TOTO LTD. (Headquartered in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture; President: Shinya Tamura) is proud to announce that TOTO GALLERY・MA (Minato-ku, Tokyo), which it operates as part of its social contribution activities, will celebrate its 40th anniversary in October 2025.
TOTO GALLERY・MA was established in 1985 with the purpose of contributing to society by fostering and nurturing architectural culture. The gallery has planned and hosted 179 solo exhibitions (as of April 2025) featuring a wide range of Japanese and international architects and designers, from up-and-coming talents to world-renowned figures.
Through its exhibitions, the gallery offers impactful spatial experiences that encapsulate the ideas and values of the exhibitors. In related events such as lectures, it has deepened the understanding of architecture by providing a platform for exhibitors to directly share their philosophies and values in their own words. Furthermore, the gallery globally promotes activities that nurture the next generation, offering various programs that create opportunities for interaction with the exhibitors.
TOTO Group aims to be a company trusted by people around the world by contributing to the development of society through its business activities. We will continue to engage in architectural and cultural activities on a global scale to help realize a sustainable society.
TOTO GALLERY・MA: Activities and Key Achievements
Established in Nogizaka, Tokyo, in 1985, TOTO GALLERY・MA is a gallery specializing in architecture. For 40 years, it has held three free exhibitions and lectures annually, primarily focusing on solo shows by architects. By entrusting the exhibition concept and spatial design to the exhibiting architects, the gallery creates diverse expressions of architectural value and unique spatial experiences. Through these activities, it deepens the understanding of architecture and promotes its cultural importance to society.
Total Exhibitions Held: 179
Total Lectures Held: 313 (including overseas events)
Total Number of Participants: 1.58 million
TOTO's Architectural Culture Activities
TOTO operates the architecture-focused TOTO GALLERY・MA and TOTO Publishing, which publishes books on architecture. These initiatives were founded to contribute to society by fostering and nurturing architectural culture. Together, TOTO GALLERY・MA and TOTO Publishing communicate the cultural value of architecture to society through exhibitions that give spatial form to the diverse values of architects and designers, lectures that convey their words, and publications that share their theories and philosophies.
TOTO GALLERY・MA (1985-Present)
To mark its 30th anniversary in 2015, TOTO GALLERY・MA established new themes of "nurturing the next generation" and "global." Since then, it has focused its activities on these two key themes.
Nurturing the Next Generation Initiatives (2015–Present)
As part of its efforts to nurture the next generation, the gallery runs learning programs (gallery talks, workshops, etc.) to convey the fascination and appeal of architecture to a wide audience, from elementary school pupils to university students. It also collaborates with universities across Japan to hold lectures with the exhibit.
Exhibition “How is Life?” Workshop of Kayabuki (2022)
Global Initiatives (2015–Present)
In partnership with TOTO Group's overseas bases, the gallery holds exhibitions and lectures in countries and regions around the world. These events are held with a special focus on various locations in Asia, where there is strong interest in advanced Japanese architecture, attracting many students and professionals each year.
Left pic.：SANAA lecture in Thailand (2024)Right pic.：Yoshiharu Tsukamoto lecture in Vietnam (2023)
History and Major Awards
1984: The TOTO Design Advisory Committee (DAC) is established. Members: Tadao Ando, Motomi Kawaka mi, Masayuki Kurokawa, Takashi Sugimoto, and Ikko Tanaka
1985: At the suggestion of the DAC, GALLERY・MA is established in Nogizaka, Tokyo The GALLERY・MA Management Committee is formed (the five DAC members become the GALLERY・MA Management Committee members).In October, the first exhibition, "The Architecture of Frank O. Gehry," is held.
1989: Receives the Corporate Cultural Design Award from the Japan Inter-Design Forum.
1995: Begins publishing exhibition-related books in collaboration with TOTO Publishing. Holds the 10th-anniversary exhibition, "The 53 Origins."
1997: Receives the Special Prize at the Mainichi Design Awards.
2000: Begins holding traveling exhibitions co-hosted with universities and other institutions across Japan.
2002: Receives the Information Transmission Award at the Mécénat Awards 2002. Holds the 100th exhibition, "Architecture of Tomorrow."
2004: Begins holding overseas lectures in collaboration with TOTO Group's overseas bases..
2005: Holds the 20th-anniversary exhibition, "Japanese Contemporary Houses 1985-2005."
2013: Then-Representative Nobuyuki Endo receives the Architectural Institute of Japan Prize.
2015: Renamed "TOTO GALLERY・MA." Establishes new themes: "Nurturing the Next Generation” and "Global." Holds the 30th-anniversary exhibition, "The Asian Everyday: Possibilities in the Shifting World."
2018: Begins holding traveling exhibitions at the TOTO Museum (Kitakyushu, Fukuoka).
2022: Launches "Student Monday," which utilizes closure days for extracurricular school activities.
2025: Will celebrate its 40th anniversary.
A Framework for Maintaining Impartiality
To ensure social impartiality, the planning of exhibitions is deliberated and decided by the TOTO GALLERY・MA Management Committee.
Special Advisor: Tadao Ando (Architect, Tadao Ando Architect & Associates)
Committee Members:
- Momoyo Kaijima (Architect, Professor at ETH Zurich, Atelier Bow-Wow)
- Akihisa Hirata (Architect, Professor at Kyoto University, Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office)
- Seng Kuan (Architectural Historian, Lecturer at the Harvard GSD)
- Tsuyoshi Tane (Architect, ATTA)
Message from Special Advisor Tadao Ando
Congratulations to TOTO GALLERY・MA on its 40th anniversary. You have worked diligently to share the culture of architecture with the world. I hope you will continue to be a place that pioneers the future of architecture and design, always with an eye on the new era ahead.
Tadao Ando
April 16, 2025
TOTO GALLERY・MA 40th Anniversary Commemorative Events
TOTO GALLERY・MA will hold a series of special exhibitions to commemorate its 40th anniversary.
Commemora tive Event 1: "Kazuo Shinohara: Inscribe Eternity in Space
—A centennial exhibition with 100 questions
Dates: Thursday, April 17 – Sunday, June 22, 2025
Commemorative Event 2: Emerging Architecture, Own Ways
Dates: Thursday, July 24 – Sunday, October 19, 2025
Commemorative Event 3: "(Tentative Title) Marina Tabassum Exhibition"
Dates: Friday, November 21, 2025 – Sunday, February 15, 2026
Facility Overview
Name: TOTO GALLERY・MA
Location: TOTO Nogizaka Building 3F, 2-24-3
Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Exhibition Space: 240m2（GALLERY1,GALLERY2, Courtyard）
Hours： 11:00 - 18:00
Closed: Mondays, National Holidays, Summer Holidays, New Year Holidays, and during exhibition changeovers
TOTO GALLERY・MAExterior of the building
TOTO Publishing (1989–Present)
Established in 1989, TOTO Publishing produces books that explore architecture, design, and lifestyle culture from a unique perspective. Since 1995, it has collaborated with TOTO GALLERY・MA to issue exhibition-related books. It celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2024. To date, it has published 195 books of works by architects, including exhibition-related titles. Many books are bilingual in Japanese and English and are distributed internationally.
Total Titles Published: 405
Total Copies Published: 3.06 million
Distribution: 31 countries and regions
