Kyoya Dyeing Shop is a long-established dye shop that has continued for 100 years in the castle town of Ichinoseki.
While honoring tradition and culture, Kyoya Dyeing Shop’s products are also rich in design, including collaboration items with the outdoor brand Snow Peak.
Items like hand towels (tenugui) are easy to purchase and make perfect Ichinoseki souvenirs.
We really want you to know about Kyoya Dyeing Shop’s dedication to craft!
Our staff toured the shop and the factory, so please enjoy this as if you were visiting Kyoya Dyeing Shop yourself.
Strolling Through the Castle Town of Ichinoseki, Home to Kyoya Dyeing Shop — Feel the Tradition and Culture!
Ichinoseki, a castle town in southern Iwate Prefecture, is lined with venerable long-established shops.
The streets retain traces of the past, giving the area an atmosphere as if you’ve stepped back in time.
Here you’ll also find the 100-year-old, long-established Kyoya Dyeing Shop.
This is the exterior of the Kyoya Dyeing Shop. It’s a lovely shop that retains the atmosphere of a long-established business.
Unfortunately it was raining that day! We weren’t able to photograph the charming streetscape…
We’d also recommend a sightseeing plan where you slowly stroll around these long-established shops while taking in the townscape here!
《 Recommended nearby spots 》
Sekinoichi (a 3-minute walk from Kyoya Dyeing Shop)
Shoeido Main Store (a 3-minute walk from Kyoya Dyeing Shop)
Kyoya Dyeing Shop’s Signature Products — From Traditional Crafts to Snow Peak Collaboration Items!
Now let’s take a look inside Kyoya Dyeing Shop’s store!
Kyoya has obtained process certification at the top level of the world’s textile safety certification system, “OEKO-TEX Standard 100.”
Products crafted with time-honored, dedicated techniques, cherishing old traditions, are displayed with great taste.
At Kyoya, everything from design to dyeing and sewing is done in-house, so you can see the care put into every single piece.
From traditional dyed goods to products adapted to the changing times.
There were also collaboration items with the outdoor brand Snow Peak.
“LOCAL WEAR by Snow Peak”
These are products based on the traditions and culture of Ichinoseki, Iwate.
Using time-honored techniques while also being highly fashionable — they were wonderful products!
Clothing made with old wisdom and ingenuity looks very comfortable to wear.
There were also clothes tailored using traditional techniques that make you want to wear them as everyday wear.
And what surprised us was the versatility and craftsmanship of the tenugui hand towels!
Each color and pattern carries its own meaning, whether for good fortune or for conveying a sentiment.
Tenugui can be used to wipe sweat or hands, wrapped around a bento box, or in an emergency, torn into strips to repair sandals or shoes.
The “soft texture” that develops the more you use them is also part of their charm.
A traditional craft that Ichinoseki is proud of. It makes a perfect souvenir!
Dyeing Workshops Available Too! Here’s the Kyoya Dyeing Shop Factory
Next, we left the shop and were shown to the factory.
We heard that dyeing workshops are actually held at the factory!
We walked there through a park built on the former site of the guest house of the Tamura family, the lords of the Ichinoseki domain — a park with the charm unique to a castle town.
Amid the old-fashioned scenery, a Japanese-modern building appeared! It had a stylish look, quite different from the factory we had imagined.
We heard that “161” carries the meaning “the finest color,” reflecting the stylish spirit of a dye shop.
Because they work with design, we were told they place great importance on this kind of atmosphere even in the building itself.
This is the actual factory.
They happened to be making a custom-order item at the time.
At Kyoya Dyeing Shop, everything from design to dyeing and sewing is done in-house.
The customer’s individual preferences and feelings take shape here.
You can even experience dyeing workshops here!
“Open Factory Gokan-ichi (Five Senses Market)” is highly recommended!
A rare opportunity to experience refined traditional techniques firsthand. Please come and experience the real pleasure of craftsmanship in person.
(It was held in November 2019. Look forward to the next one!)
For Sightseeing and Souvenirs in Ichinoseki, Kyoya Dyeing Shop Is Highly Recommended!
Kyoya Dyeing Shop is about a 5-minute drive or 20-minute walk from BELLINO HOTEL ICHINOSEKI.
For details on their products and dyeing workshops, please see the link below.
Please come experience the tradition and history of Ichinoseki!!
