[Eirakuya Co., Ltd.] Eirakuya Presents Silk Scroll Works Celebrating Its 410th Anniversary
Eirakuya Co., Ltd. Press Release: October 22, 2025 Eirakuya releases silk painting to commemorate its 410th anniversary In addition to collaborations with Kyoto Kitcho, Ikenobo Ikebana Master, Taro Yamamoto, and Aki Nakata, we bring tenugui into the world of art with silk artworks and hand-painted yuzen silk scarves created based on historical designs and our own designs that Eirakuya has inherited over the years.
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hand-painted Kyoto Yuzen technique on silk fabric. Bringing together the traditional techniques of Kyoto Yuzen, our artisans devote their skills to every step of the process, from sketching to applying glue, coloring, and gold leaf. In addition to hand-painted Kyoto Yuzen pieces, we also offer works using a variety of materials and techniques, including pieces incorporating calligraphy. Using traditional dyeing techniques, we express the beauty of masterpieces and the artistry of fabric in a modern form. 【About the Works with Kyoto Kitcho】 Based on Uemura Shōen’s Sunny Room, Yosa Buson’s The Raftmaster, Sakai Hōitsu’s Thin Chrysanthemums, and Sakai Hōitsu and other collaborative works, Fan Paintings: A Collaboration of Artists, all of which are owned by Kyoto Kitchō, these silk works have been created using Eirakuya dyeing techniques. All of these are valuable works of art in the history of Japanese art, and their beauty has been captured on fabric using dyeing techniques. 【About the work with Ikenobo Ikebana】 This silk work is based on “Standing Flowers and Sand” (Illustration 21), owned by the Ikenobo School of Ikebana. This is a standing flower arrangement by Ikenobo Senko II, who was active in the early Edo period. It features a pine tree at the center and Japanese pampas grass swaying in the wind, and is expressed using the Kyoto Yuzen dyeing technique. 【About my work with Taro Yamamoto】 Japanese artist Taro Yamamoto has created a new work based on the design “I Used to Be Called ‘Momotaro,'” originally published by Eirakuya in 1932. Eirakuya has reinterpreted the original artwork with a modern sensibility and produced a silk work based on it. 【About my work with Aki Nakata】 Calligrapher Aki Nakata used her brush directly on the silk scroll and scarf fabric to write the characters for “love,” “rain,” and “light.” Using ink for the silk scroll and dye for the scarf, the pieces combine the power and delicacy of calligraphy while taking advantage of the texture of pure silk.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/77029/22/77029-22-2d772f35780aa21646b762993728e27c-333×500.jpg Work on silk: Yosa Buson’s “Raft Master”, owned by Kyoto Kitcho
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/77029/22/77029-22-7578860f96bb1b3a08ee7d47263b2cbb-333×500.jpg Silk artwork: “Rikka-zu and Sandamono” (Illustration 21) from the Ikenobo School of Ikebana
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/77029/22/77029-22-85eafdeadbac016a64758bdc7d52e37b-333×500.jpg Silkwork: Taro Yamamoto “Momotaro”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/77029/22/77029-22-da3122ff590c87315fe51ada75df4595-333×500.jpg Silk work: Aki Nagata’s book “Love” [About Eirakuya original works] Based on the company’s designs that have been passed down throughout Eirakuya’s 410-year history, we have produced hand towels such as “Maiko’s Four Seasons” and “Maiko Road,” as well as scarves in the style of the “Diaghilev & Maret” brand. In addition, we have created a new silk scroll based on “Six Gourds,” a hanging scroll handed down in the Hosotsuji family, the current head of Eirakuya. This hanging scroll was commissioned by the 10th generation Hosotsuji Ihei to celebrate his mother’s 77th birthday. Uemura Shōen, Akino Fuku, Ito Shoba, Mitani Jūtōko, Morikawa Seipa, and Kajiwara Hisako (titles omitted) commissioned a gourd painting. The six gourds represent auspicious good fortune, symbolizing good health. The silk fabric is hand-painted using Kyo-Yuzen techniques, highlighting the beauty of the dyeing. Silk painting “The Four Seasons of a Maiko”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/77029/22/77029-22-8e4c80f56de32b07702de615b655d4ff-333×500.jpg Silk work “Maiko Road”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/77029/22/77029-22-86dcf09b919215d7f41d61bab338d1b9-333×500.jpg Silk scarf artwork “Afternoon of a Faun”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/77029/22/77029-22-d3d074d201fe84da73b415379be5c9a0-333×500.jpg Silk scarf artwork “Sleeping Beauty”
[About the exhibition] These works will be exhibited at the Hosotsuji Ihei Museum’s special exhibition, “I Used to Be Called ‘Momotaro,'” celebrating the 410th anniversary of Eirakuya’s founding. In addition to works created in collaboration with Kyoto Kitcho, Ikenobo Ikebana School, Taro Yamamoto, and Aki Nakata, silk books and scarves created by Eirakuya will be on display all in one place. Eirakuya 410th Anniversary Special Exhibition “I Used to Be Called ‘Momotaro'” Venue: Hosotsuji Ihei Museum Exhibition Period: Tuesday, October 28, 2025 – Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Details:https://hosotsuji-ihee-museum.com/exhibition [Partners and Participating Artists] Kyoto Kitcho Kyoto Kitcho is headquartered in Arashiyama, Kyoto, an area known for its beautiful seasonal scenery. In keeping with founder Teiichi Yuki’s motto of “Japanese cuisine, a global specialty,” we offer Japanese cuisine that can be enjoyed with all five senses, focusing on Japanese ingredients and carefully selected seasonal dishes, tableware, space, and service. Our thoughtful, personalized hospitality reflects the desire of third-generation owner Kunio Tokuoka to provide our guests with “a memorable experience.” In addition, in order to spread Japanese food culture around the world, we are actively involved in hosting state guests and participating in events overseas. We have three stores in Kyoto and one in Nagoya, where we welcome our customers with cuisine and hospitality that takes advantage of the unique characteristics of each region. Ikenobo Flower Arrangement School Ikenobo excelled in arranging flowers to be offered before Buddhist altars
(butszen-kubana), and this skill was passed down along with Buddhist teachings. In the late Muromachi period, Ikenobo Sen’o established the flower arranging philosophy that “flower arranging leads to
enlightenment,” elevating the act of flower arranging to a highly spiritual “way.” During the Edo period, Ikenobo Sen’o II’s rikka (flower arrangement) gained popularity in court culture and spread to samurai and commoners alike. During the Meiji period, flower arranging was incorporated into women’s education, and by the Showa period, branches had spread both domestically and internationally, with approximately 400 branches established throughout Japan and
approximately 100 branches established around the world. In modern times, Ikenobo Sen’ei, the 45th head of the Ikebana school, has worked to popularize flower arranging around the world, presenting not only traditional flower arrangements but also contemporary flower arrangements such as “Shinfutai Ikebana (New Style of Flower Arranging)” (1977) and “Shinfutai Tachibana (New Style of Flower Arranging)” (1999). He also explores collaborations with other fields, continuing to promote traditional Japanese aesthetics both at home and abroad. Taro Yamamoto Born in Kumamoto in 1974. Graduated from Kyoto University of Art and Design (now Kyoto University of the Arts) in 2000. Specially appointed professor at Kyoto University of Art and Crafts. In 1999, he proposed the term “Nippon-ga,” or “Japanese painting.” He began creating paintings that blended classical Japanese art with modern customs. His style has been described as a modern-day Rinpa school. In recent years, he has attempted a new series called “NEO UKIYOE,” which reconstructs ukiyo-e prints with pop art coloring, and he also produces silkscreen works. In 2015, he received the Kyoto Prefecture Cultural Award Encouragement Prize. Aki Nakata She began calligraphy at the age of 5. After graduating from Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, she opened the Shoka Calligraphy School in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture, where she teaches calligraphy in group lessons for infants and children, as well as private lessons for children with disabilities. Starting in 2022, he will study under calligrapher Shoshu, known for writing the title characters for the historical drama “Gunshi Kanbei.” He studied a wide range of genres, from traditional kanji and kana to contemporary art, and began working full-time as a calligrapher. Since then, he has offered his work to companies, traditional crafts, apparel brands, naming books, interior design calligraphy, and more, primarily through solo and group exhibitions. He continues to actively expand his scope of work, participating in exhibitions and group exhibitions both in Japan and abroad.
About Eirakuya This long-established cotton cloth merchant in Kyoto was founded in the early Edo period (1615). Prior to its founding, the company served as a purveyor to Oda Nobunaga and was bestowed the trade name “Eirakuya” and the surname Hosotsuji. Later, in 1615, the first year of the Genwa era, the company switched from producing silk kimonos to producing cotton and linen kimonos. Today, as Japan’s oldest cotton cloth merchant, the company has been in business in Kyoto for over 400 years, spanning 14 generations and offering products including tenugui (hand towels) and furoshiki (wrapping cloths). Company Profile Eirakuya Co., Ltd. 368 En no Gyojacho, Muromachi-dori Sanjoagaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8174 TEL:
075-256-7881 (Main) Official website: https://www.eirakuya.jp/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eirakuya_since1615/