NITTO Trading Co., Ltd.

Tomihiro Senko (Yuzen)

Sleek and Colorful Gradients　~ Traditional Patterns Like a Piece of Painting ~

Hiroshi Fujii, who is known to continously make clothing for the royalities by using Kyoto's traditional sense and technique. From Yuzen dyeing's draft, the actual dyeing work and to finish are all done by Hiroshi Fujii himself. Everything being hand-made, Tomihiro Senko's artisan by using their technique made their original royal color, the gorgeous gradation drawn from within the elegant work beautifully shrines brilliantly on the wearer.

Hiroshi Fujii

In 1935, Hiroshi Fujii was born as the eldest son of Fujii Chouin, a sketch specialist. In 1972, Fujii establishes both Tomihiro Senko Inc. and it’s workshop.

[Masterpiece]
Made her Majesty’s semi-formal kimono’s creation (Zuiun Kasane) / Made Norinomiya Majesty's long-sleeved kimono (Unshutenreisaikasane) / Made Akishino Nomiya Princess' semi-formal kimono (Sanshushoutoukei Choubunshou) / Made Her Highness Crown Princess' long-sleeved kimono (Ouchou Tenga Ougi) / Traditional handicraft industry Achievement Award / Manufacturing and Industry Ministry Director Award (work here) / Engaged in Nichiren school of Buddhism Houonji Kyoto branch/Hourinji main hall's coffered ceiling production

Message from Owner

byoubu In accordance with the color and culture of your country, we accept custom orders and other original goods made with Yuzen materials such as fashion goods (bags, accessories), hijab (scarf), dresses, pictures and tapestries, table center clothes, cushion, and interior materials (wallpapers). If you want to expand the distribution channel with new ideas to the world, please feel free to contact us. We support collaborations with creators.

Kyoto's Climate Gives Off a Sense of Beauty

Kyoto, known for the longest time as the culture “Kimono”, is a city where the important knowledge and techniques have been passed down from one generation to another. Not just as a mere shape of an outfit, there are those who live with the soul and techniques of kimono. For instance, to be touched by the change of four seasons like delicate heart, express the likes of playfulness, joy in a fashionable elastically conceptualization and so forth; there are confronting consciousness to Kyoto’s uniquely completed [Elegant Things]. Artisans work earnestly at their hand work. Education about traditional culture. Live by making cloth with elegant movement…

We Tomihiro Senko as hand-drawn Yuzen maker dyed specialist, desire to reach through to modern women with Kyoto’s Unique Culture charm which you can feel off them Kimono.

As dye artisan, takes about 15 steps from draft design to finishing touches of dyeing, it’s the producer’s role to watch over Kyoto hand-drawn Yuzen process. It’s our job as artisan to guide every process of artisan’s traditional technique to a beautiful completion. Made by a lot of people, embedded with love in kimono from mother, daughter, grand-daughter by the treasure called human emotions. We inherited such Kyoto treasure, as we learnt from our ancestors; we will also continue that tradition.

Kyoto Hand-painted Yuzen

tomihiro Kyoto hand-painted yuzen holds a certain noble gorgeousness and express the beauties of nature elegantly; the development started by Edo period Genroku era fan painter Miyazaki Yuuzensai's fan drawing technique and it spreaded through-out the city of Kyoto. Used a glue as fine-line glue on white fabric and drew patterns to dye adjacent without mixing the colors, it was done equal to painting like delicate dyeing pattern, the completed product is known as one of the rarest dyeing techniques.

Kyoto hand-painted Yuzen is not done by a single artisan; the workload is divided by 14 to 15 people from design planning, rough sketch, gluing, dyeing, yuzen insertion to completion. Each step of work has its expert artisan in charge, using inherited advance techniques from the past. Additionally, it's our duty as dye artisan to bring those delicate hand-works together. Dye artisan are like orchestra's conductor, gather all of artisan's technique to lead towards Japan perfect beauty to complete the performance.

Characteristic of Making Kimono of Tomihiro

Kyoto hand-painted yuzen are made by assembly-line production, combining multiple artisan's hand-work for this reason; all manufacturing process always has to be demonstrated in it's highest technique. Product's ideal image and manufacturing aim have to be consistent. For that purpose Tomihiro Senko Co. Ltd., almost all manufacturing process artisan were brought up to watch-over our workshop and will only use advance techniques here, all as one will to continue production. Consequently, yuzen's vividness have yet depth to characterize, it's possible to emphasize on elegant and delicate designs.

Even though writing brushed are usually used in Sashi Yuzen, we use paint brushes that are deeper and are able to shows more detail. If done this way, material's thread will be soaked all the way to the core and will also give it added depth. Therefore, pigments that are used to make white color, among many workshop uses ready-made goods, our company are rather fastidiousness about glossy white, using the old-fashion techniques by mortar to grind pigment and knead. In addition, a typical yuzen dyeing manufacturing process is, after coloring "Sashi Yuzen" detail patterns, [vacuum steaming] is then done, lines are laid out over the portion of pattern with glues, the fabric portion is then dyed, as for our company; due to this manufacturing process's cycle, for the purpose to avoid color alteration, we stop the vacuum steaming process, after coloring pattern "Sashi Yuzen", continue fabric part dyeing by paint brush. By doing so, can prevent the color alteration during the manufacturing process, dyed colors come out as anticipated, on the other hand, can combine any color to balance finishing touch, it is now possible to dye the base color with diverse of colors. Simply put, we have the environment to nurture advance technical capability artisans such as these in our workshop.

Ceiling of Honrinji

Our product can also be used for interior design as it is on the ceiling of Horinji in Kyoto. The viewing of the ceiling is open to public since its completion in October 2006. The Yuzen artisan, Hiroshi Fujii took full 2 years to complete 38 pieces of paintings. Ume blossom, cherry blossom, seasonal flowers and vegetables are drawn with 100 gold foils on each flower painting. The colors are carefully selected so that it has the best view when seen from 5 meters away from the ceiling. This beautiful ceiling painting hand drawn with the technique of Yuzen can only be seen at Honrinji.

Kicho (几帳)

Dyed products originally made as Kimono recreated as fine tapestries. A golden lustre bordering patterns Hand-painted Yuzen-dyed Kimono for tapestries.The making of Kyo Yuzen dyeing involves more than 14 processes including designing, Norioki(glue application),Hikizome (brush dyeing) and Sashi-Yuzen (paintbrush dyeing),by which craftsmen pit their skills against each other under a creative producer called a Sensho(a master of dyeing)Tomihiro Senko’s Kimono are characterized by the addition of pure gold paint,to the white line of glue outlining the Yuzen pattern, which accentuates their luxuriousness.These Kimono are also turned into Kicho tapestries for luxurious interior decoration.