Sacred purity of unfinished wood
The studio is specializing in woodworking, producing furnishings and votive objects for Shinto shrines and religious ceremonies. Ceremonial implements are generally made of unfinished wood without any lacquer coating. Beautiful white-grained hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood is believed to represent the concept of purity so important in Shinto religion. Sometimes artisan even purifies himself and puts on white clothing before starting to work. The impressive array of assembled woodwork planes can tell you a remarkable story of Kyoto traditional wood joint-making and bending techniques.

Lacquer is the sap of the lacquer tree, a precious gift of nature that can only be extracted from a mature tree 10 to 15 years old in the amount of one milk bottle.

We have been purchasing the collected lacquer and refining and blending it.

As time goes by, the refining technology and equipment have progressed, and we have changed from the hand-made Kurome at the beginning of the company to the mechanical refining using a “kurome bachi,” or literally, “blackened bowl.”

Our appreciation for lacquer has remained unchanged since the company’s founding: “Not even a drop of lacquer should be wasted.

We are providing a lacquer that meets the needs of our customers.

Founded in 1919, Yokoyama Chikuzai-ten has been preserving the traditional techniques handed down by “Kyoto’s bamboo craftsmen”.
The company produces traditional bamboo materials such as Kyo-mei-take and sukiya tea ceremony materials, Japanese style building materials, garden materials, and bamboo crafts.
We are a bamboo materials store that also handles work for important cultural properties, shrines and temples.
TAKENOKO also provides hands-on classes in addition to selling bamboo handicrafts.

The supervisor of fine yuzen kimono making

Kyo-tegaki-yuzen dyeing is produced by thoroughly fragmented division of labour and involves up to 15 various processes. Sairin(Tomihiro Senko) is mastering all these sophisticated processes to create high-quality order-made products. The atelier is excelling in a special technique which consists of using a paintbrush instead of a writing brush for the deepest penetration of dyes into the fabric. Sairin(Tomihiro Senko) is an experienced supervisor of all the kimono-making processes and provides fine goods for the Imperial household. Familiar with the traditional patterns and designs, the atelier is also known for the production of elegant miscellaneous Japanese-style textile goods.

Karakami paper that adorns Shinto shrines, Buddist temples and tearooms

Simply put, Kyo-karakami is a type of woodblock print which uses printing blocks hand-carved on magnolia wood with traditional patterns passed down from ancient times. It is produced by a traditional method where coloring materials called kira (mica) and gofun (white pigment) are added to its surface, and the design is copied with the palm of the hand by overlaying it onto washi paper or torinoko (lustrous and smooth paper) one sheet at a time. To this day, Maruni continues to use printing blocks from the Tempo Era (1830-1844) and protects the patterns, coloring materials, tools, and traditions of old.

Elegant patterns created with tie-dyeing technique

Established in the precincts of Kandaijin shrine in 1932, Atelier Morimoto is specializing in tie-dyeing. Through the division of labour, the atelier is consistently carrying out all the stages of dyeing process, from designing patterns to colouring. Dyeing is performed with the technique that consists of tying the parts of the cloth which are not to be coloured before dyeing it in different colours (resist dyeing). The atelier is famous for its high-quality dyed goods such as wedding futons decorated with flower and landscape patterns, which require mastering Kyo-kanoko-shibori technique representing the essence of Kyoto tie-dyeing tradition.