Corb + Maekawa's Museum in Ueno and Maekawa's own Bunka Kaikan are two monuments of international modernism. While they may not appeal to the untrained eye, they are products of an heroic ethos and embody significant architectural ideas.

If it is gendai wafu (Japanese modern) one is after, in addition to Maekawa's own house on display in the Tatemono En, it is worthwhile to check out the works of several of his contemporaries. Yoshimura Junzo, Yoshida Isoya come first to mind. Some, like Taniguchi Yoshiro (dad), Horiguchi Sutemi, Oe Hiroshi, dabbled more than others in wafu. Maekawa's House was built during the height of the war, and willingly or not bears the stamp of the nationalist fervor of its time.