Kanaami-Tsuji
Best for: heritage homewear
From his atelier at Kanaami-Tsuji near the Kodai-ji temple, tattoo-clad owner Toru Tsuji carries on the kyo-kanaami metal-weaving techniques his ancestors have been practising for three generations. Departing from the craft’s centuries-old traditions, he infuses his intricate designs with modern sensibilities, resulting in tofu servers, tortoise-pattern wire baskets and bamboo-handled tea strainers that are as pretty as they are durable. Even older is Naito Shoten, a traditional cleaning supplies store that has occupied the same wooden building just west of the Sanjo Bridge since 1818. Ryokan innkeepers and temple caretakers come here to buy shuro palm brooms and stiff-bristled scrubbers made from natural fibre which the store sources from carefully vetted artisans around the country.
Website: kanaamitsuji.net
Kyoko Kawai, Hisoca’s ownerChris Schalkx
Hisoca
Best for: ceramics
At Hisoca, a snug concept shop just west of the Imperial Palace, owner Kyoko Kawai selects mostly made-in-Japan ceramics, glassware, brass cutlery and other dining room fixtures that, in her words “make you happy”. Highlights on the wall-mounted shelves include earthen nabe pots (a Japanese hot pot with a lid), octagonal plates from Okayama, Osakan wooden trays and smoked-glass cups made by a local studio.
Website: hisoca-online.com
Good is Good
Best for: rotating exhibitions
The minimalist Good Is Good, opened by an artist couple (he’s a painter, she makes sculptures from brass and plants) near the atelier-packed Kita-ku ward doubles as an art gallery, ceramics store and teahouse. Rotating exhibitions with works by the owners and their artistic friends dictate the store’s erratic opening hours.
Website: goodisgood-kyoto.com
Kyoto cityscapeChris Schalkx
Saluk
Best for: contemporary designs
Craft gallery Saluk, in a small village on the way to the forest-fringed Kurama-dera temple north of town, is a pint-sized showroom for Kyushu-born owner Kanako Kai’s metalware, which she creates in her workshop at the back of the store. Among her contemporary designs are silver-laced chopstick rests and brass catchalls – but it’s the tin sake cups, sought after for their flavour-enhancing qualities, that most customers end up taking home. Beyond metal goods, the shop also stocks whimsical bowls and sculptures by Toyama-based glass artist Takaki Miyamoto and earthy ceramics from Hokkaido and notebooks bound in reclaimed kimono fabrics.
