From his unique concept of architectural space, to the harmonious relationships he created between his buildings and their natural surroundings, the influence of Japanese aesthetics on Wright’s design vision was profound.

In February of 1905, Wright made his first journey to Japan. During his trip, Wright experienced firsthand the architecture of local temples, shrines, gardens and residences. He documented these buildings and landscapes in an extensive photographic record of his time in the country. The photographs are the only existing images of Wright’s trip.

In the traditional Japanese architecture and landscapes he witnessed, Wright found confirmation of the organic principles of design that he pioneered in his Chicago Prairie buildings which became monuments of a new democratic architecture and great landmarks of American modernism.