Kyoto’s Exquisite Arts And Crafts
The variety of arts and crafts available to Kyoto residents, the fruit of generations of artists and ateliers, is truly splendid. Surprisingly, the best place to survey the breathe and width of crafts is a department store, notably one of the larger ones Takashimaya, Daimaru and Fuji Daimaru. The sixth floors are reserved for crafts lacquer ware, metal utensils, ceramics, bamboo and wooden items, kimono and all manner of woven and dyed items. Exhibition halls and galleries are also an integral part of the stores as are the restaurants on the seventh floors, making department stores mammoth reservoirs of social, culinary and cultural activity, in addition to their primary commercial role.
There are numerous craftspeople practicing their art in the city today, most notably kimono and obi sashes, for rarely does a single person design and make one item. Most are collective enterprises that span many ages and skills. The Nishijin district is filled with businesses that import raw silk, begin the process of dyeing it, encase some threads with gold or silver foil for the obi, sell and repair looms, operate spinning machines, specialize in threading looms all leading to the production of clothing and the wholesellers who line Muromachi Street offering magnificent seasonal showings of their products, for kimono and obi are not mass produced each is custom designed and made.
Just saying the word “Nishijin” conjures up resplendent images of elegant wear, but the original meaning of the word denotes the Western campsite of a decades long war. The rivers in Kyoto might be one of the reasons the weaving and dyeing industry settled here, for the Kamo River was often the site of luxurious lengths of dyed silk being washed and readied for the next stage of work. Today, most looms are automatic Jacquard looms, but individual artists still dot the area, especially the finger nail weavers, who spend hours bent over the cloths patiently straightening the weft with serrated fingernails, and the obi weavers, who create unique designs either for wealthy clients or performing artists.
Another famous product is Kiyomizu yaki, ceramics made near the Kiyomizu Temple. Today, the old wood firing kilns are not allowed in the city, and most pro duction takes place in a ward beyond the Eastern Mountains. Using centuries old techniques, steady hands apply delicate ten drils of gold enamel glaze before loading the pots into kilns for their last firing. Many shops and galleries along the Eastern Hills (Higashiyama) display fine porce lain and clay products, often with high prices that reflect the work and talent that went into them.
The best known crafts shop is the Kyoto Handicraft Center, west of Higashi oji, on Marutamachidori. Items range from simple greeting cards to high end antiques with a nice representation of woodblock prints, cloisonné, pearls, lacquerware and swords.
Many antique and print shops and galleries are clustered along Nawate dori, Furumonzen dori and Shinmonzen dori, three areas north of Shijo, near the Shinmachi and Gion districts, and along Teramachi, north of Sanjo dori. A stroll along these streets can be like visiting a museum, but one in which you are allowed to handle the exhibits.
The best artists in the land served the court, and even today the concentration of ateliers makes Kyoto a delight for those with a discerning eye.