Background
At the end of World War II, he moved to Hiroshima, where he witnessed the atomic bombing of the city, in which he lost his sister and his father, a Buddhist priest.
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Kenji Ekuan
Edit Profile榮久庵 憲司
Education
Later he attended Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (present-day Tokyo University of the Arts).
Career
Born in Tokyo on September 11, 1929, Ekuan spent his youth in Hawaii. He said the devastation motivated him to become a "creator of things". In 1957, he founded GK Industrial Design Laboratory (ＧＫインダストリアルデザイン研究所).
"GK" stood for "Group of Koike", as Koike was the name of an associate professor at the university.
In 1970, he became president of the Japan Industrial Designers" Association and five years later he was elected as president of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. During his lifetime he served as chair of the Japan Institute of Design, dean of Shizuoka University of Art and Culture was and a trustee of the Art Center College of Design.
Ekuan died in the hospital in Tokyo on February 8, 2015, at the age of 85. 1979: Colin King Grand Prix - International Council of Societies of Industrial Design.
Achievements
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1979: Colin King Grand Prix - International Council of Societies of Industrial Design 1995: Sir Misha Black Medal 1997: Ordre des Arts et des Lettres - French Minister of Culture 2000: Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette 2003: Lucky Strike Designer Award - Raymond Loewy Foundation 2004: Commander in the Order of the Lion of Finland 2014: Compasso d"Oro for Lifetime Achievement - Associazione per il Disegno Industriale.
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Born
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Died
February 8, 2015 (aged 85)
Awards
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Compasso d'Oro Order of the Lion of Finland; Compasso d'Oro; Order of the Rising Sun
Compasso d'Oro (Golden Compass) is the name of an Industrial Design award originated in Italy in 1954 by the La Rinascente company from an original idea of Gio Ponti and Alberto Rosselli.Compasso d'Oro (Golden Compass) is the name of an Industrial Design award originated in Italy in 1954 by the La Rinascente company from an original idea of Gio Ponti and Alberto Rosselli.