He was born in Nagano prefecture in 1946. He completed a doctoral course at the University of Tokyo. Currently, he is a director of EDO-TOKYO MUSEUM in Tokyo, professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo, and specially appointed professor of Kogakuin University. He authored numerous publications related to modern architecture, the city planning and the street observation such as Meiji no Tokyo Keikaku (Meiji Plans for Tokyo) (Iwanami Shoten, Mainichi Publication Culture Award), Kenchiku Tantei no Boken: Tokyo Hen (Adventures of an Architectural Detective: Tokyo) (Chikuma Shobo, Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities), Nihon no Kindai Kenchiku the first / the second volume (The Architecture of Modern Japan) (Iwanami Shoten), Jinrui To Kenchiku No Rekishi (The History of Human and Architecture) (Chikuma Shobo), Kenzo Tange (Shinkenchiku-sha).

As his architectural works, he designed and supervised the Student Dormitory for Kumamoto Agricultural College (AIJ Prize of Architectural Design Division), Kusayane (grass roof) of Omihachiman LA COLLINA, Mosaic Tile Museum Tajimi, and more. Recently, he produces freestyle tea houses overseas.

As his architectural exhibitions, he worked on Venice Biennale Architecture 2006, “Terunobu Fujimori. Architect Works” (Museum Villa Stuck in Munich) (2012), Terunobu Fujimori: “Architecture with Nature and ‘ROJO’ ” (Art Tower Mito / Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art) (2017)