The Japanese designer Masanori Umeda attended the Kuwasawa Design School in Tokyo until 1962. Between 1967 and 1969, Masanori Umeda was employed in the Milan design practice of Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. From 1970 until 1979, Masanori Umeda was a design consultant for Olivetti, where he met Ettore Sottsass. In 1981 Ettore Sottsass invited Masanori Umeda to participate in the Memphis exhibition that year at the Milan gallery Arc '74. In 1981 Masanori Umeda designed "Tawaraya", his signature seat furniture in the form of a boxing ring, in which the founding members of Memphis had their photograph taken. In 1982 Masanori Umeda also designed the "Ginza" shelving system in the form of a robot for Memphis. Masanori Umeda also designed ceramic objects, including "Orinoco" (1983), a vase, and and the "Parana" bowl (1983). In 1986 Masanori Umeda returned to Japan zurück and opened U-Meta Design, his practice in Tokyo. Masanori Umeda continued to design a great many Postmodern, often poetically playful pieces of furniture, including the blossom-shaped "Getsuen" and "Rose" armchairs (both 1990) for Edra.