Known as “the three lost decades”, the Heisei era saw the persistent decline of Japan’s place in the world. Like the series of disasters of the time, including the major earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku, the shift from “scrap and build” to rehabilitation shook the very foundations of Japan’s architectural realm, as architects – despite their activities abroad – no longer had their place against the growing monopoly of the super zenekon (contractor giants). Meanwhile, community architects working on Japanese soil emerged but without truly taking root. It was during this period, therefore, that the concept of “architect”, dating back to the Meiji era, lost its authority, thus diffracting the ideal portrait of the architect.