Illuminating tradition

For 10 generations, the Kojima family has made ‘Kyo-chōchin’ lanterns by hand in Kyoto, preserving a meticulous craft while exploring its possibilities. Founded during the Kansei era of the Edo period, Kojima Shoten is one of the few workshops still practising ‘jibari-shiki’, a traditional method in which individual bamboo rings are formed, bound with thread and covered with handmade washi paper. Today, brothers Ryo and Syun Kojima work alongside their father and a team of craftspeople, bringing new energy to the centuries-old practice. While remaining deeply committed to its techniques, they have expanded the lantern beyond its traditional settings, creating contemporary lighting, installations and collaborations – with brands such as Dior – that introduce the craft to new audiences. Through bamboo, paper and an intuitive understanding of structure, their lanterns transform light itself: softening it through washi to create an atmosphere that feels at once luminous, calm and quietly contemporary.