Nishijin, the main area of the tour, is famous for its textile production, but it is also the location where temples were gathered during the rezoning of the area by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Among them, three temples of the Daihonzan class will be the venues for an exhibition of crafts and art.

＜Myoukenji Temple＞
The temple has a 700-year history as an imperial envoy temple recognized by Emperor Godaigo, and was used as a regular lodging by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. The temple is also known as a temple of the Rimpa school of painting, and the tomb of Korin Ogata is located in the pagoda.

＜Myokenji Temple＞
This temple was used by Sen no Rikyu to hold tea ceremonies and as an inn for Oda Nobunaga in Kyoto. Nobunaga is said to have visited Kyoto more than 20 times, 18 of which were spent at this temple.

＜Myourenji Temple＞
The temple has had close contact with cultural figures and has fusuma paintings by Hasegawa Tohaku, the “Rissho Ankoku Ron” transcribed by Hon’ami Koetsu, and the grave of Kono Umelei, the founder of the Kyoto art world. All of the temples have works of the Kano school, including Myokaku-ji Temple, which is a family temple.

It has been exhibited since 2016 as a project of partner company KYOTO Leather at Première Vision Paris, which is held twice a year in France. Daisuke Nishiyama is a Nishijin craftsman and artist.
Visitors can view the works of artists who express themselves in various fields that cross tradition and art, such as Hon’ami Takumi, a glass sculptor and lifestyle craft artist whose grandfather is a direct descendant of “Hon’ami the Fifteenth”.

We will also hold tours of traditional craft workshops, but this time we will not visit a workshop just for the sake of visiting, but will actually visit a craftsman’s workshop where the craftsman’s work and home are integrated. Since it is both a workshop and a home, we will visit a place that can be considered a sanctuary where only people related to the work are allowed to enter.

The tour will also include a visit to the production process of a new product created by a Japanese candle workshop that aims for zero waste and reuses Japanese candle waste, followed by a tour to enjoy the lighting up of a temple using Japanese candles.

We hope that visitors will learn that, like textiles designed to generate as little waste as possible, the kind of respect for nature that lies behind the appearance and underlying aesthetic sense of the Japanese people lives on even today.

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