Announcing: Keiko’s Sashiko Exhibition in Kyoto
We are delighted to share some exciting news—thanks to a wonderful opportunity, Keiko will be holding her very first Sashiko exhibition in Kyoto, at JR Kyoto Isetan.
The exhibition will feature a variety of her works, from Noragi jackets to bags and small accessories—each piece made with vintage fabrics and naturally dyed threads, expressing Keiko’s unique style and warmth. It’s a rare chance to see the fruits of years of stitching, created by Keiko and her fellow Sashiko artisans in Takayama.
Exhibition Details
- Dates: May 6 (Tue) – May 12 (Mon), 2025
- Hours: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM (Closes at 6:00 PM on the final day)
- Venue: JR Kyoto Isetan, 10th Floor – En Event Space
〒600-8555 Kyoto-shi, Shimogyo-ku, Karasuma-dori Shio Koji-sagaru, Higashi-shiokoji-cho
Throughout the exhibition period, Keiko will be present at the venue, except during meal breaks. This marks her first show in Kyoto, and we sincerely hope you’ll take this opportunity to experience our Sashiko in person.
While the space may not allow for workshops, we will have Sashiko supplies—threads, fabrics, and curated kits—available for purchase.
Unfortunately, I (Atsushi) won’t be able to attend this time… I wish I could be there in Kyoto!
Contents
Discover the Beauty of Freeform Sashiko
At the heart of Keiko’s Sashiko Exhibition in Kyoto is a simple but powerful intention: to share the joy, freedom, and quiet beauty of stitching with heart. Keiko’s Sashiko—cultivated through decades of hands-on experience in Takayama—is not about rigid perfection or replication. It is about rhythm, presence, and the small, intimate conversations between hand, cloth, and thread.
Vintage Fabric × Sashiko × Natural Dye
Each piece in the exhibition begins with vintage fabric—textiles rich in history, softened by time, and bearing the visible memories of a life once lived. These fabrics are not blank canvases but collaborators in the creative process. Keiko embraces their worn textures and imperfections, adding her stitches not to cover the past but to walk alongside it.
The threads used in her Sashiko are dyed naturally, using color from plants, roots, and minerals. These natural dyes deepen over time and shift with light and wear—just like memory. Combined with the geometric rhythm of Hitomezashi, Keiko’s preferred technique, they reveal a distinct texture: layered, thoughtful, and deeply personal.
Sashiko as a Living Tradition
Sashiko is not a static art. It has evolved through generations, regions, and circumstances. While it carries strong traditions, it also leaves space for transformation. In Keiko’s Sashiko Exhibition in Kyoto, this spirit of evolution is embraced fully.
Keiko honors the cultural roots of Sashiko while inviting each person to find their own rhythm, their own voice. This is not a practice defined by strict rules or fixed outcomes. It is a living process. Whether it’s a Noragi jacket stitched anew, a bag reimagined with care, or a small object meant for daily use, each item on display holds a story only hand-stitching can tell.
Stitching as a Response to the Modern World
In today’s world—where speed, productivity, and perfection are often the norm—Sashiko offers something different. It invites slowness. It values repetition. It honors the marks left by time, and it welcomes imperfection not as failure but as presence.
In Keiko’s work, even the smallest irregularities are meaningful. A stitch slightly longer than the rest, a tension not quite even—these become reminders that the hands were there. That the time was spent. That something was given with care.
This is the kind of Sashiko you’ll experience at Keiko’s Sashiko Exhibition in Kyoto. It is not made to impress from a distance. It is made to be held, used, and felt up close.
The Message Behind Every Stitch
Keiko often says, “The answer is within.” This exhibition embodies that belief. It’s not just a showcase of beautiful work—it’s an invitation. An invitation to explore your own relationship to fabric, to thread, to time itself.
Whether you are just beginning your Sashiko journey or have been stitching for years, this exhibition encourages you to see stitching not just as a technique but as a way of being. There is no single right way. There is only your way.
Visit Keiko’s Sashiko Exhibition in Kyoto
We warmly invite you to experience the textures, colors, and philosophies of Keiko’s Sashiko Exhibition in Kyoto, held at JR Kyoto Isetan from May 6 to May 12, 2025. Keiko will be present throughout the event (excluding meal breaks), ready to share stories and connect over the joy of stitching.
While space may not allow for workshops, a curated selection of Sashiko supplies—naturally dyed threads, fabrics, and kits—will be available for purchase.
Step into a space where Sashiko is alive, imperfect, and beautifully human. Let your hands and heart meet the cloth—and maybe, discover your own answer stitched quietly within.