Materials〈 Art and Crafts〈 Life
Japanese art and crafts have developed along with the history of Buddhism as well as ever-changing monarchical values. The old capital, Kyoto, is where many such stories have taken place.
Horikin, the management organization of Shizendo, along with the stories, has been working with the materials for art and crafts for over 300 years. Throughout history, these materials have starred in stunning works.

Materials∈Arts and Crafts
In the shadow of the rapid economic development, the hand-made has been replaced gradually by the machine-made. As the lifestyle changes, traditional art and crafts, such as hanging scrolls and butsudan, have disappeared from our daily lives.
This, consequently, has endangered the traditional materials which we have been working with.

Yet, while our materials are quietly dying out, more modern innovative creations emerge to impress everyone.

Japanese Materials × The World’s Creativity
How can we support the enthusiastic creations in the post-consumerist society?
We would like to start by sharing Japanese original materials with the world, along with Japanese culture.
We ask what would happen when traditional Japanese materials are touched by the creativity of international modern artists?
We believe in your limitless creativity to empower endangered Japanese materials.

Shizendo endeavors to serve as the place for Japanese traditional materials to strengthen and be strengthened by international creators.

- For every creative person, sincerely.
~The bridge across creativity‐Kyoto to the world; tradition to the new~