Japanese have revered from old times the Universe and what it contains, such as the cycle of the seasons, convulsions of nature and even small insects. That Japanese outlook on the world is expressed with one color of black sumi ink.

The patterns are made using "kachin-zome." Kachin-zome is a Kyoto yuzen dyeing technique with a 400-year history, and it uses sumi ink dissolved in glia (glue). Enjoy the gradations of the sumi, hand-printed. Above the soft, ethereal patterns are traced pure red embroidery. The theme of the embroidery is the Japanese language itself. There are angular kanji characters, each representative of a concept. Connected by the red thread, they seem like they could begin to move at any moment.... Then there are hiragana (a Japanese alphabet of sorts), fluid and curved. The sounds they make (like "puto-puto," "horo-horo," and "kuwaai") are not words in themselves but rather onomatopoeia, recalled from long ago and somehow familiar and calming to Japanese people.

KYO-TO-TO hopes that Japanese culture and tradition will be passed on by people looking at, listening to, feeling, using and enjoying the beauty of the forms and sounds of Japanese language and traditional techniques. It aims to contribute to new developments in embroidery, and its designs come from that aim.

	The red coloring is made with dye kind to the environment and featuring cocoon powder left over when silk is refined. No organic solvents. Has a special gloss and texture. Versions with red embroidery on a white background is also available.

			Theme: The Japanese Language at Play The patterns in these designs depict the changes of the four seasons in Japan. On top of these, Japanese characters have been embroidered. The package and its contents not only look beautiful, they are also useful and intriguing. The great thing about these items is that they are just as fun for those who don't read Japanese as for those who do.