a toilet to match your kimono

Well, I am not talking about the interior design of your powder room: I am actually meaning the actual sanitary equipment.
That is the link between a toilet and a kimono?

Mr. Yoshio Jogan, the director of the Kyoto Design Factory is turning state of the art Japanese automatic toilets into works of art.
Jogan-sensei started actually a kimono designer. Traditionally the production of kimonos is carried out with the coperation between several highly specialized craftsmen. The product takes shape as it is passed on from the binder to the dyer, to the weaver and then to the block printer and/or designer.
Jogan Sensei was involved in block printing and design of the kimonos and he shaped his culture and sensibility thru years of apprenticeship. In the world of Japanese crafts, you first need to become a master of the ancient shapes. You need to let go your individuality and absorb the basic of the traditional imagery and sense of composition. Only after tens of years and after you become a perfect copier you are allowed to start breaking the rules.
And this is what Jogan sensei did. But as his design retains a very traditional (and extremely delicate) touch, his revolutionary step is more structural than formal.
In order to save the declining kimono culture he decided to make a pact with the devil. He threw away the wood blocks for stamping the kimono outline pattern and started to use intensively the computer and ink jet printing.
A part for optimizing time, cost and energies, his revolution enabled him to bring the kimono culture outside of the clothing world.

Jogan sensei designs “wa-gara” (japanese style patterns) for the fashion industry, for hotel doors, for cynerary urns, for coloring books, for letter paper, for i phone covers and recently also for toilets!

Bartok design is now collaborating with Jogan-sensei to develop a line of japanese style toilets to the exported worldwide.

If you give a A+ to your japanese soaking tub equipped bathroom but your toilet only deserves a B-, it may be the right timing to consider purchasing a wa-gara automatic toilet with custom design.


Prices (excluding transportation) range from 5500 USD for a Urethane coated toilet and 7700 USD for a natural japanese lacquer coated toilet with gold foil inner cladding. In both cases with a Jogan-sensei design composed or chosen and adapted just for you.


The toilets are tank-less and feature the wash-let (automatic bidet) technology.

Please inquire for more information at: japan@bartokdesign.com