What Atelier Bow-Wow does

Atelier Bow-Wow (有限会社アトリエ・ワン / Atelier Bow-Wow LLC) is a Tokyo-based architectural design practice founded in 1992 by Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kaijima. The firm operates from its headquarters at 8-79 Suga-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, with a core team of approximately 6 people supplemented by a paid internship pipeline (recruiting 2026). Its primary business is architectural design services spanning residential, commercial, cultural, and public/institutional projects, with at least 42 documented residential works (catalogued in the 2012 'House Genealogy' monograph) and an international exhibition record including the Venice Biennale (multiple years including 2018, when co-founder Momoyo Kaijima curated the Japan Pavilion), MAXXI Rome, MOMAT Tokyo, and venues across Europe, North America, and East Asia. The firm generates visibility through 20+ authored publications (Rizzoli, TOTO Publishing, INAX, LIXIL, Shinkenchiku-sha, Gakugei Shuppansha) and design awards (Good Design Awards 2007 and 2013, Tokyo Architects Association Gold Award 1999, American Wood Design Awards Merit 2002).

The firm's secondary commercial product is SuperHT3 (Super Hitachi Terminology Transformation Tool), a software package developed around 2003 that uses digital glossaries to enforce terminology consistency in Japanese and English technical documents and translations. The technology, originally developed at Hitachi International Business (HBI) by Ryota Kaijima, is protected by patents in Japan (No. 2,987,099), the United States (No. 6,047,299), and Canada (No. 2,200,928), and employs the proprietary 'かのに原理' (crab principle) dictionary methodology for proactive 'jumping-in dictionary' search. SuperHT3 is sold as a one-time ¥38,000 per-PC perpetual license (with site licenses available for enterprise use) and is distributed via direct download from bow-wow.jp. The software requires Microsoft Word/Excel (97–2003 Japanese versions) and Internet Explorer, and is complemented by 29 downloadable glossary databases covering fields from Intel terminology (451 terms) to Nomura Securities terminology (1,427 terms) and JIS industrial standards (~118,000 terms).

Atelier Bow-Wow monetizes through two distinct streams: (1) professional services fees for architectural design (pricing not publicly disclosed), and (2) per-PC perpetual software licensing plus custom dictionary creation services for SuperHT3. The customer base spans residential and institutional architecture clients on the design side, and translators, technical writers, standards bodies (JSA), and translation federations (JTF) on the software side. The firm is privately held and founder-managed with no disclosed external investment; both co-founders simultaneously hold full professorships (Tsukamoto at Tokyo Institute of Technology since 2017, Kaijima at ETH Zurich since 2017), with Yoichi Tamai as partner since 2015.

Name

Atelier Bow-Wow

Legal name

有限会社アトリエ・ワン (Atelier Bow-Wow LLC)

Website

https://bow-wow.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Atelier Bow-Wow is a Tokyo-based, founder-led architectural design practice founded in 1992 by Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kaijima, specializing in residential, commercial, cultural, and public architecture, and additionally developing and licensing SuperHT3, a patented Japanese/English terminology-standardization software for translators and technical writers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Atelier Bow-Wow generates revenue through architectural design projects including new buildings, renovations, interiors, and unbuilt works. Projects span residential, commercial, cultural, and public/institutional facilities.
2. Software Licensing (SuperHT3): SuperHT3 is sold as a one-time per-PC license at ¥38,000 per computer (excluding consumption tax). Site licenses are available for corporate and group use. The company also offers dictionary creation services for SuperHT3.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Atelier Bow-Wow is a Tokyo-based architectural design firm offering design services for residential, commercial, cultural, and public buildings, as well as interiors, renovations, and urban design. The firm also develops and markets SuperHT3, a terminology transformation software tool that helps translators and technical writers achieve 100% utilization of glossary terms in Japanese and English technical documents through Microsoft Word and Excel integration.

Product overview

Atelier Bow-Wow operates primarily as an architecture firm founded by Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kaijima in Tokyo in 1992. The company's main commercial software product is SuperHT3 (Super Hitachi Terminology Transformation Tool), a terminology management and standardization software for technical documentation and translation. SuperHT3 works as a plugin/integration with Microsoft Word and Excel, allowing users to check and standardize terminology against digital glossaries. The company also offers compatible terminology databases and maintains an architecture practice with numerous built works, publications, and international exhibitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SuperHT3: Super Hitachi Terminology Transformation Tool - a software package for terminology standardization in technical documents and translations
• SuperHT3 Division

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Design services for new buildings, renovations, interiors, and urban spaces, spanning residential, commercial, cultural, and public/institutional facilities, applying the firm's Behaviorology methodology.
• SuperHT3 (Super Hitachi Terminology Transformation Tool) A software package that uses digital glossaries (dictionaries) to standardize terminology in Japanese and English technical documents and translations. Helps translators and technical writers achieve 100% utilization of glossary terms with visual color-coded proofreading.
• SuperHT3 JIS Industrial Glossary CD-ROM CD-ROM containing approximately 118,000 JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) terms with illustrations and diagrams, integrated with SuperHT3 for terminology standardization.

Quantifiable outcome

• SuperHT3 enables 100% utilization of glossary terms in document preparation and translation

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HBI (Hitachi International Business)coreTechnology or IntegrationHBI (Hitachi International Business) is the original developer of the HT3 terminology transformation technology. Ryota Kaijima developed SuperHT3 while employed at HBI. Atelier Bow-Wow currently develops and markets SuperHT3, implying a licensing or transfer arrangement for the technology.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SANAA: Tokyo-based architecture firm founded by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, combining active practice with academic leadership (Yale, Yokohama National University). Operates with small teams on cultural and public commissions globally — directly comparable to Atelier Bow-Wow's hybrid academic-practice model and museum-led portfolio.
• Sou Fujimoto Architects: Tokyo-based architecture firm with strong international exhibition presence (Venice Biennale, Milan) and projects spanning residential, cultural, and public sectors. Comparable to Atelier Bow-Wow in founder-led creative model, small-team practice, and biennale-driven global visibility.
• Kengo Kuma & Associates: Tokyo-based architecture firm with global recognition for material-driven cultural and public projects. Comparable to Atelier Bow-Wow in international exhibition presence, museum commissions, and Japanese design authority within the global architecture community.
• MAD Architects: Beijing-based architecture firm led by Ma Yansong with international exhibition presence and a portfolio of cultural and public projects. Comparable to Atelier Bow-Wow as an Asian architecture firm building global brand recognition through biennales, publications, and signature cultural commissions.
• Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects: Tokyo-based architecture firm led by Pritzker Prize-winning founder with a global portfolio of cultural, public, and residential projects. Closely comparable to Atelier Bow-Wow in Japanese design leadership, academic affiliations, and consistent international exhibition track record.

Broad incumbents

• OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture): Rem Koolhaas-founded international architecture practice with a strong academic-practice hybrid (Harvard GSD, TU Delft). Comparable to Atelier Bow-Wow in founder-led creative model and academic-practice positioning, but operates at vastly larger scale and global footprint.
• Tadao Ando Architect & Associates: Osaka-based architectural practice led by Pritzker Prize-winning founder Tadao Ando, with a large global portfolio of museums, churches, and residences. Comparable to Atelier Bow-Wow as a Japanese architect-led firm with international exhibitions, but operates at a materially larger scale.
• RWS Group (formerly SDL): UK-headquartered language services and translation technology company (Trados, etc.) competing in the same terminology standardization space as SuperHT3. Comparable for the SuperHT3 software line, though RWS operates at vastly larger scale and across a much broader CAT-tool portfolio.
• Herzog & de Meuron: Swiss architecture firm with a founder-led creative model and global portfolio of cultural and public projects (Tate Modern, Elbphilharmonie, etc.). Comparable to Atelier Bow-Wow in design prestige and museum commissions, though at a much larger scale and with deeper institutional ownership.

Emerging players

• memoQ: Translation management system provider with terminology management and QA features. Comparable to SuperHT3 for the terminology standardization use case, though memoQ is a broader CAT-tool platform rather than a dedicated glossary-checking tool.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atelier-bow-wow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atelier Bow-Wow