Street talk Store talk

In December 2006, a mid-Edo (late 17th century) lens made of carved crystal was found during an excavation at Takoyakushi-sagaru, Miyukicho-dori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto. It was thought to have been used for reading, and was a found in pristine condition despite long burial in the ground. A guide to Kyoto published in the latter half of the 17th century, known as the "Kyojaku Sotsui," records the existence of an optician’s store near the site where the excavations took place. Further research revealed that the eyeglass shop was run by a man named Kichibei Tamaya.

Eyeglasses first reached Japan in the late Muromachi period (late 15th century). Records of military commander Yoshitaka Ouchi speak of his receiving gifts of glasses and a telescope from Portuguese missionary Francisco Xavier. Later, many craftsmen who had eeked out a living by traditional "tamazukuri" (the making of glass beads) were able to survive in the new field of eyeglass lens polishing. By the middle of the Edo period, polishing of crystal spectacle lenses by glass bead craftsmen was widespread in Kyoto, Osaka, and Edo, and highly skilled opticians rapidly appeared on the scene. This was the background to the excavated lens mentioned above.
Then, in 2007 -- some 300 years after those early opticians fought to outshine one another in lens making techniques, the "KANEKO GANKYO-TEN Kyoto Store*" was opened in the very place where the Edo-period lens was found (*when opened, the store was called the "COMPLEX+ Kyoto Store"). But KANEKO OPTICAL had planned to open that store before the excavation, and had no inkling there had been opticians here during the Edo period. Perhaps “fateful” is too strong a word, but neither should this be dismissed as mere coincidence. Somehow we were drawn to this place through the medium of eyeglasses.

The address of KANEKO GANKYO-TEN Kyoto Store, 378 Funaya-cho, Miyukicho-dori Takoyakushi-sagaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, strikes Japanese from other cities as quite difficult to understand. Most locals, however, quickly know which part of Kyoto this refers to. Miyukicho-dori runs north-south through the city of Kyoto. Some say the name comes from the fact that Toyotomi Hideyoshi used this street when he visited the imperial palace, others that it refers to angels on excursions. Traveling south from the intersection with east-west running Takoyakushi-dori, with the Imperial Palace at your back, you will reach KANEKO GANKYO-TEN. You get a deep feel for the history of Kyoto, laid out in a checkerboard pattern more than 1200 years ago as Heian-kyo, the capital city. Approaching the area near the store, there’s a complete change from the hustle and bustle of earlier. Only one block in, the Kyoto atmosphere envelops the walker, and you become part of the local life within a big city.
Design of the Kaneko shop building follows a unique approach and interpretation of the traditional machiya (town house) architecture consistent with Kyoto's landscape preservation ordinances, and blends in as if a long established part of the neighborhood. The overhanging eaves, latticework, and roof were treated as art, with glass medallions inserted on the ends of the copper eaves. Restrained but innovative details contribute to a timeless charm which persists even in this new Reiwa era.

Kyoto is a city CRAFTSMAN craftsmanship and live. It is also a town where people with a deep understanding of CRAFTSMAN and discerning eyes live, benefiting from their high technology. That is Kyoto. It has been 16 years since "KANEKO GANKYO-TEN" was born in such an area.
Considering the history of this town, we are still newcomers. We want to be able to hold our head high as one of the many Kyoto shops who value the skills and spirituality of its craftsmen above all else. Connected to our eyeglass-making predecessors of 300 years past, we are gradually building our own history.