It was designed by Joji Wago, an eminent artist, who also designed the Ohtani home and office. Symbolically, it represents the motif of metamorphosis, a fitting theme for the inevitability of life, mortality and immortality. Mrs. Ohtani explained this symbol as the philosophical attitude which the family shared and in which they have continued to find consolation for the evanescence of life. Two magnificent murals donated in Dr. Ohtani's memory were designed by Honolulu artist Leighton Lam and decorate the delivery rooms of Queen's Hospital. Acrylic pastels of variegated hues of lavender, pink, blue and mauve are superimposed on plywood and plexiglas.
Pine trees suggest the serenity of the East and the subtle colors convey meditation and reflection.
Dr. Ohtani is survived by his brother, practicing physician Dr. Roy Ryokichi Ohtani and by two sisters. Helen Yukiko is married to an eminent Honolulu Dermatologist, Dr. Dan Palmer. Dorothy Takahashi lives in Honolulu.