1891-93 | The Phoenix Pavilion conceived by Kakuzo Okakura

Kakuzo (Tenshin) Okakura with support from architect Masamichi Kuru designed the Phoenix Pavilion and selected its contents. The goal was to showcase for the first time in America the greatest achievements of Japan’s artistic heritage.

The Phoenix Pavilion was modeled after a noted building called the Hōōdō, or Phoenix Hall, located in Uji, near Kyoto. Built in 1052, the Hōōdō is recognized as one of the most important examples of classical Japanese architecture, and remains a symbol of Japan today.

The Phoenix Pavilion consisted of a central hall with two identical smaller structures situated on each side that were connected by a roofed pergola. The arrangement of the buildings was intended to represent the head and body, and flanking wings, of the Phoenix.

The interior of each building was elaborately decorated to display the distinct style of a significant period of Japanese art and architecture.

Kakuzo, also known as Tenshin Okakura, was a scholar and art critic who defended traditional forms, customs and beliefs. Outside Japan, he is chiefly renowned for The Book of Tea: A Japanese Harmony of Art, Culture, and the Simple Life (1906).