(1) Umeda Ventilation Tower (photo panel).
Designed by Murano Togo (1963)
Location: 2-16 Sonezaki, Kita-ku, Osaka
(2) Chair. Created by Murano Togo (1943).
Owned by the Murano Family/MURANO Design
In addition to architectural works, Murano designed many pieces of furniture. He made this chair during wartime when his business was slow. He worked with a local cabinetmaker, and together they painstakingly carved the wood and paid attention to every detail. The elegantly curved form and low seat are also characteristic of the chairs he designed in later years.
(3) Screens installed in Shinsaibashi Printemps (1956).
Owned by Kyoto Institute of Technology Museum and Archives
Shinsaibashi Printemps was a café on Shinsaibashi-suji Street in Osaka City. Murano Togo designed the building of the café as well as its chairs, tables and screens. While the building is long gone, these screens, made of metal and rattan, allow us to imagine how the café looked.
(4) Old Wing of Shima Kanko Hotel The Classic.
Lamp stand (1951 or later).
Owned by Shima Kanko Hotel (Kintetsu Hotel Systems, Inc.)
Murano Togo was involved in a number of hotel construction projects, including repeated renovations of Shima Kanko Hotel in Kashikojima, Mie Prefecture after its completion in 1951. With its rattan shade and rounded appearance, this lamp stand reflects Murano’s taste.
(5) The Textile Exporters' House. Umbrella stand (1960).
Owned by The Textile Exporters' House.
Yushutsu Sen’i Kaikan is a building located in Bingo-machi in Osaka’s Senba district. It is one of the best-known architectural works of Murano Togo, who worked on the detailed design of the building and its interior elements, including this umbrella stand. Though this stand has an almost futuristic appearance, its sophisticated design blends harmoniously with the warm wooden structure of the building.
The ventilation tower of the Umeda underground street is one of the best-known works of Murano Togo. Its variably curved surface covered with stainless steel plates makes the tower look like a living being. The gentle curves and hand-finished details can be seen in many of Murano’s other architectural works.