Using the traditional technique of hand-painted yuzen, artist Kosho Ogawa has been valuing the colors of the seasons. He has been operating a yuzen studio in Fushimi, Kyoto under the trade name "Kosho" for several years. One day, he received a request from a customer to create hand-painted yuzen other than kimonos. The client asked him to create "cloth as an interior object". The client was looking for colorful fabrics to open a store, and when he could not find what he wanted, he asked Mr. Ogawa to make it for him.

Ms. Nakamura, who was interviewed this time, said, "Yuzen is a traditional Japanese craft that uses Japanese colors. While valuing these colors and considering various objects, not only kimono, as "cloth art," he was asked by a customer to make a bag. I also heard that the customer used a fan as an inspiration for the creation of the ougi bag.

Around 2012, the company exhibited at the Tokyo International Gift Show. After exhibiting at the Maison & Objet Paris, the bags have since been sold in the museum store of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and select stores in Europe, the U.S., and Asia, and are highly regarded internationally.

Nakamura says, "The ougi bag is a tote bag that expresses the stylishness of Kyoto, where the inserted colors peek out from the inside, just like an open fan. The artist himself re-imagines and expresses traditional Japanese colors, such as sumi (black), inspired by the world of ink painting at Ginkakuji temple, and beni (red), inspired by camellias blooming in the bamboo forests of Sagano. Although the bags are created as cloth art different from yuzen, they are made of canvas, as customers have requested for sturdy bags. When you hear the word "canvas," you may have an image that it is heavy, but it is very light. Many people are surprised when they hold it once," he says.

From the popular "ougi" series using canvas with an original fan-like design, to the "ougi denim" of Okayama selvage denim woven by a traditional shuttle machine, and the "ougi nylon" popular for the elegant luster and beauty of Japanese nylon, etc., the "ougi" series has a variety of styles. Various styles are available, including tote bags, shoulder bags, and pouches. The nylon was born from a customer's request for a bag that would not get wet in the rain," says Nakamura. says Nakamura.

Some people choose their favorite color combinations, including limited edition colors sold seasonally and standard Japanese color combinations, while others choose sizes and shapes according to the amount of luggage they carry. It is also interesting that the more you use the bag, the more you get used to it, and the more it loses its shape a little, the more it becomes just the right taste. The price is also very reasonable.

Listening to customers' voices. This is one of the things that artist Mitsuaki Ogawa has thoroughly done, and one can feel a kind of human connection where Ogawa's desire to fulfill the wishes of the customer takes shape. While he has created various kimonos as a yuzen artist, the "ougi bag" was completed with the aim of creating a cloth art design that represents himself as a producer.

The "ougi bag" is the only design that no one else can imitate after obtaining the design rights. Mr. Ogawa wants to leave the next development using this design to the future, not to himself. He hopes that young people will use this design and breathe new life into the tradition.

Not only are the individual parts of this bag wonderful, such as the traditional Japanese colors, the fan-inspired design, and the sturdy and lightweight fabric, but everything works in harmony to create a bag that is easy to use and looks great with both Japanese and Western clothing. It is a long-lasting, long-selling product born in Kyoto.