Traditional craft
Kyo Komon
京小紋
Kyoto's stencil-dyed silk kimono, ranging from tiny all-over patterns to bold flowers, with a gentle, refined colour sense.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 2 June 1976
- Type
- Dyed textiles
- Region
- Kansai
- Official name in Japanese
- 京小紋
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 京都市、宇治市、亀岡市、城陽市、向日市他
Small patterns, Kyoto softness
Komon began as the small patterns of samurai kamishimo, stencil-dyed in a single colour. Kyoto's version still makes those tiny patterns, but it also turns Western flowers and other motifs into bold designs. Shaped by yuzen, it has a soft, elegant look and a gentle colour sense. It is made in Kyoto city, Uji, Kameoka, Joyo and Muko in Kyoto.
Stencil, paste, colour, steam
- Scoured white silk is steamed and stuck onto a long yuzen board coated with paste.
- A stencil goes on top and a spatula pushes resist paste or coloured paste through it.
- The ground colour is dyed by dipping or brushing.
- The cloth is steamed to fix the dye and then washed.
A dyers' quarter on the Horikawa
The craft traces back to stencils made about 1,200 years ago. After the Onin War of the 15th century, new silks and dyeing styles appeared and a dyers' quarter grew up around the Horikawa in Kyoto. Surviving robes of the warlords Uesugi Kenshin and Tokugawa Ieyasu were made with komon techniques, and the method of laying resist paste and then brushing on colour was perfected in this era. After the Meiji period, Kyo Komon moved from one colour to many under the influence of stencil yuzen. Compare it with Edo's Tokyo Some Komon.
Good to know
- Kyo Komon is everyday-smart rather than formal, a good choice if you want to try a kimono that is not too dressy.
- Look at the pattern size: tiny repeats follow the samurai tradition, big flowers show the modern side.
Questions travellers ask
How is Kyo Komon different from Tokyo Some Komon?
Kyoto's version is softer and often uses many colours and larger motifs, while Tokyo's is famous for tiny single-colour patterns.
Is komon formal wear?
Komon is generally a stylish kimono for outings rather than the most formal occasions.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
- 800 years of Japanese tea in Uji and southern Kyoto
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- Lake Biwa Canal: the waterway of hope from Otsu to Kyoto
- Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage: Japan's 1,300-year journey of the heart
- Tango chirimen: 300 years of silk on Kyoto's north coast
- Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo and Maizuru: Japan's naval port cities
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.