Japan National Pavilion, “International Exhibition of Decorative Arts”, Paris, 1925.

From the wiki: “The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts was a World’s fair held in Paris, France, from April to October 1925. It was designed by the French government to highlight the new style moderne of architecture, interior decoration, furniture, glass, jewelry and other decorative arts in Europe and throughout the world. Many ideas of the international avant-garde in the fields of architecture and applied arts were presented for the first time at the Exposition.

“The event took place between the esplanade of Les Invalides and the entrances of the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, and on both banks of the Seine. There were 15,000 exhibitors from twenty different countries; and it was visited by sixteen million people during its seven-month run.

“Many countries had exhibits of furniture and decoration within the Grand Palais, and also built pavilions to illustrate new ideas in architecture. Britain, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands all had substantial pavilions, as did the Scandinavian countries, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Japan had an important pavilion, while China had only a modest representation.

“Japan’s pavilion, designed by Shichigoro Yamada and Iwakichi Miyamoto, was built in the classical Japanese tradition, but with the use of both traditional materials, such as straw and varnished wood, combined with highly refined lacquered decoration. It was first built in Japan, transported to France and then reassembled on-site by Japanese workers.

“Some twenty countries participated in the Exhibit. Germany was not invited because of its role in World War I, but Austria and Hungary were invited, as was the new Soviet Union, though it was not yet officially recognized by France. The United States, not entirely understanding the purpose of the exhibit, chose not to participate.”