(Above ) Womens Nagoya Obi - Celtic Medallion - ￥208,000
(Below) Mens Kaku Obi - Knot - ￥220,000
Photo - SHIOKAWA, Yuya.

A Celtic Memory - Hiroki Asano

"I grew up watching my father work, always facing his craft with total focus. I admired him, and that led me to join our family business, Shokuraku Asano 12 years ago.

When I visited Ireland in August, I was struck by the depth of history and culture woven into the landscape, and by the strength of its motifs and colours. Turning that experience into something I could express through Nishijin weaving, and bringing it to life as an obi, was a major challenge.

I hope you’ll be able to visit my first solo exhibition and see what I’m making now; work shaped by what I’ve learned from my father and at Shokuraku Asano, and by my own experiences along the way.

Hiroki Asano

Event Duration
February Friday 20th - Monday 23rd @ Ginza Motoji 

Click Here To Reserve a Seat

Artist Gallery Talk

Saturday February 21st 10-11am
Location : Ginza Motoji Waori Wasen

Exhibited Items; Talk in Detail

Sunday February 22nd 2-2:30
Monday February 23rd 2-2:30
Location : Ginza Motoji Waori Wasen

All talks are in Japanese, and are free of charge. Seat reservation is advised.

Meet The Artist

Hiroki Asano will be in store 11 to 7 from the 20th until the 23rd.

Weavers to the Sea - A Journey to Ireland

Take a look at the links below to read more about our visit to Ireland

Ireland Travel Diary (Japanese)

Ireland Travel Diary (English)

"Several months ago in Ginza, Keita Motoji of Ginza Motoji spoke with Asano Hiroki of Shokuraku Asano, a Nishijin-ori weaving house in Kyoto. Hiroki had recently begun exploring Celtic patterns as inspiration for kaku-obi (men’s obi), noting how their intricate interlaced motifs seemed well suited to the narrow, continuous form of the obi. From this conversation grew a larger idea: to travel to Ireland to study these patterns at their source and to engage with Irish art and craft directly. When Okuzawa Yoriyuki of the Yuki-tsumugi company Okujun heard of the plan, he quickly decided to join, accompanied by a staff member, Ando-san. In the end, five of us set out together, gathering in Dublin to begin the journey."

Learn More about Shokuraku Asano here

Inside the Atelier; Shokuraku Asano

Take a peek inside the process of making each piece in the Shokuraku Asano atelier via the link below.

Read Inside the Atelier; Shokuraku Asano here

About Shokuraku Asano

Founded in 1980 in Nishijin, Kyoto, Shokuraku Asano creates obi defined by a restrained palette and rich texture. Its foundation in Nishijin weaving, the work carries a distinct contemporary admired across Japan.

Led by Hirotaka Asano, the brand draws inspiration from a personal archive of art books, textiles, Japanese paper, and everyday objects collected from around the world. The obi are known for their unique character, each one with motifs distilled from sources such as antique lace, Western art, and Japanese tradition, shaped through texture, shadow, and light. Obi by Shokuraku Asano can be found worn by both women and men with an eye for style.

At the Shokuraku Asano exhibiton 8 years ago in 2018.
From left to right; Keita Motoji, Koumei Motoji, Hirotaka Asano, Hiroki Asano.