Isamu NOGUCHI

1904-1988 Born in Los Angeles, USA

Born in the United States to a Japanese father and an American mother, Noguchi spent his boyhood in Japan before moving to the US, where he sought to become a sculptor. He worked extensively in stage and interior design and was actively involved in public projects. This work is a model for a cenotaph in Peace Memorial Park, one of his unrealized public projects. While its motif is a house-shaped haniwa (ancient Japanese clay funerary object), only a small portion appears above ground. In the plan, the list of victims’ names would be housed in the underground section directly below the monument, supported by pillars extending deep into the ground, with a space for bereaved families to meditate.