One of the greatest and most influential architects of Japan's postwar generation, Shinohara Kazuo (1925-2006) has remained virtually unknown outside the small community of devoted followers. As one of the leaders of architectural movement Metabolism, Shinohara achieved cult-figure stature with sublimely beautiful, purist houses that break away from Japan's postwar suburban architecture. Perhaps the most iconic of Shinohara's works, House of White (1964-66), rearranges a familiar design palette--a square plan, a pointed roof, white walls, and a symbolic heart pillar--to give the almost...