Kyoto crafters, Japan
As Japan’s ancient former capital, Kyoto has attracted craftspeople and artisans from all around the country. Members of the Imperial Court were both patrons and practitioners at the ateliers that opened here during their 1000-year reign and helped refine techniques such as nishijin-ori silk weaving and kyo-shikki lacquerware into the most superior in all of Japan.Beginning with the court culture of the Heian period, masters of wood crafts began to appear back in a time when the upper classes were greatly enamored with wood craft, in the Muromachi period and onward.