*, Wanya Shoten
Hasebe & Takekoshi Architectural Office (1933), *Guidelines for Staff Members*, Hasebe & Takekoshi Architectural Office
Takao Konishi　　　　　　(1991) *Up to 13 Kitahama 5-chome*, Sōgensha
Nikken Sekkei　　　　　　　(2000) *The Art of Design: 100 Years of Nikken Sekkei*, Nikken Sekkei
“Great Depression” *Wikipedia*

Source
4-1 The Free Encyclopedia “Wikipedia”
4-5–8 Hasebe & Takekoshi Architects: Collection of Works
4-9 Kenzo Takekoshi (1980), *Yuusen Jijo* (Autobiography of Yuusen), Sogen-sha