The Imperial Suite Room on the 41st floor of the Main Tower at Keio Plaza Hotel was designed entirely by Isamu Kenmochi, a pioneer of Japanese interior design. The suite retains the atmosphere of the hotel’s early days, and features furniture and furnishings produced by Kenmochi himself, as well as artwork from a number of renowned artists.
One of the first things guests notice in the spacious living room is the six-panel folding screen, “Yayoi Byobu,” by the great Japanese-style painter Matazo Kayama. Kenmochi believed that “the pinnacle of Japanese decorative art is the painted sliding doors and folding screens of the Momoyama period, and that they are world-class art.” With this in mind, he commissioned Kayama, who was a rising star at the time, to create an original piece for the suite.
Other featured artworks include Kiichi Sumikawa’s wooden sculpture “Peacock,” Isamu Noguchi’s “AKARI” paper lamps, Toko Shinoda’s sumi ink painting “Bokuso-ga,” ceramic pipe sculpture “Pipe” by Yusuke Aida, bronze sculpture “Sigi” by Tsuneichi Yamamoto, and an abstract painting by Ryoichi Shigeta in the bedroom. These pieces represent a variety of art genres from post-war Japan, and were carefully selected to be key elements of the suite’s interior design.
The Imperial Suite Room is a luxurious space that showcases the finest “Japanese Modern” style, a harmonious blend of traditional Japanese and Western design elements. It is truly a special space that tells the story of the hotel’s history.
