About

MAKING a case for heritage Japanese materials.

Kyoto Research Institute is dedicated to the study of Japan’s rich natural resources and traditional techniques that craft what we call "heritage materials."

Our mission is to research, educate, and inspire practical application of these materials in everyday living.

In exploring the cultural and ecological significance of these materials, our global community can execute more responsible planning and development, no matter the area of specialty. This is why we create educational mediums based on our research, to inspire how we may integrate these materials in-real-life.

Our work is not about innovation—it is about rediscovery. By looking to local traditions of the past, we arm ourselves with better tools to navigate some of the most pressing issues today, and build a more thoughtful and sustainable collective future.

KyotoResearchInstitute_京都研究所_botanicaltea
  • WHAT WE DO

    Create educational mediums to inspire practical application of heritage materials.

CREATE EDUCATIONAL MEDIUMS

Kyoto Research Institute transforms research into mediums that promote tangible engagement.

  1. Publishing: books and other printed matter to educate and inspire

  2. Programs: curriculum for schools and businesses to promote interactive learning

  3. Products: practical products and art pieces merging functionality with cultural significance

  4. Production: multi-media content creation to reach a spectrum of learning styles

  5. Places: curated spaces and exhibitions to deliver heritage materials through a sensory experience

KyotoResearchInstitute_京都研究所_indigo

STUDY HERITAGE MATERIALS

We combine findings from anthropological fieldwork with expert insights.

Our studies take place within hyper-local communities, where we conduct ethnographic research, observe regional ecology, document generational knowledge, and examine historical texts. We then work with highly-specialized experts to establish metrics to measure and validate our findings, and prove its value as a modern sustainable material.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL FIELDWORK

  • Build relationships

  • Gain access

  • Receive trusted introductions

FOUNDATION

DISCOVERY

  • Interviews and other multi-media recording

  • Sampling of materials

  • Learning and practicing techniques

  • Transcription

  • Identify historical texts, art, and artifacts for additional context

  • Cross-reference adjacent studies

INTERPRETATION

SUSTAINABILITY CATEGORIES

  • Climate, biodiversity, agriculture, foraging, forestry, energy, air, wildlife, waterways

  • Policy making, taxation, cash flow, government grants, innovation, portfolio management, labor

  • Education, infrastructure, community, humanitarian, communications, artistic expression

KyotoResearchInstitute_京都研究所_MomokoNakamura_中村桃子
  • Kyoto Research Institute connects the dots between local intelligence and global application.

KyotoResearchInstitute_京都研究所_team

OUR TEAM

  • Kyoto Research Institute 京都研究所 Sawane Kato

    Sawane Kato

    Assistant Associate

  • Kyoto Research Institute 京都研究所 Misa Murata

    Misa Murata

    Research Associate

  • Kyoto Research Institute 京都研究所 Momoko Nakamura

    Momoko Nakamura

    Founding Partner

  • Kyoto Research Institute 京都研究所 Toshiaki Nakano

    Toshiaki Nakano

    Partner

Kyoto Research Institute was founded under the direction of Momoko Nakamura. Her interest in fieldwork across the archipelago is rooted in over 20 years of communicating and educating on cookery culture and the food system. The Institute’s research now extends beyond food, exploring a wide spectrum of the materials that create Japanese living, and shares these learnings in the form of educational programming, products, publishing, and places.

THE EXPERTS

  • Toyoki Iwao

    Marine Biology

  • Kazuma Matsuki

    Tsuchikabe Earthen Walls

  • Riku Matsuzaki

    Kyoto-style Indigo

  • Masako Nakagami

    Pottery

  • Kyoko Yoneda

    Regional Tea Revitalization

All of our research is performed in conjunction with experts in the area of study. With their help we are able to experiment together, discuss very real challenges and possibilities, and access more intel in the field to continue to gather the most comprehensive and responsible story possible.

CASE STUDY

HERITAGE MATERIAL-INFORMED DESIGN

LOGO

The logo is an evolution from hanko carver, to graphic designer, to hanga artist.

In Japanese, research is kenkyu 研究. Made up of two characters which allude to mastering the art of polishing. The first character 研 (polish) is derived from the classical character 幵. And this is where we take our inspiration. Ultimately, the logo to the right, is no longer a character or word. It is meaningless yet meaningful. It is a nod to the earth’s strata, folk craft, ancestral storytelling, the microseasonal calendar, and the mountains and sea that make up this archipelago. It is also an ode to the techniques that take natural resources and make them into heritage materials.

COLORS

The colors are sourced from the DIC Color Guide of the Traditional Japanese Palette. Each offers greater context to the socio-political climate, terroir, and sensibilities across time.

DIC N-960 Sumiiro

HEX #1C1C1E

DIC N-959 Kuriiro

HEX #2F2417

DIC N-815 Hiwairo

HEX #756616

DIC N-952 Nibiiro

HEX #726557

DIC N-962 Kunugi

HEX #A37160

DIC N-780 Usukouiro

HEX #DFD0B5

DIC N-881 Asagiiro

HEX #0C7C94

SUMIIRO The color of calligraphy ink in traditional Japanese paintings. While the Chinese ink has a blue undertone, the Japanese ink has a brown undertone.

KURIIRO Chestnut, hazel, and the like that contain a large amount of tannin, produces this black color with brown hues in the botanical dyeing process.

HIWAIRO An austere yet refined color that was used frequently from the Momoyama Period (1568-) through the Edo Period (-1868) as a product of the proliferation of tea ceremony.

NIBIIRO A historic color of Japan, it is a grey with green and brown undertones.

KUNUGI The color of textiles worn by commoners. Brown did not exist until after the Heian Period (794 - 1185). Instead, easily accessible nuts and tree bark were used to achieve this hue.

USUKOUIRO The lightest hue produced by steeped clove tree to dye textiles. A slight scent is paired with the color.

ASAGIIRO A traditional color of Japan, named after a slight blue hue mingling with a Japanese leek. It is an ode to the color that appears for a split second during the indigo dyeing process.

Contact

info@kyotoresearchinstitute.com