Notice: Closure of Kiwakoto Flagship Store

Notice: Closure of Kiwakoto Flagship Store

To all our valued customers,

Thank you very much for your patronage of “Kiwakoto Flagship Store”.
Kiwakoto Flagship Store will be closed from 27 December, 2022 until further notice.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the patronage of you all since the opening.
Business remains as usual via online, all branches of Matsushima Holdings and POP-UP store nationwide.

  

Date of closure:   at 6PM, 26th (Mon.) December, 2022
Contact after the closure:
A-STORY Inc.
Phone: +81(0)75-313-6135
Email: info@a-story.co.jp

  
 
We look forward to seeing you again.
  

Classic Elegance and Sports Automobile Art Exhibition presented by Kiwakoto October 30th (Friday) – December 27th (Sunday)

Classic Elegance and Sports
Automobile Art Exhibition presented by Kiwakoto
October 30th (Friday) – December 27th (Sunday)

  
  
   
About Exhibition     
Kiwakoto has the great respect to the art community’s contribution to our society as we share the same core value. We are taking an initiative to share these great values with more people through hosting an exhibition at our flagship store

We hope this will be the great opportunity for you to rethink about the happiness of owning your beloved car and joy of having the freedom to move.
This art exhibition is intended to reconfirm the beauty of the automobile in form the art.

  

“Automotive Art” is one of the rare exhibitions nowadays. It is one of the art categories highly valued worldwide.
The selected cars are all designed by the automobile designer. The “Automobile Art” can be defined as the second life art. Although the cars are considered as the industrial products, the artistic expressions made of the great inspiration of the artist and designer enable its sublimation with the car. In this first exhibition, we are inviting 3 artists:
Akira Watanabe: He has been appointed 3 years consecutively as the special guest of the highly renown exhibition, AFAS Automobile Fine Arts Society.
Mikio Okamoto: He has been creating the front page of the “CAR & DRIVER” magazine for 30 years.
Masanobu Ochiai: He has been building wood crafted cars at the 1:12 of actual size.

“The interpretation of these magnificent works is based on your emotion!” by Akira Watanabe / Miki Okamoto / Masanobu Ochiai.

  

  
Classic Elegance and Sports
Automobile Art Exhibition
presented by Kiwakoto

    
  

Exhibition Dates:
10/30/2020 (Fri.) – 12/27/2020 (Sun.)   
  
Location:  
Kiwakoto Flagship Store (10:30AM – 6:30PM) 

Akira Watanabe
He started to work for Tokyo Ad Designer Corporations in 1980 upon graduating from Tokyo Zokei University with the degree in Visual Design and Art. He has been pursuing as the freelance designer since 1985. He attended Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance at Automotive Fine Arts Society hosted by Automotive Fine Arts Society from 2015 for 4 years. Also, he has been exhibiting various times in both individual and groups.
Clients:
Toyota Motor Corp. / Honda Motors Corp. / Mitsubishi Motors Corp. / Land Rover Japan / Ford Motors (Germany and US) / Bridgestone / Hayakawa Publishing / Fuji Film / Tamiya Inc.
HP:www.akirawatanabe.com 

Mikio Okamoto
He was born in 1951 in Tokyo. Graduated from Kuwasawa Design Institute. He has been pursuing his career as the freelancer after gaining great experience from Japan Design Center. He specializes in advertising illustration of the book cover of the fiction books, children’s book, scientific magazines, posters, and packaging. He has been creating the front-page design for “CAR & DRIVER” since 1984. He has never driven the cars in his entire life, but he has the great passion toward the automobiles. He is also renown passenger rear seat critic.
HP:ajidesign.co.jp  

Masanobu Ochiai
He was born in 1955 in Komaki City. He has won the illustration contest since his student period. He became independent designer and established his design office in 1984 after gaining 6 years of design experiences from the design company. He gradually shifted his concentration to wood crafting, and established furniture making atelier, “Yukikou” in 1990. He has been exhibiting since 1998 and started to attend multiple renown exhibition in London and Taiwan while acting as the woodcraft instructor at Chunichi Cultural Center. Today, he focuses more on the Scratch building Wooden car over the furniture making.
HP:www.vm-c.com  

Kiwakoto Exhibition x KYOTO GRAPHIE International Photography Festival 2020

Kiwakoto Exhibition x KYOTO GRAPHIE International Photography Festival 2020

外山氏の作品
Kyoto Marugoto Museum Myokaku-ji Temple “CRAFTS / SYMBIOSIS / LIGHT” 2019 ©︎ Ryosuke Toyama

Kiwakoto Exhibition x KYOTO GRAPHIE International Photography Festival 2020

Details:
  
Kiwakoto is joining KYOTO GRAPHIE International Photography for the third times. Also, this is the first time to collaborate with the artist / photographer, Ryosuke Toyama, with his traditional ambrotype photography works of filming the significant Kyoto craftsmen to sustain the Kyoto traditional cultures throughout this exhibition held at Ryosoku-in Temple.

KYOTO GRAPHIE International Photography Festival 2020
外山亮介 | Ryosuke Toyama
導光 | LEADING LIGHT presented by Kiwakoto
  
【Location】
Ryosoku-in Temple
Kennin-ji Temple, 591 Komatsu, Higashiyama ward, Kyoto 6050811
  
【Exhibition Schedule】
Open: September 19th (Sat.) – October 18th (Sun.)
Close: September 21st / September 22nd / October 11th / October 12th / October 13th
  
【Artist】  
外山亮介 | Ryosuke Toyama
  
Profile:
Ryosuke Toyama was born in 1980 in the family of Tokyo Yuzen-Marbling craftsman. He started his cinematography career at TAIYO KIKAKU Co. Ltd. stationed at Daikanyama studio upon graduating from Chuo University. He also had served as the freelance assistant for NGO as he took the first step to be the photographer. He initiated the nationwide portrait project of the inheritor of the traditional craftsmen of his age. Mr. Toyama is greatly inspired by the beauty of the craftsmanship with an influence from his family business. It derived him to take an initiative to portray this significant craftsmanship by acquiring ambrotype photography, one of the photography methods from the earliest days. Today, he has moved to rural area of Kyoto to experience the lifestyle enriched by the nature to continuously self-discover his true value.
  
   


Comment from Ryosuke Toyama:

  
I filmed the portrait of those who has been contributing to the traditional craftsmanship from the eye of ambrotype camera. These are filmed at 1.5 minutes to 3 minutes shutter speed. This creates the moment for the craftsmen to reflect the past, today and the future. The photography at earlier era was believed to absorbs and takes away subject’s soul. This project also gives such feeling. My goal in this project is not just to film the portrait of individuals. I initiated this project to bring these souls to alive. The works of these craftsmen will be exhibited beside my works. I sincerely hope this exhibition brings you an experience of feeling the charm from both of my portrait works and these works of craftsmen. Post-COVID19 era left us to adopt the new lifestyle. The modern information technology has been enabling to create an artificial experience. This maybe will be accelerated in the future. I strongly hope this exhibition at such marvelous space of Ryosoku-in Temple becomes a great opportunity for you to reflect on the ongoing reality with your five senses.


Kiwakoto and Craftsmanship:

  
Kiwakoto was strongly aspired by the great initiative of KYOTO GRAPHIE in the integration of Kyoto community and art. Kiwakoto has been part of KYOTO GRAPHIE for the third consecutive years since its brand establishment with carrying highly valued inherited craftsmanship with the great inspiration along with the true traditional philosophy of the craftsmanship. Mr. Toyama’s portrait works portrays the history and the great inspiration of the craftsmen in only 1.5-minute time frame. These magnificent pieace of art from the craftsmen and their portrait resembles their lifestyles while it gives us a moment to reflect on our own lifestyles. Ryosoku-in Temple is the sub-temple of Kenninji Temple in Kyoto’s Gion district. It is the place where multiple cultures are integrated to build upon the multifarious tradtional craftsmanship. The exhibition at Ryosoku-in was enabled by the great contribution from Vice Priest Toryou Ito.
  
  
We are going through the era of reflecting on our lifestyle amid the post-COVID19. We are sincerely hoping to bring you an opportunity to get you exposed to this great inherited craftsmanship along with their inspiration and lifestyle through Mr. Toyama’s works.

February 10 (MON.) Kiwakoto Flagship Store opening hours change

February 10 (MON.) Kiwakoto Flagship Store opening hours change

Thank you very much for your continued patronage of our store.

The opening hours of Kiwakoto Flagship Store on Monday, February 10 are changed as follows.  
Thank you very much for your understanding.  
  
10:00AM〜12:00PM

From Tuesday, February 11th, it will be open from 10:00 AM to 7:00PM as usual.  
We apologize for the inconvenience, thank you very much.