2. I’m sure each shop has its own characteristics. As examples, what are the characteristics of your shop and other notable stores?

Mr. Tachi: One characteristic of my shop, Yakata, is that more than 70% of the items are purchased directly from customers. Many good-quality antique art works are lying in the warehouses of prominent households in Kyoto. When these households decide to sell, in a process called kuradashi [warehouse clearance], we can get our hands on antiques that have not been circulating. Such previously hidden items are called ubuni [new stock], and they are very popular among collectors. When there is a warehouse clearance, I buy not only the works of art but also small items, like dishes, that have been used by that household for generations. Households that have good antiques also have good cutlery and other everyday items. Because of the large number of new items, others in the antique business come to my shop to make purchases, and collectors regularly visit to see if we have any rarities.

Let me introduce a few shops that handle different things. First of all, there is Chingireya, which specializes in old fabric, that is, fragments of cloth with a long history, such as the jodai-gire of the Asuka [593–710] and Tempyo [729–749] periods, the meibutsu-gire of the Kamakura [1185–1333] and Muromachi [1336–1573] periods, and the jidai-gire up to about the end of the Edo period [1603–1868]. For instance, when mounting an old painting, ideally fabric of that period is used. Chingireya is well-known both in Japan and overseas. Foreign museums often come here to purchase fabric either as a type of Eastern art or for use in mounting paintings for display. The shop also has other items on sale, such as reasonably priced purses using fabric pieces of the Edo period. Apparently in the back of the shop there is also jodai-gire fabric from Shosoin [the treasure house at Todaiji temple].

Another shop is Tessaido, which specializes in Japanese paintings and hanging scrolls. The shop’s sign was written by none other than Saneatsu Mushanokoji [1885–1976], which is testimony to the fact that this famous novelist was a customer a long time ago. Inside the shop, from the floor to the ceiling the shelves are crammed with long, narrow boxes containing numerous famous Japanese paintings. Tessaido also differs from other shops in that it provides appraisal services for works by famous Japanese artists. For example, it evaluates the authenticity of works by such well-known artists as Yoson Ikeda [1895–1988], Chikkyo Ono [1889–1979], and Fuku Akino [1908–2001], all of whom were recipients of the Order of Culture.

Finally, let me mention Konjaku Nishimura, which specializes in kimono and items made from pieces of kimono. This shop, which is well known to connoisseurs, handles kimono and old fabric that used materials and techniques not available today. I won’t tell you any names, but I often see some famous actresses doing their shopping there.