Kyoto Traditional Furniture Museum

Highlight

A massive slice of a 450-year-old Yoshino cedar, each growth ring denoting historical events around the globe

Exquisite furniture founded in court culture

Sashimono, or cabinetwork, stands for furniture that has been assembled without the use of a single nail or ironware. Unlike Edo sashimono that used lacquer-coated mulberry or zelkova to highlight the grains, Kyoto sashimono uses grain-subdued paulownia decorated in gold lacquer and/or mother-of-pearl. Miyazaki Furniture was founded in 1856. This company made furniture from the Meiji period to early Showa period relying on Japanese artists – such as Seiho Takeuchi, Shoen Uemura and Sekka Kamisaka – of the Kyoto Gadan school to decoratively illustrate the cabinetwork. The company also makes ceremonial furniture for Imperial weddings as well as furnishings and furniture for Imperial residences and for Kyoto Geihinkan, the National Guest House.
This long-established furniture maker has opened a gallery to display decorative cabinets featuring the masterful illustrations and skills of Kyoto artists. In the paulownia corner, besides the exhibits, the airtight precision of furniture is introduced through true photos, for example, drawers have been burnt black on the outside with the inside surviving untouched. Also, there is a paulownia set of drawers that have undergone rejuvenating technology to make them look brand new again.