Experience Nordic embroidery and weaving up close
Step into the world of authentic handicrafts that add color and joy to your life.
Yamanashi Hemslöjd aims to enrich daily life by learning and applying the principles of Nordic traditional handicraft (crafts for the home that are both useful and beautiful) to everyday living.
Since 1971, we have introduced excellent Nordic domestic handicrafts to Japan, and have strived to introduce and propagate Nordic handicrafts through numerous book publications, exhibitions, and classes focusing on embroidery and weaving. To date, over 50,000 people have been creating works utilising techniques learned in our classes. For over half a century, in cooperation with the Swedish Handicraft Association and the Danish Guild of Craftsmen, we have transmitted works by artisan craftspeople to the world, including traditional Japanese handicrafts. At the same time, we strive for international cultural exchange and joint projects with artists and creators.
Having gained international experience at our London office (1985-1999), galleries and offices in Copenhagen (2000-2007), and a gallery in Stockholm (2014-2022), we have returned to Omotesando in 2023.
Furthermore, in 2014, we established the NPO Yamanashi Hemslöjd, a Nordic traditional handicraft promotion association. Through this organisation, we engage in activities to preserve traditional handicrafts, pass on techniques, and develop cultural projects. We hope that as many people as possible will experience the appeal of the various handicrafts cultivated by Nordic people in their daily lives, and the beauty of designs that continue to be loved over time.
“Hem” in Hemslöjd means “home” in Swedish, and 'slöjd' means 'handicraft'.
Authentic traditional crafts
Yamanashi Hemslöjd was founded in 1971 by Mikiko Yamanashi, who was studying weaving in Sweden, under the patronage of the Swedish National Association for Handicraft. It has since been accredited by the Danish Guild of Handicraft and the British RSN (The Royal School of Needlework). Through holding exhibitions, running classes and correspondence courses, and developing shops, she has energetically introduced Nordic and British weaving and embroidery to Japan.
What Yamanashi Hemslöjd wants everyone to know through exhibitions and classes is the joy of authentic handicraft that adds color to your life. "Authentic handicraft" refers to
- The use of reliable quality materials that do not betray craftsmanship
- Advanced techniques supported by tradition
- Designs and patterns honed by history
It is supported by these three points.