– Kunpuu – Traditional crafts of Kyoto New Winds

Pop-up at THE COVER NIPPON Tokyo Midtown.

Kyoto Fair

Folding screens and hanging scrolls

Nishijin kinran brocade, pure silk with pearl-powder and silver-foil patterns, folding screen, from ‘The Tale of Genji’, Book VII, Autumn Leaves,

Through the waving, dancing sleeves could you see a heart
So stormy that it wished but to be still?

Translation by Mr. Edward George Seidensticker

Kyoto boasts 1,200 years of history. The city’s streets and buildings, which retain a strong historical and cultural heritage, as well as its beautiful seasonal nature, attract many people from home and abroad.

Although Kyoto is a popular tourist destination, the crafts that have supported its history and culture are also an important part of Kyoto’s culture. Since the transfer of the capital to Kyoto in the Heian period (794-1185), Kyoto’s traditional crafts have become a part of daily life and are well-known as representative of traditional Japanese crafts, against the backdrop of the long historical climate and blessed culture of the city.
Nishijin textiles, Kyo-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki ceramics, Kyo-fan fans, Kyo dolls and many other long-established shops have been in Kyoto since the Edo period (1603-1868), as if to represent Kyoto’s long history.