Kyoto Archive

Japanese archival art for contemporary spaces.

Kyoto Archive finds overlooked images in Japan's visual archives and presents them as prints for restaurants, hotels, studios and other interiors.

If you have a wall in mind, send us a photo. We can put together a small selection for the space.

Tell us about your space Explore the collection
Presentation mockup of Rooster and Hen with Hydrangeas in a thin black frame. A rooster with a red comb and long black tail feathers stands on a rock beside a brown hen, under a bank of blue and white hydrangeas on a grey-brown silk ground.

Presentation mockup

From the archive

20 works from the current collection. Titles, names and dates follow the source records.

A pink octopus hangs in the middle of a pale green ground with fish swimming around it: a red needlefish at the top, a pink sea bream at the lower right, and smaller silver and striped fish in between.
Fish and Octopusby Itō Jakuchū, 1765
Two orange-banded bracket fungi on dark red stalks stand alone on pale paper with handwriting at the lower left.
Two Bracket Fungiby Mōri Baien, published 1836
A huge skeleton leans out of a dark background over two seated figures at the lower left, its skull and rib cage filling most of the sheet.
Giant Skeletonby Utagawa Kuniyoshi
White, blue and yellow discs float over thin crossing stems on a deep aubergine ground.
Pale Discs on a Dark GroundFrom a Japanese design book
A bat with spread wings crosses a large pale moon on a gold-toned ground, in a plain black frame, with the artist's signature and seal at the lower right.
Bat before the Moonby Takahashi Bihō, 1910
A shaded ocean sunfish fills the sheet, white spots along its belly, surrounded by columns of handwriting.
Ocean Sunfish with Handwritten Notesby Kurimoto Tanshū
A woman with black hair held by long pins holds a small teacup on a red tray, wearing a purple patterned collar and black robe against a brown ground.
Naniwaya Okitaby Kitagawa Utamaro
Small children in dark robes and round white caps tumble across a pale grey field, one flying a green dragon kite.
Children at Playby Shimomura Gyokkō, published 1925
A hawksbill turtle drawn from above in fine detail, with handwritten columns beside it and its Latin name printed at the foot.
Hawksbill Turtleby Hattori Sessai, published 1875
A crowd of roosters and hens in black, white and brown, drawn in loose brush strokes on pale paper, with two chicks at the bottom edge.
Fowlby Itō Jakuchū
Three workmen lean over a large barrel in dense black brush strokes on warm grey paper.
Workmen Around a BarrelFrom the magazine Hōsun, published 1908. Captioned Kosugi Misei in the source.
A woman in a blue kimono stands under an apple tree holding a basket of red apples, on a tall narrow sheet.
Applesby Takehisa Yumeji, 1914
A carp curves down through the water in fine black lines on cream paper, with dark patches on its scales and ripples drawn around it.
CarpFrom Art Crafts for Amateurs, published 1901
A red tulip, yellow daffodils, a blue hyacinth and an anemone stand side by side on a warm yellow ground, each labelled in katakana.
Spring Bulbs on Yellowby the Tokyo Natural History Society, published 1910
A parrot with a yellow throat sits on a curving grey branch among blue-leaved roses on a black ground, with two red seals at the upper left.
Roses and Parrotby Itō Jakuchū
Two slim black silhouettes stand against a silver window grid, the sky behind them shading from green to cream.
Two Figures at a Windowby the Hiroo Shōeidō design department, published 1930
One peony opens across the sheet, its petals striped pink and white, on a long stem with broad green leaves.
Striped PeonyFrom a Japanese peony album
A woman lies back among rocks with two octopuses wrapped around her, with columns of text filling the top of the print.
The Dream of the Fisherman's Wifeby Katsushika Hokusai
A pale violet iris opens above green blades, its speckled petals framing a deep purple centre.
Japanese Irisby Eisai
A couple in heavily patterned robes lie together on a checked mat, with a lacquer box and a vase of plum blossom at the left edge.
From Selections from the Brocade Quarterby Kikukawa Eizan, about 1815

Art for your space

  1. 01

    Send us the space

    A photo is enough to start. Wall dimensions are useful if you have them.

  2. 02

    We make a selection

    We choose a small group of works based on the room, scale and atmosphere.

  3. 03

    Choose what works

    We can suggest sizes and groupings before anything is printed.

A simpler way to fill a wall

Many historical images are available through public archives. Finding the right ones is only part of the job. You still need to check the source, prepare the files, choose suitable sizes and get them printed well.

Kyoto Archive takes care of that for you.

Three A4 prints, selected for your space, from €50

Plus shipping. Printed locally where possible.

Tell us about your space

A selection for one wall

For a project we usually send three to six works, with suggested sizes and a simple wall mockup like the ones below.

Example selection: natural history plates for a restaurant wall. Presentation mockup, not an installation.
Example selection: two Jakuchū paintings and a Bihō print for a bar or café wall. Presentation mockup, not an installation.

Why Kyoto Archive

There is much more in Japan's visual archives than the familiar museum images.

Kyoto Archive looks through old books, magazines, design albums and illustrated publications for pictures that still work on a wall. Some were made by well-known artists. Others are interesting because the image itself still works.

We keep source information with each work and avoid unnecessary restoration or redesign.

Who we work with

Looking for art for a space?

Send us a photo of the room or wall and tell us what you are looking for. We'll put together a short selection from the archive.

No commitment is needed to ask.

We reply by email. Photos of the space can be sent in that thread.