Last year I had the chance to view some original designs of Edo kimono designs (江戸小紋）and witness how they have evolved throughout the centuries.

I was very surprised on how these designs are actually created and made me realize, simple is truly the best.
Achieving simplicity is not an easy task. It requires eliminating all unnecessary elements to boil a design down to its pure core. However, the result can be a powerful one.

These pieces in the Edo era took almost a whole year to make a single design, which at the time people could afford to pay and wait. It is impossible now a days.

This workshop was held at Sasanoyuki, an old traditional Tofu Cuisine restaurant located in old downtown Tokyo.

Last week, I visited some of the artisans' workshops in Kyoto to experience the soul of craftsmanship. It was quite the amazing opportunity to find out how these Japanese traditions live on today.

I realized that it's not easy to maintain our tradition in a way of what used to be. Generations change, economy/value change, people change, and culture change.

I would like to contribute in some way to this extraordinary craft by sharing what and who goes into the process through my photography. I will begin featuring Japanese tradition here and there on this platform.

This time around I visited the following four workshops, all located in the city of Kyoto:

Metal Fabrication Workshop 金工センター:　Detail 詳細