history

Since the black ships first arrived in Japan, foreigners have been fascinated with the elegance and sensuality of Japan’s bathing rituals in what was otherwise an austere country with ascetic practices. Nothing exemplifies this better than bathing in a hinoki-buro, a wooden bathtub made of Japanese cypress. The passion of Italian (and Japan-licensed) architect Iacopo Torrini for spreading the gospel about hinoki-buro and preserving the integrity of Japanese craftsmanship has coincided with a boom in the West for health-related products and in Japan for restoring traditional Japanese structures such as kominka and machiya. Below is a summary of our interview with Iacopo. Preserving Architectural Heritage Soon after arriving in Japan …