Kyo-Yuzen Leather / Bifold Wallet / Aster (Shion)

Product Description

Product Story

General Product Information

We reviewed the shape of conventional folded wallets and created this one by focusing on a smaller, more compact size, moderate storage capacity, and ease of handling.
Although it is the size of the palm of your hand when folded, it can neatly hold bills, cards, and coins.
The coin pocket has a deep gusset, so coins are easy to see and easy to put in and out.
The beauty of the bifold is that it provides quick access to the contents, making it less stressful to take in and out, and it also has a reasonable amount of storage capacity.
This model is recommended for those who prefer compact wallets but find trifold mini wallets unwieldy.

Leather model
This is an all-leather model whose outer fabric is not silk but leather.
The leather is not printed, but dyed one by one by utilizing the technique of Yuzen.
We developed leather suitable for coloring with a tanner in Himeji, and use our own dyes,
This allows us to freely dye different patterns on the leather.

 Product History

When did these crafts start to craft?：400 years ago / 1600AD / Edo period in Japan

Kyo-yuzen originated with Miyazaki Yuzenzai, a fan painter (a craftsman who paints pictures on fans) who was active in Kyoto. During the Edo period (1603-1868), a law was issued prohibiting extravagance and calling on people to be thrifty.  As a result, extravagant kimonos with gilding, tie-dyeing, embroidery, etc. were banned. However, it developed "Kyo-yuzen" a colorful and beautiful dyed kimono, which was a cutting-edge fashion that attracted the attention of the masses.

Craftsman Story

Craftsman Profile

Masahiro Ikeuchi
Masahiro Ikeuchi was born in Kyoto City in 1981. While attending university, he was inspired by the works of his father, a Yuzen artist, and decided to join the family business of hand-painted Yuzen dyeing. He studied design under the katazome artist Kazuko Shibuya while in university. Later, he apprenticed under his father to learn the techniques of hand-painted Yuzen dyeing. Alongside creating kimonos as part of the family business, he also challenges himself by combining traditional techniques with modern sensibilities to create new values, such as scarves and fashion accessories that bridge the past and future.

Craftsman Passion

"Creating New Beauty with Traditional Techniques"
In an industry where division of labor is the norm, our studio is one of the few that handles everything from design to production. With the philosophy of "conveying the beautiful spirit of Japan through Yuzen dyeing," we cherish classical traditions while actively engaging in new initiatives that connect these traditions to the future.

  

Your Contribution to Craftsman

Customer Voice

Due to the market structure (link for full articles are attached bottom), craftsman have not known who the customer is and how customer reacts to their work. We made a “Message to Craftsman” box at purchase page. We will deliver all message to every craftsman. Our review will be also shared to craftsman so please leave your comment and evaluation on review section!

Income for Craftsman: Craftsman get only less than 10% of selling price?

As written above, craftsman have not controlled last phase of sales channel that resulting in selling price is set by third-party without craftsman’s recognition. There are some cases that only less than 10% of selling price is given to craftsman. We promise with our customer / craftsman that we offer the fair trade with craftsmen in our contract!

We made an article about above problem and our challenge. Please have a read from below link.
Current state of the Crafts Market / Benefits brought by Suigenkyo

Measurement

Width：9cm
Depth : 2.5cm
Height : 10cm
Weight：65g

Material & Caution

Materials

Cowhide

 

Caution

Individual Difference

Each piece is handmade, so there are individual differences even in the same series. We hope that you will understand the change by handmade.

Delivery Date

Please note that it will take about 1~2 months for delivery if we do not have the item in stock.