1,000 years ago, aristocrats would compose short waka poems seated by a babbling brook at the imperial palace, sipping sake and admiring the changes in the seasons. This outdoor party was revived at Jonangu Shrine in 1970. Experts tend the recreated period garden, and poets yearning for a bygone era strive to render the spirit of their Heian forebears. A court dancer provides a dance accompaniment. Discover the passion of those who breathe life into an elegant historical event.
Traditional Kyoto machiya townhouses have narrow entrances, and are long and deep. At the back lie small tsubo-niwa gardens, enclosed on all sides. Originally serving to light and ventilate the house, they enabled residents to comfortably endure the intense, summer heat. Over time, people applied their simple, austere aesthetic sensibilities to create beauty in these confined spaces. Discover the wisdom behind these gardens through the local lifestyle and the expertise of the landscape artists.
Various locations in Kyoto have been famous cherry-blossom-viewing spots for 1,200 years. As spring approaches, the locals' actions revolve around thoughts of hanami. The cherries keep family ties strong; 3 generations gather once a year for hanami festivities. A 3rd-generation cherry gardener who conserves cherry trees and a photographer who has snapped Kyoto's cherries for about 40 years talk about the enduring allure of these flowers, which feature in bento meals and embroidery designs. The blossoms uplift the hearts of Kyotoites who treat hanami as a special celebration.
Nishijin-ori symbolizes the ancient capital's elegance and luxury. The obi-weaving process is divided into detailed tasks, such as mon-template design and yarn dying. Each artisan has a specialist role. With a deep sense of responsibility and a mutual trust, they strive for higher levels of perfection. Noh costumes have unsurpassable beauty. Some artisans weave with their fingernails. This magnificent textile meshes the city's 1,200 year-old history and the fervor of artisans through the ages.
Fusuma are uniquely Japanese fittings, dating back a millennium, that act as partitions, sliding doors and walls. Painting them can transform a room's ambience. Fusuma paintings have evolved in keeping with the times, space, and patrons and artists' tastes. In the 1500's, magnificent paintings became signs of the wealth and power of the samurai class. In temples, ink paintings conveyed Buddhist teachings. Discover how fusuma paintings have raised furniture to the level of art.
The main stage for hospitality in the glittering kagai entertainment district is the ozashiki function. Geiko and maiko refine their skills over years in dance and other performing arts to present at ozashiki. In this world, shikitari customs and etiquette are dictated by strict protocol drilled into the girls by their elders in their daily lives. A shidashiya caters meals for ozashiki. A yuzenshi dyer creates unique maiko kimono. Many people live within the culture at the heart of the kagai.
Kyoto confections are wagashi, or traditional confections, infused with Kyoto's charm and influenced by the tea ceremony. With beautiful designs and names that subtly reflect the seasons, tea confections are an art form to be appreciated with the 5 senses. When making these confections, importance is placed on the semblance and name they are given. Inspiration is drawn from local nature, art, music and literature. Feel Japan's culture, nature and climate through flavorsome Kyoto confections.
Kyo-kanoko shibori is the general term used for tie-dyed fabric made in Kyoto. The bumpy pattern on the fabric's surface is mesmerizing with its delicate shadows. Binding parts of the fabric to leave undyed areas allows certain colors to bleed and lends the design solidity. Each stage in the process has its own specialized artisan for design, binding, dyeing, and other stages in between. Discover the alluring world of Kyo-kanoko shibori through the dexterous hands of passionate artisans.
The soaring forest of tall, straight cedars in Kitayama, in Kyoto's northwest, is a glorious sight. Kitayama cedar -- known for its light color, uniform thickness, and smooth, knotless trunk -- is treasured as a material for floors and pillars in Japanese architecture. And daisugi cedars, pruned to produce dozens of tree-like offshoots from one trunk, are prized in gardens for their aesthetic value. Discover the allure of Kitayama cedar through the foresters who inherited their management.
In Japan's humid summers, people cool themselves with fans that can be conveniently folded away. Large folding fans, or ogi, were first used as symbols of nobility in Heian court rituals over 1,000 years ago. Later, smaller folding fans, or sensu, were incorporated into festivals, the performing arts and tea ceremony, and came to be recognized as works of art embellished with gold, silver and lacquer. Still a part of life today, discover the cooling arts of Kyoto-made sensu through the ages.
Kata-yuzen is a Kyoto yuzen dyeing method that sometimes requires as many as 100 stencils to complete a bolt of kimono fabric. The development of this method saved dyers much time and enabled mass production. The most skill-intensive task is the carving of the washi paper to create the stencils. The elaborate designs and sharp lines that are difficult to attain by hand are captivating. Discover how the Kata-yuzen techniques were refined through the Kyotoites passionate pursuit of stunning kimono.
Mirei Shigemori, a prolific landscape artist based in Kyoto from the late 1920's, is famous for the striking and abundant creativity of his gardens. He made a powerful impact on garden design in Kyoto with his checkerboard-patterned gardens and dry karesansui gardens that use dynamic rock groupings, such as Hasso-no-niwa at Tofuku-ji and Joko-no-niwa at Matsunoo Taisha. Discover the ageless modernity of Mirei's revolutionary designs that continue to stimulate, inspire and influence people today.
The Kyoto State Guest House was built as a Japanese-style reception facility within the Kyoto Imperial Palace Park in 2005. This serene, elegant single-story facility hosts dignitaries from around the world. As of 2016 it is now open to the public year-round. Seasoned Kyoto craftsmen in traditional architecture and the industrial arts applied their expertise to imbue it with the ultimate in hospitality. Discover another facet to Kyoto sensibilities through their impeccable attention to detail.
Traditional washi paper flourished in the temples, shrines and palaces of the ancient capital. Enduring today, this versatile paper is used to decorate interiors, such as sliding doors and hanging scrolls. Kurotani has been the papermaking center of Kyoto washi for 800 years. Katazome-washi is dyed with traditional yuzen-dyeing patterns. Useless washi and centuries-old books are used in recycle-themed artworks. The efforts of Kyoto's artisans and artists nurture Kyoto's washi culture.
In the late 1800's Kyoto architects and builders were the first to embrace change as Japan modernized. They incorporated the unusual Western designs into their buildings, changing the cityscape with its many temples and shrines. The great achievements of these pioneers remain today, used as public institutions, places of learning, worship and business. Conspicuous yet congruous, they represent the dawn of a new era. Discover the modern architecture in the ancient capital, whose colors never fade.
The changing leaves vividly color Kyoto, which lies in a basin and has marked temperature differences. For more than a millennium, people have delighted in their beauty and picnicked under the trees. Today, the changing leaves continue to enchant Kyotoites, who live within the changing seasons. The exquisite leaves adorn traditional kaiseki cuisine dishes, and the trees lit up at night are a magical sight. Some are so captured by their magnificence they express it in waka poetry and the arts.
Kyotoites in days of old valued high quality fabric and woven textiles from abroad like gold. Pieces of these fabrics have been handed down and continue to fascinate people today. Their eternal beauty is preserved through repurposing as tea utensil pouches, tobacco holders, obi sashes and even as works of art. Weavers strive to learn the techniques used in days gone by in order to reproduce them. Discover the culture of reverence for the great beauty and skill to be found in old fabric pieces.
Gold leaf is just 0.1 micron thick, and almost translucent, but it has a lasting luster. Gilt craftsmen utilize its qualities to accent brocade, lacquerware, and Buddhist structures and statues. In the ancient court, a soft and muted finish was favored over glitter and gloss, and this cultivated a Kyoto aesthetic. Today tradition is a stepping stone to new art forms, while gold flakes embellish sake, coffee, and traditional sweets. Discover the gleaming appeal of gold leaf culture in Kyoto.
A pointed boulder with a large stone at its foot reaches for the heavens. The white gravel represents a swift flowing river, without using water. Karesansui is a dry-gardening style that developed in the 14th century from ascetic practices at Zen temples. Monks meditate for enlightenment in a world of rippling patterns and curious rock arrangements. Enter the infinite Zen cosmos through Karesansui.
Fushimi Inari Taisha is famous for the vermillion shrine gates that line mountain paths. As the head Inari shrine, it has 30,000 subordinate shrines throughout Japan. Since its foundation in 711, the Inari deities have attracted prayers for bountiful harvests, business prosperity or wishes for family welfare and peace.
Kyoto has about 2,700 temples where an array of benevolent, meek and ferocious Buddhist statues are worshipped. Sculptors breathe life into these objects of worship.
The furniture cleaning industry is sustained by many Kyotoites' desire to cherish and hand down their belongings over generations. The techniques used to restore paulownia-wood chests, which are used for kimono, to their former glory has been handed down over 3 generations. Discover Kyotoites' respect for history and continuity.
Kitano Tenmangu shrine holds the Zuiki Matsuri festival over 5 days in early October. Sacred palanquins carry the spirit of Sugawara no Michizane, who was a scholar and politician over 1,000 years ago, through the parish to its temporary abode. Residents spend a month festooning one float, that has a 400-year history, with local produce and imbue it with gratitude for an abundant harvest. Discover this festival that retains vestiges of bygone days when the district was a farming area.
Kyoto has many stores specializing in traditional snacks and treats, called Oyatsu, that are also used in festivals. Some purveyors continue to use age-old ingredients and methods, and the lines outside their stores are proof of their popularity. Discover the sweets and treats that embody the everyday wisdom of old.
The Satoyama style of living in harmony with nature, and the customs that influenced life in the ancient capital, survive in the mountains north of central Kyoto. Miyama is famous for its thatching tradition, and local artisans use age-old methods to re-thatch Kyoto's temples and shrines. An old inn in the town of Hanase continues to serve the local specialty, Tsumikusa (foraged wild foods) cuisine. Discover the local customs that keep Kyoto's culture alive.
Hina dolls, which represent the emperor, empress and the imperial court, are presented to girls on the first March 3, Girl's Day celebration after they are born. Beautifully crafted by masters, they embody wishes for the girls to grow up healthy and happy.
In clamp resist dyeing, fabric is pressed between 2 boards to create shapes. Perfect shading may result from sections randomly touching in the dye, producing beautiful patterns. Discover the future of tie-dyeing.
As the capital, Kyoto attracted craftsmen with outstanding artistry from around Japan. They made quality implements and furnishings, and the craft developed a distinct Kyoto refinement that became renowned. The craftsmen's knowledge of the wood they work and their command of the delicate processes convey the traditions that survive to this today.
February 3 is the Lunar New Year's Eve and is the boundary between winter and spring. Soybeans are scattered for good fortune in the coming year, expelling the demons that represent misfortune and calamity. Yoshida Jinja shrine protects Kyoto at the "demon's gate" in the northeast with a ritual in which the "shaman" wears a four-eyed mask. Discover how Kyotoites pray for a peaceful life.
Elegant and practical, Kyoto's braided cords were highly prized and used in religious and formal settings. They came to be deployed in samurai armor, and their use then spread to the common folk, stimulating production. Discover the allure of braided cords through the fine detail twisted by expert hands.
The Jidai Matsuri on October 22 pays homage to Kyoto's 1,200-year history, from the Meiji through the Heian periods, with 2,000 people parading in period costumes. The festival shows the Kyotoites' resilience as they redefined their city and created a new, modern Kyoto.
The ancient capital's dignified air of yesteryear is in part generated by earthen walls: the walls of the imperial palace, shrines, temples and even private properties. Kyoto is blessed with soil of a color ideal for these wall. Plasterers over centuries developed and refined their technique to produce walls befitting a capital. Discover the aesthetic sensibilities and expertise of a traditional plasterer as he pursues beauty in earthen walls.
The dignified crests adorning various items from Noren curtains to temple roofs are a common sight in Kyoto. These symbols of families and organizations originated over 1,000 years ago. Once the privilege of the imperial household and samurai class, they were adopted by merchants and the populace as marks of status and pride. The refined designs now draw the attention of people abroad. Discover the crests that are emblematic of old Kyoto families preserving their heritage.
Kyoto City University of Arts, founded around 140 years ago, has produced leading painters in the art world. Its educational policy emphasizes Shasei - painting from life through intensive observation to glean a subject's true essence. It continues a practice advocated by 18th-century Kyoto artist, Maruyama Okyo. Discover the ethos underlying Kyoto art through the eyes of contemporary students of Nihonga Japanese-style painting.