Noritsugu Oda, who received the first Wegner Prize for his collection of 140 chairs by Danish designer Hans Wegner, says he regards it as his "mission" to collect and pass on such historically valuable artifacts.

"My sole purpose was simply to hand down remarkable goods to the next generation," the 68-year-old said after winning the award in April, created by the Danish town of Tonder, Wegner's birthplace, and a local museum to commemorate the centenary of his birth in 1914.

Oda, now professor emeritus at Tokai University, was commended for having organized exhibitions of his Wegner collections in Japan and abroad and also publishing books about the masterpieces.