Michihiro Kosuge

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Michihiro Kosuge
Towers of Peace, Prosperity & Hope
1989

Project Area: Little Tokyo
Project: Alright Garage
Project Location: 319 E. Second Street off San Pedro
Project Type: Developer

Description:

Abstract sculpture consisting of three tall towers placed on an existing base which was designed for a flagpole. The towers vary in height from 24' to 48', and are abstractions of the Japanese motifs toro (lantern), garan (old Japanese buildings), and origami (paper folding). Each tower is stainless steel at the bottom, and is topped in bronze by an origami-like bird.

"When I was working on the design for this proposal," Kosuge wrote, "I was thinking about the peace and prosperity experienced by the people of Little Tokyo, as a symbol of all Japanese Americans. In my sculpture, I hope to express and convey this feeling." Responding to the tight setting and the surrounding visual clutter, Kosuge designed tall works, proportionate to the scale of the site, to be viewed when people enter and leave the garage as well as by people standing on different garage levels.

Artist Profile

Michihiro Kosuge was born in Tokyo in 1943 and attended the Tokyo Sumida Technical School of Architecture before moving to the U.S. to study at the San Francisco Art Institute. The artist received a National Endowment for the Arts Visual Artist Fellowship in 1982. Today, Kosuge’s works are primarily exhibited in northwestern United States at various commercial galleries. Michihiro Kosuge lives in Portland, Oregon and is Art Department Chair at Portland State University.