Born in 1940 in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, Motomi Kawakami graduated with his masters degree from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1966. By 1971, after a stint in Italy at Angelo Mangiarotti Architects Office in Milan, he had founded his company, Kawakami Design Office. A prolific and fêted designer, he is now the visiting professor at his alma mater, as well as the Tama Art University.

According to ancient Japanese tradition, the bathroom is not only a place to wash the body but a space to purify the mind and spirit. The pervasive western trend of showering has in recent years curtailed the practice of bathing as an event, and in order to reverse the tendency Kawakami has redesigned the bath with modern techniques, clad in a beautiful cypress skin.

The bath tub allows you to directly feel and enjoy the benefit of the natural materials. The beauty of a wooden bath, the warmth, textures and touch, is unique to the material. O-bath, while using traditional techniques, utilises new technology, becoming a clean and natural shape without a rolled top hoop. It expresses fresh innovation while remaining rooted in tradition. It is simply, purely Japanese.

http://motomi-kawakami.jp/en/bio.html