Concept

Concept

For a more unique lifestyle with Japanese traditional crafts” visit the Kyoto Handicraft Center, which operates physical stores in Kyoto and offers a wide range of Japanese traditional handicrafts and arts. Our online store features a selection of items from our physical store, allowing you to enjoy web shopping as if you were traveling in Japan.

Our company motto is based on "Sincerity" and "Heart-warming service". We are committed to providing you with safe and enjoyable shopping experiences in our online store.

All of our products are carefully packed by our staff and shipped directly from our store in Kyoto.

Even if you are not in Japan, you can still experience the essence of Kyoto by browsing through our online store.

 

KYOTO HANDICRAFT CENTER

Our company

 

The Kyoto Handicraft Center is located in two buildings near the Heian-jingu Shrine in the Higashiyama area, one of the most scenic and historical places in Kyoto.

We offer not only Japanese traditional crafts but also wonderful shopping experiences and craft-making classes for domestic and international visitors. Our craft-making classes are enjoyed by everyone, including school excursion students, foreign visitors, and domestic individual customers, making your stay in Kyoto even more memorable.

In addition, we have a dining restaurant that offers authentic Japanese traditional cuisine. We offer a variety of suggestions for meals that allow you to experience Kyoto and the four seasons, and we can prepare a dish that suits your needs.

Our company started in 1947 under the name of Amita Damascene Corporation, as an atelier that manufactured the Kyo Zogan, a traditional Damascene craft work used historically as decoration for Samurai armor and swords.

In 1967, we opened KYOTO HANDICRAFT CENTER as a tax-free shopping building to respond to the needs of increasing foreign visitors in Kyoto. Today, our deals include not only Kyo Zogan (Damascene) but also various kinds of Japanese traditional crafts.

 

Until present, KYOTO HANDICRAFT CENTER has been loved by numerous customers over several generation. 

 

Kyoto Handicraft Center Website: https://www.kyotohandicraftcenter.com/?lang=en

Our product Kyo Zogan

 

Our company originated as an atelier manufacturing Kyo Zogan over 70 years ago. It has become one of our iconic items, and in English, Kyo Zogan is also known as Damascene.

Kyo Zogan is a traditional Kyoto handicraft, created by carving a cloth-like weave inlay into a thin sheet of iron, inlaying pure gold and silver designs onto the texture, applying lacquer over it, and finally engraving fine lines onto the gold and silver patterns after polishing them. This delicate and intricate process requires extreme concentration and skill, resulting in the elegant beauty of Kyo Zogan.

From the 14th century to the 19th century, Kyo Zogan was widely used as an ornament for Japanese swords and armor, and there were many master craftsmen. In the Meiji era (1868-1912), Otojiro Komai and other craftsmen gained attention at overseas world expositions, showcasing their intricate Kyo Zogan inlays in art crafts such as flower vases for foreign visitors.

During the Second World War, Kyo Zogan artisans were scattered, but they returned to the atelier after the war, dedicating themselves to manufacturing various kinds of Kyo Zogan crafts, including jewelry and luxury ornaments, with their delicate techniques and great sense of artistry.

 

 

Access

 

For those coming by train
Keihan Main Line Jingu Marutamachi Station, 10 minutes walk
15 minutes walk from Higashiyama Station on Subway Tozai Line.

There is also a Marutamachi station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line. Please be careful not to make a mistake.
By Kyoto City Bus
From Kyoto Station of JR, Kintetsu and Subway
Take Route 206 bound for Higashiyama-dori Kitaoji Bus Terminal at Kyoto Station Bus Terminal D2 and get off at Kumano-jinja-mae Bus Stop (approx. 30 mins, 3 mins walk from Kumano-jinja-mae Bus Stop)
From Shijo Kawaramachi
Route 31 Higashiyama-dori Takano-Iwakura
System 201 Gion / Hyakumanben Yuki
Route 203 to Gion and Kinbayashi-shako
Approx. 10 minutes by train, 3 minutes walk from Kumano-jinja-mae Station
By car
20 minutes from the Kyoto Higashi Interchange on the Meishin Expressway
30 minutes from the Kyoto Minami Interchange on the Meishin Expressway
About 20 minutes from the Kamogawa-Higashi Interchange on the Hanshin Expressway Kyoto Line

There are 8 parking spaces (8 cars) on the basement level.
(Height limit 1.6m)
If you wish to use this service, please contact the Information Desk on the 1st floor of the West Wing
Please let us know.
We will give you a temporary parking permit.

In the event that your car is over 1.6m high or the lot is full, we will guide you to a nearby pay parking lot (not affiliated).
Please understand that we may not be able to provide you with a paid parking lot in the vicinity.