Kyoto round fans, elegant touch of freshness
Kyoto round fans, called Kyo-uchiwa or miyako-uchiwa, enjoy great popularity for their fine and elegant appearance. With sophisticated designs incorporating different craft techniques like openwork or woodblock printing to enhance decorative elements, Kyo-uchiwa tends to add a fresh touch of colour to any interior. The ribs and handles of Kyoto round fans are made separately in a style called sashie : about 100 bamboo ribs are arranged radially by hand, and the handle is attached at the end of the process. Every year, Shiomi Dansen carries out the production of more than 200 varieties of fans with traditional designs and handles of all kinds.

Solemn splendor of gold
Gold leaf stamping technique, originally used for decoration of various religious furnishings, fittings and statues in Buddhist temples, consists of gluing gold leaves to the plane or three-dimensional surface with the help of urushi lacquer. Kyoto gold leaf stamping is characterized by a luxurious rich gloss created by the meticulous handwork of high-skilled artisans. Studio’s master craftsman Norifumi Fujisawa is actively engaged not only in Buddhist fittings decoration, but also in numerous fashion and interior design collaborations.

Sozugama is a potter’s studio where craftsmen who have inherited the techniques of Kyoto’s Kiyomizu-yaki and Fukuoka’s Koishiwara-yaki.
The celadon of the Sozugama kiln expresses a deep blue color by kneading pigment into the fabric and applying a glaze.
Adding the Koishiwara-yaki technique of “tobikanna” to the clay, the glaze pools in the grooves of the scraped clay and regular patterns emerge.
In this way, we are exploring a new world of celadon that cannot be found anywhere else.In recent years, we have also focused on developingoverseas sales channels and have incorporated the experience gained overseas into new works of art,including Western-style tableware.
We are also developing a wide range of products, including accessories with a story behind them, which are original to the Sohgama brand.

Nozomu Takagi, a lacquerware master, established this new studio in 2017 after 13 years of training in Kyoto, Japan, to carry on the techniques of Kyoto lacquerware.

Kyo-lacquerware flourished with the introduction of lacquer culture from the ancient capital of Nara to the Heian period in 794.

Having developed along with the tea ceremony, it possesses an inner beauty of wabi( simple elegance) and sabi( refinement).

Discerning tea masters, who were involved in the tea ceremony in various ways, required tea caddies, confectionery containers, trays, and other items to serve matcha tea.

The studio produces tea ceremony utensils and tableware, and also repairs and restores arts and crafts, such as the restoration of the Ofunaboko floats used in the Gion Festival.

Modern Folk Craft ceramics
Kawai studio was founded by Takeichi Kawai, the nephew of Kanjiro Kawai, a prominent potter and key figure of Mingei movement. Pottery created here is both functional and decorative, keeping Mingei philosophy alive. Raised in Kawai family, the actual 3rd-generation Master potter Akiteru Kawai is the heir of the folk craft tradition. Usually, Kyoto pottery is produced by the division of labour, but in order to maintain the uniform style of his works, Akiteru handles all the steps of pottery making himself. Crafting a vast range of pottery from tea bowls to tableware and flower vases, he is passing down the heritage of Japanese folk craft to the future generations.