Some memories are made by hand. Discover gold leaf and natural urushi at Wakabayashi, founded in Kyoto in 1830, and bring a little of your journey into everyday life.
Explore the workshops
The quiet glow of gold leaf. The depth and lustre of urushi. These materials have long brought beauty to spaces of prayer. Founded in Kyoto in 1830, Wakabayashi has worked with them through Buddhist altars and temple furnishings for nearly two centuries.
Here, the beauty you might usually admire becomes something you can experience with your own hands. Lay the leaf, brush on colour, and watch your piece slowly change. Back home, each time you use it, a moment of Kyoto returns.
A broken vessel becomes the beginning of something new. Join the prepared pieces with epoxy adhesive, then apply genuine gold leaf along the mended lines. As you work, the marks of repair become part of the vessel’s character.
This is simplified epoxy-based gold-leaf mending, not traditional urushi-based kintsugi.
With each brushstroke, a tumbler becomes a little more your own. Paint it with coloured natural urushi, discovering the richness of its colour and lustre as you go. A cup made on your travels becomes part of the quiet moments back home.
We use natural urushi lacquer. Your cup is heat-dried on the day and individually packaged to take home.
Begin with the story of the materials, then get to know the steps that will bring your piece to life.
Lay gold leaf or brush on urushi. Take time with the vessel in front of you, making it your own.
Set your work aside for a moment and taste a Kyoto sweet—a little pause to savour another side of the city.
Leave with your finished piece that day, carrying a memory of the time you spent creating in Kyoto.
A seven-minute walk from Kyoto Station. Make room in your itinerary for a hands-on encounter with Japanese materials.
All workshops require advance reservation. Email us with your preferred workshop, date, start time, number of participants and name. We will check availability and reply. Your booking is confirmed only after you receive our confirmation email.
View email booking detailsYes. Both experiences include same-day take-home. The urushi cup is heat-dried and individually packaged.
Yes. Your finished piece can be used for food and drinks. Hand wash only. Ask your host for full care instructions, including when you can start using it.
The cup workshop uses natural urushi, which carries a risk of skin reactions. Please take this into account before participating and contact us in advance if you have reacted to urushi before or have concerns.
This is simplified gold-leaf mending using epoxy adhesive and genuine gold leaf. Its materials and process differ from traditional urushi-based kintsugi.
Yes. We use basic English and demonstrations to guide you through the activity. Please note that fluent English commentary and interpretation are not provided, and we may be unable to answer detailed or complex questions in English.
147 Nishi-Sakaicho, Shichijo-dori Shinmachi Higashi-iru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8218, Japan
Get directions on Google Maps ↗More than something to bring home: a memory of making it. Let a piece shaped by your own hands become part of the journey that follows.
Advance reservation required — please book by email
Request a reservation by emailbutsudanbureservation@gmail.com
Please include your preferred workshop, date, start time, number of participants and name. We will check availability and reply. Your reservation is confirmed only when you receive our confirmation email; sending a request does not secure a place.
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