Architect Kisho Kurokawa was born on April 8, 1934, in Aichi Prefecture. After graduating from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University in 1957, he went on to study at the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, where he studied under Uzo Nishiyama and Kenzo Tange. While still a student, he founded Kisho Kurokawa & Associates. In 1959, he proposed "Metabolism," a theory of urban and architectural growth that organically adapts to social change and population growth. His representative works include the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building (1972), the world's first capsule hotel, the pavilion at the Osaka Expo, and the National Art Center, Tokyo (2006). He received the Mainichi Art Prize in 1978, the French Order of Arts and Letters in 1989, and the Person of Cultural Merit in 2006. He began his political career in 2007, running for Tokyo governor and the House of Councillors in the same year. Although he lost both elections, his increased media exposure drew attention. However, he died at the age of 73, just two months after running in the House of Councillors election.