This article forms part of the Decorative and Applied Arts Encyclopedia, a master reference hub providing a structured overview of design history, materials, movements, and practitioners.
Jiro Kosugi (1915–1981) was a Japanese industrial designer who graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts with a degree in industrial arts before starting work at the Industrial Arts Institute (IAI) in 1944.
Biography
After WWII, he worked as an independent designer, designing a series of three-wheeled trucks for the Toyo Kogyo Company (now Mazda) in Hiroshima, which he worked on from 1948 until 1960. These designs were trendy since they were both practical and reasonably inexpensive to purchase.
Kosugi was a founding member of the pioneering Japan Industrial Designers Association (JIDA) in 1952. His prototype design for the Janome Sewing Machine Company in Tokyo won a special award in the Mainichi Design Prize competition the following year.
Sources
Woodham, J. M. (2006). A dictionary of modern design. Oxford University Press.
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