Armed with the power of art, the former president of Warehouse Terrada, Yoshihisa Nakano, played a key role in transforming the warehouse district of Tennozu-Isle into a unique and vibrant area where one can feel an atmosphere rich in culture; for his efforts he was awarded the Montblanc International Culture Award in 2018. With a vision of a greater Asia that leaps over all borders and into all regions of the East, Nakano utilized the prize money to establish the Eastern Culture Foundation in August, 2019.

At the awards ceremony, the Director of the Montblanc Cultural Foundation made the following comments:

The dynamic activities of “Warehouse Terrada” suggest the arrival of a new kind of patron of the arts in the modern art scene in Japan. Yoshihisa Nakano, CEO, is not only an art collector himself, but has taken on a role as a kind of savior of both artists and patrons of the arts. This is the first time a corporate executive has received the award in Japan, but now is the time that the spotlight should be shown on an individual whose passion, aesthetics and foresight have born great fruit.