Kyoto Iori Weekly Machiya
Japanese Traditional Arts "Origin Program"
Experience the sophisticated world of the traditional Japanese arts
Our purpose in creating the ORIGIN Program is to offer a hands-on experience of traditional Japanese arts, taught in such a way that participants can appreciate the spiritual wisdom underlying the arts. By practicing a selection of core arts in succession, students are able to look past the details of each art form and begin to see what is common to them all. Through this program, students experience the origins of Japanese culture. For this reason we call our program the ORIGIN Program.
The core curriculum of the ORIGN program consists of classes in tea ceremony (sado), Noh drama dance (shimai), calligraphy (shodo), and the martial art waraku. We also provide courses in flower arrangement (kado), aizome indigo textile dyeing, and an introduction to ceramics.
There is nothing like this program elsewhere in Japan, and the insight that it offers is truly transformative. ORIGIN students will leave with a new appreciation for the Japanese arts and traditional culture.
Curriculum
The ORIGIN Arts Program offers courses in:
Tea Ceremony |
Each course will be arranged according to the client's preferences.
Courses can run for a half day, one day, two days, or longer.
Contents of the ORIGIN Arts Program
The
ORIGIN traditional Japanese arts program has been especially designed
by Alex Kerr and Iori Co. and is taught at Iori’s Sujiya-cho Kyoto
townhouse (machiya). The old warehouse behind the machiya has been converted
into an arts practice dojo, complete with practice Noh stage – the
only one of its kind in Kyoto. Despite the rich program content and the
attention paid to performing these arts correctly along traditional guidelines,
these courses are aimed at beginners. Alex Kerr has been offering this
kind of program to foreigners for the last 30 years, and the balance
and sophistication of the program have been highly rated by past participants.
The details of the program will be tailored to meet the participant's
wishes. ORIGIN programs are currently designed for groups of between
10 – 30 participants, but all inquiries are welcome.
Iori Arts Dojo (Iori Arts Practice Hall)
In the winter of 2004, Iori completed work on an arts dojo (practice hall), on the second floor of the building that houses our offices by Sujiya-cho. It's an extensive room, about 68 tatami mats in size. It is in fact the only arts dojo in Kyoto, a truly unique space. Inset into the wooden floor of the dojo is a full-sized practice Noh stage. The room has high ceilings, allowing it to be used for sword-wielding martial arts. We now have the ability at this facility to offer a fully integrated program in one location.
Reservation and Inquiry
Please use the application and inquiry form for further information about the ORIGIN Arts Program.
