About
MIssion
Kyoto Research Institute is dedicated to the interdisciplinary research of heritage Japanese materials for the advancement of sustainable living solutions worldwide.
In Japan, we call “to live” or “to create living“, i-shoku-jyu. Literally clothing-food-home. These are the three sectors that form the Japanese art of living. It’s fibers, dyes, and textiles. Agriculture, cookery, and waterways. Architectural structures, gardens, and furnishings. What’s compelling about these three sectors of living is that they are basic needs that have overtime transformed into forms of beauty and expression. This is why the words textile-food-home is not only a synonym for “to live” but also encompasses the notion of “to create living”.
Farmed or foraged local natural resources that take shape through heritage practices and techniques, become the materials of i-shoku-jyu to support, ease, or enhance living. They are innately environmentally and socially responsible, and serve as vital hints for how we may live more sustainability, no matter where we call home.
Kyoto Research Institute is poised to lead the world in the appraisal, documentation, and responsible proliferation of ancestral Japanese materials. It is identifying the practical application of these materials that is at the heart of our Institute.
REASON
Japanese heritage practices and techniques aren’t being used to their fullest potential.
Locked in language, geography, or culture
Not practical given today’s ecosystem
Why is this an issue that should be raised?
Japanese heritage practices are inherently regenerative and our global community can learn from and leverage the thousands of years of knowledge that is packed into these techniques. Intelligence that could very well serve as key hints as to how we may approach some of the most pressing issues of our times.
However, it is not enough to talk about, write about, photograph, celebrate, or share ancestral practices and technique. It’s in its use that it remains valuable.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
ANTHROPOLOGY x sustainability
In our study of heritage Japanese materials, we take an in-depth localized anthropological fieldwork approach, paired with other scientific measurements. We structure our research by diving into three categories: environmental sustainability, operational sustainability, and cultural sustainability. This architecture helps us to navigate and prioritize what can be an infinite universe of information and opinions.
From here, we partner with likeminded partners to experiment and educate so that these learnings can transform into tactile and practical use cases. As only then, does heritage Japanese materials live on and serve us where we need it most.
All while documenting the entire process to democratize the sharing of this wise intel, as well as to ensure that future generations have access to high-quality yet readable reference 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
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Climate, biodiversity, agriculture, foraging, forestry, energy, air, wildlife, waterways
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Policy making, taxation, cash flow, government grants, innovation, portfolio management, labor
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Education, infrastructure, community, humanitarian, communications, artistic expression
THE TEAM
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Sawane Kato
Assistant Research Associate
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Misa Murata
Research Associate
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Momoko Nakamura
Founding Partner
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Toshiaki Nakano
Partner
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Kei Suehiro
Assistant Research Associate
Kyoto Research Institute was founded under the direction of Momoko Nakamura. Momoko’s interest stems from 20 years of communicating and educating on cookery culture and the food system, informed by anthropological field research across the Japanese archipelago. The Institute’s research now extends beyond food, expanding into both textile and home, with the growing understanding that each pillar of Japanese living originates from a single terroir.
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.
THE EXPERTS
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Toyoki Iwao
Marine Biology
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Kazuma Matsuki
Tsuchikabe Earthen Walls
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Riku Matsuzaki
Kyoto-style Indigo
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Masako Nakagami
Pottery
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Raica Toyama
Traditional Cookery
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Kyoko Yoneda
Regional Tea Revitalization
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