As Japan entered the Meiji period, Japanese dyed and woven textiles found a market as interior decorations, and energy was poured into the production of frames and folding screens modeled on paintings, many of which found their way overseas. Dyed and woven textiles like embroidery painting and Yuzen-dyed cut-velvet, now no longer simply articles of clothing and daily life objects, were called “artistic ornamental textiles,” and on orders of the likes of Kyoto kimono merchants Sozaemon Nishimura and Shinshichi Iida, the founders of Chiso and Takashimaya respectively, they were produced based on sketches by Japanese painters and oil paintings from abroad. Embroidery paintings especially, because of the sheen of their overlapping silk threads as well as the use of various embroidery techniques, could on occasion impress viewers as surpassing painting in their realism.

              The present exhibition features superior embroidery paintings and never-before-seen artworks, to which have been added Yuzen-dyed cut-velvet pieces that graced the same era. Do not miss seeing these numerous artistic ornamental textile masterpieces, which in Kyoto were born and, after a time away, to Kyoto have now returned. 

※During the exhibition, some pieces will be shown only in the earlier or later installations.
　Earlier Installation: March 9 (Sat) – April 21 (Sun)
　Later Installation: April 24 (Wed) – June 2 (Sun)