Kyoto Living Craft House Mumeisha

Highlight

A beautifully embroidered and dyed kimono from the Edo period

A chance to see the daily life a Kyoto merchant

Standing in the city’s clothing quarter of “Muromachi”, this merchant’s machiya townhouse, from a century ago, has living quarters slotted between front-room shop and inner courtyard garden that leads to magnificent storehouses, all connected by a passageway from front to back. The merchant family that resided here handled white crepe for kimonos.
The “living” museum exhibits numerous furnishings and clothing. Notably, there is a collection of kimonos in various styles and rugs from the early Edo period. In addition, another feature is the collection of cotton prints from overseas. And, with the seasons, the house takes on different guises to deal with extremes of weather - so, for example, in summer, the living quarters are tuned to the season with rattan blinds and reed screens to keep the sun’s glare at bay and let the cool breezes enter. Also, during the Gion Festival, the front latticework is removed to show off the exhibits to people passing by.
Visitors get an excellent idea of how a merchant family lived back in 1909 in a townhouse that Kyoto City has designated as a Scenically Important Structure and the nation has designated as a tangible cultural property.