At Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto, French artisans draw inspiration from ancestral Japanese techniques

Report: Just ten years ago, the villa opened its doors to craftspeople. Since then, it has hosted French artisans in residence to foster a fruitful dialogue with their Japanese counterparts. This provides the latter with an opportunity to showcase ancestral techniques in an innovative way.

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In Japan, living spaces ( washitsu ) are not measured in square meters, but in the number of tatami mats, these floor coverings woven from rice straw and rush fiber: 6 for the bedrooms and the living room, 4.5 for the tea room. "Tokyo, Kyoto and Nagoya each have their own standard," explains master craftsman Mitsuru Yokoyama . "It is here, in Kyoto, that the tatami mat is the largest: 191 by 95.5 centimeters." In his workshop, located in the north of the former imperial capital, the manufacturer is receiving a visit this Monday in April from Marion Vidal, jewelry designer, and Domitille Martin, scenographer and visual artist. The two French women are taking advantage of their long-term residency at the Villa Kujoyama, Kyoto's equivalent of the Villa Medici in Rome, to discover local know-how and develop new forms. The first is thinking about bamboo ornaments, the second is interested in matsuri, traditional festivals originally dedicated to kami (Shinto deities). "I am particularly observing how rice straw can be set in motion and transformed into a costume or an installation," says the sculptor, who has already previously worked with another typically Japanese material, washi (handmade paper).

In front of the tatami mats, Domitille Martin wonders how plant fiber acquires its rigidity. In France, she tends to handle soft materials, such as Normandy linen. She takes a sample from her bag, which Mitsuru Yokoyama grabs curiously: "Can I keep it?" The Japanese man, who built boats in Australia before returning home in the 2010s to study the art of...

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