Daisaku Cho 長 大作 was born in the former Manchuria on September 16th, 1921, as the eldest of six siblings. After graduating from Kaisei Junior High School in Tokyo, he was accepted into the Faculty of Economics at Waseda University, but his father opposed his decision, saying, "If you're going to such a boring place, go to the military academy instead," so he re-applied for art school. The following year, he entered the Department of Architecture at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts). He was an artistic family, with three of his six siblings also studying at the same art school and his father was a doctor.

He then joined the design department of a construction company, but was encouraged by a senior at school to join the Sakakura Junzo Architectural Institute. Sakakura Junzo studied under the famous architect Le Corbusier and worked in Paris, where he was in charge of the Japan Pavilion at the Paris World's Fair and won the Grand Prix in the architecture category. He then returned to Japan and opened the Sakakura Junzo Architectural Institute in 1940. After joining the institute, Cho's main work was overwhelmingly furniture design.

He designed the chairs and tables for the International House of Japan (the architecture was jointly designed by Kunio Maekawa, Junzo Sakakura, and Junzo Yoshimura), which was established in 1952 with the aim of international exchange and intellectual cooperation. He was also involved in the chairs and tables for the Tea Lounge of the International House of Japan, which reopened in 2006 after being retrofitted with earthquake-resistant structures. Cho has been working with this famous building for over 50 years.

In 1957, he was involved in the architecture and furniture design of the Fujiyama Aiichiro residence, and in 1958 he was in charge of the architecture and furniture design of the residence of his predecessor, Matsumoto Koshiro. It was at this time that his masterpiece (the Low Seat Chair) was born. It is well known that the prototype for this was the Bamboo Basket Low Seat Chair designed by Junzo Sakakura. It is characterized by a relatively large surface area to prevent damage to Japanese tatami mats. It can be seen placed on the verandas of inns and old houses. It is a beautiful chair that exudes emotion. Naga redesigned the back and seat to a fabric-covered structure made of quadratic curved plywood, and the masterpiece Low Seat Chair was born. Further improvements were made thereafter, and the Low Seat Chair was exhibited at the 12th Milan Triennale in 1960.

Regarding design, Cho wrote, "My designs are always in development, and there is no such thing as a completely finished product. In particular, when it comes to chairs, I pursue comfort and make repeated improvements." It is speculated that Cho was influenced by his surroundings, such as Junzo Sakakura and the wife of Koshiro Matsumoto, which deepened his more modern way of thinking.

Through this work, he was in charge of the architecture and design of "Terrace Ray" and "Karuizawa Mountain Villa", and it seems that he still maintains a close relationship with the Matsumoto Koshiro family. In particular, Mrs. Masako is said to be a great benefactor to Mr. Naga, who said, "Masako was one of the people who had a great influence on my subsequent work, and I consider her my greatest benefactor, second only to Professor Junzo Sakakura. She provided me with a lot of support, both professionally and financially. Masako had a great aesthetic sense and was very critical of design."

In 1960, Sakakura Junzo Architectural Institute was in charge of the Japanese section of the 12th Milan Triennale. Kitamura Shuichi was in charge of the venue layout, and Cho was in charge of the furniture design, and the two won the Gold Award. This was a remarkable achievement, as they had won the Gold Award at the previous 11th Triennale for Watanabe Riki's Trii Stool.

He wrote about that time, "I stayed in Milan for half a year until the withdrawal. However, unlike now, it was a time when people could not travel abroad freely, so during my stay I was able to travel here and there and visit architectural works, which were very valuable experiences. At that time, there was no high-quality, well-designed furniture in Japan, and imported products were rare and expensive, so it was common for architects who designed buildings to also design all the furniture inside."

Junzō Sakakura was born in 1901, in the small rural world of Gifu Prefecture, Japan. His early life was rooted in simplicity — tatami floors, wooden structures, the everyday intimacy of Japanese homes. That sensibility never left him, even as he grew into one of the great voices of modern architecture.

At first, he studied art history at Tokyo Imperial University, fascinated not so much by the structures themselves as by the stories and aesthetics behind them. But the pull of design was too strong. In 1929, he made the bold move to Paris, where fate — and a few connections — carried him to the atelier of Le Corbusier. In Paris, Sakakura entered a world of rigorous geometry, reinforced concrete, and radical visions for the future. He worked his way up in the studio until he became Le Corbusier’s chief assistant. The experience changed him profoundly. Here was a Japanese man, steeped in the traditions of wood and tatami, immersed in the epicenter of European modernism. He didn’t abandon one for the other; instead, he began to imagine how both could coexist.

His breakthrough came in 1937, when he was asked to design the Japanese Pavilion for the Paris International Exposition. The result was striking: a clean, modern structure lifted above the ground, filled with light, circulation, and rational form — yet quietly carrying the harmony and restraint of Japanese tradition. It won the exposition’s Grand Prix and marked Sakakura as a bridge between worlds. After the war, Japan was in ruins, and Sakakura returned home determined to help rebuild. He opened his own office and quickly became known for public works that combined functionality with elegance. One of his most beloved projects was the Museum of Modern Art in Kamakura (1951), a serene place where modernist concrete frames blend with surrounding gardens and ponds.

He collaborated with fellow Japanese modernists like Kunio Maekawa and Junzō Yoshimura on the International House of Japan in Tokyo, and he was entrusted with executing Le Corbusier’s design for the National Museum of Western Art (1959). He also shaped the public life of a rapidly urbanizing Tokyo with station plazas, department stores, and civic halls. Through it all, Sakakura held fast to a principle: design should serve people. Buildings, yes — but also the smaller things, the objects that people touched every day.

Sakakura never separated architecture from interiors. To him, a room was incomplete without furniture that fit its proportions, materials, and spirit. This belief led him to design a range of chairs and tables, often in collaboration with Tendō Mokko, a Japanese manufacturer specializing in molded plywood. One of his earliest forays into furniture came in 1950, when he entered the Museum of Modern Art’s international competition for low-cost furniture in New York. His “Bamboo Chair” won an honorable mention. The design was clever and economical — a simple seat born of modest materials — reflecting both the resourcefulness of postwar Japan and his own drive to create for everyday life.

He continued refining his ideas through the 1950s and 60s. Among his most admired works is the Lounge Chair, Model 5016 (1957), produced by Tendō Mokko. With its gently curved plywood frame, upholstered seat, and low, inviting stance, the chair balances comfort with understated elegance. It became a quiet classic of Japanese modern furniture.
Sakakura also designed the Teiza Chair, unveiled at the 1960 Milan Triennale. Low to the ground, with a sled-style base and molded plywood frame, it translated traditional Japanese floor-sitting customs into a modern form. This was Sakakura at his most insightful — merging cultural heritage with global modernism.
Other pieces, such as the 3222 side chair from the mid-1950s, show his focus on functionality, clean lines, and materials that could be adapted for mass production in a recovering economy. Each design carried the same philosophy: simplicity, human comfort, and a quiet dialogue between past and future.

Sakakura’s life was not only about monumental buildings or iconic pavilions. It was about balance — between East and West, tradition and modernity, architecture and furniture. He saw no hierarchy between a museum and a chair; both shaped human experience, both deserved thought and care. He died in Tokyo in 1969, but his legacy continues to ripple through Japanese design. His buildings remain landmarks of postwar modernism, and his furniture has gained new appreciation among collectors and design enthusiasts worldwide. When you sit in one of his chairs — low, simple, comfortable — you can feel the same principles that guided his architecture: clarity, restraint, and a deep respect for human life. Sakakura believed design should make living better, whether through the walls of a museum or the curve of a seat. In that belief, he built not just structures, but a philosophy that still resonates today.