KOSHO｜FABRIC ART

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Brand

Expressing Kyoto's sophistication

KOSHO

1985
KYO Yuzen
Kosho Ogawa

History

Fabric art that tingles the senses

Kosho is a brand from Fushimi, Kyoto, that produces fabric art based on Kyoto Yuzen to add color to daily life.

We craft our own unique creations based on the culture of the Japanese kimono and traditional colors.

After 10 years of training in a Kyoto yuzen studio, I began working independently to produce hand-painted Yuzen kimonos until 1985, when I truly entered a new world of creation.

I wanted to use the sensitivity and traditional dyeing and weaving techniques cultivated in Kyoto to create cloth art that conveys the changing seasons and the beauty of nature.

The result was a bag that incorporates a "layering culture" that has been handed down since ancient times, especially in Kyoto, Japan, into modern life.

The layering culture is a profoundly elegant way of enjoying fashion, based on the colors of nature from season to season.

Even for a single kimono, there are various ways of layering, such as matching the colors of the lining and outer fabrics that peek out from the collar, sleeves, and hem, matching multiple colors like the junihitoe, in which layers of clothing are layered one on top of another, and matching the colors of the warp and weft of textile fabrics.

Besides just kimono, "layering" is an inseparable concept from Japanese culture and can be found in stacked boxes, tableware, origami, and so on.

Characteristic

Traditional colors expressing Kyoto's sensibility

There are approximately 1,100 traditional Japanese colors, which are named after the flowers and landscapes of spring, summer, fall, and winter based on the culture, history, and aesthetic sense unique to the Japanese.

The bags we produce are rectangular in shape, and when the hem of the bag is widened, it becomes a fan shape, allowing for the creation of gussets according to the amount of luggage.

This design allows for traditional colors to be added from the inside.

The colors are selected based on the image of Kyoto's four seasons and landscapes.

For example, the sumi ink color of the Ginkakuji temple, the blue of morning glories blooming in a Kyoto townhouse, and white of the walls of the Katsura Rikyu shoin, etc.

We are also particular about the fabrics we use for our bags.

We carefully select our materials and use 100% cotton canvas and denim, which is elegant and has a strong presence.

Vivid colors emerge from the slits of the simple rectangular tote bag, transforming it into a gorgeous gem.

The bag has been highly acclaimed overseas, and has been on display in the museum store of the Museum of Modern Art in New York(MOMA) as well as in select stores.

For Customers

Delivering "Made in Kyoto"

Kyoto has been the capital of Japan for a long time and has nurtured many traditional industries; manufacturing has been handed down for over 1,200 years, meaning it takes hundreds of years before any business can be considered ‘long-standing’.

KOSHO, a brand originating from Kyoto, will continue to pass on the good things handed down from generation to generation in new forms.

Our "Ougi bag"is a simple, monochromatic tote bag that is transformed into a surprisingly sophisticated item by incorporating the essence of Kyoto.

This leads to our efforts to realize a sustainable society by carefully crafting long-lasting items one by one, feeling the changes of the four seasons with all our senses and appreciating the bounty of nature.

We invite you to experience the beautiful layered culture of Made in Kyoto.