Born in 1966 in Iwate, Japan. After graduating from Keio University, Otomo Keishi joined Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) in 1990. In 1997, he went to study in Hollywood to learn script writing and film directing. He returned two years later and directed the highly acclaimed NHK TV series Churasan (2001-2004), Hagetaka (2007), Jiro Shirasu (2009), and Ryomaden (2010), among others, winning various domestic and foreign awards.
In 2009, he made his feature directorial debut with Hagetaka, and Rurouni Kenshin was his second feature film. He left NHK in 2011, and set up his own company, Keishi Otomo Office Inc.
