Nishijin Asagi Museum

About Nishijin Asagi Museum

Three Defining Qualities:
-1,500+ Years of Heritage
-1,800-Point Jacquard Weaving – Considered for Patenting
-6A-Grade Silk – Also Used for Hermès Scarves

Nishijin Asagi Museum is a Kyoto-based museum and gallery dedicated to creating, exhibiting, and selling original woven artworks using Nishijin-ori—one of Japan’s finest traditional crafts, rooted in more than 1,500 years of textile heritage and refined across generations of skilled artisans. Traditionally used for kimono and obi, this exceptional craftsmanship is now being reimagined as collectible art that can be displayed and appreciated in contemporary homes, private collections, and public spaces.

The collection draws on traditional Japanese cultural motifs as well as selected masterpieces from Japanese and Western art, reinterpreting them as “masterpieces woven in silk” through the distinctive texture and luminosity of woven silk. Each artwork is woven by skilled artisans using high-grade 6A silk—the highest grade available for raw silk and a grade also used for Hermès scarves. Depending on the artwork, pure gold-leaf or pure platinum-leaf threads may also be incorporated.

These materials are combined with a proprietary 1,800-point Jacquard weaving technique that produces exceptional detail, color, texture, and visual depth. The technique is so distinctive that Nishijin Asagi previously considered seeking international patent protection. A single artwork can involve more than 20 master artisans working across more than 20 specialized processes, including artwork design, silk dyeing, thread preparation, loom preparation, and weaving.

Preparation can take several months, followed by several more months of weaving, making these works rare and impossible to mass produce. Each piece is produced in a limited edition and accompanied by an official certificate of authenticity issued by Nishijin Asagi Museum. These qualities represent a form of silent luxury value expressed through exceptional materials, time, and human mastery.

The artisans preserving these techniques have an average age of over 75, with the oldest active artisan aged 82. Much of their knowledge has been passed down through generations of practical experience and cannot be fully preserved in manuals. As the number of highly skilled Nishijin artisans continues to decline, the museum’s mission is to create a sustainable future for this craftsmanship by presenting Nishijin weaving as a living form of art for international collectors.

By acquiring a Nishijin woven artwork, collectors also support the artisans and become patrons of this living cultural heritage.
Kyoto Kaho is the authorized seller of Nishijin Asagi Museum artworks and manages the MutualArt partnership and international sales enquiries.