Nishijin Textile Center

photo by lienyuan lee · CC BY 3.0

photo by Lundariokn45 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Every hour, for free, a show of kimono woven in the district that gives the technique its name.

Nishijin is the district that since the fifteenth century has produced nishijin-ori, a technique for weaving kimono on the loom with gold and silver threads worked into the weft: it takes its name from here, from the western camp (nishi jin) of one of the armies in the civil war that devastated Kyoto between 1467 and 1477, after which the artisan weavers came back to settle in this area. In the centre's hall, every hour, a free show of nishijin-ori kimono lasts about ten minutes; for a fee you can also try weaving on the loom or wearing a junihitoe, the twelve-layered robe of the Heian court ladies.

The centre, run by the district's weavers' cooperative, serves as a showcase and as a living museum of the technique.

ℹ️ Open 10:00–16:00. Free admission to the exhibition, free kimono show every hour. Loom weaving experience 2,200 yen (about 40 minutes, booking required); twelve-layer robe experience 16,500 yen (about 90 minutes, booking required).

🚉 Imadegawa · 10 min walk

Sources: kyoto-kankou.or.jp · jalan.net

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