The history of Hiyoshiya began during the late Edo Period (1750-1850) when the first owner Sumizo Nishibori opened a Japanese-style umbrella (wagasa) shop near Honkaku-ji Temple in Gojo, Kyoto. Simizo relocated the shop to Tozaicho, Kamigyo-ku, and then the second owner Yosajiro Nishibori relocated the shop again to the front of Dodo-no-gosho (aka. Hokyo-ji Temple), a temple where imperial princesses had been the chief priests. The shop made wagasas for over a century with the third owner Izaburo Nishibori and the fourth owner Emiko Nishibori.
Hiyoshiya is currently the only wagasa manufacturer remaining in Kyoto. The fifth owner Kotaro Nishibori and other craftsmen have inherited the traditional techniques and have kept the business going.
Often used to add color to tea ceremonies and traditional performing arts such as Noh and Kabuki, wagasas are essential decor in Japanese culture. Today they are widely used as display items and a means of advertisement at Japanese-style inns, restaurants and hotels. They are also popular as souvenirs for people who live overseas.
Wagasas manufactured in Kyoto are called “Kyo-wagasas.” They are treasured as traditional handicraft items which convey the atmosphere of Kyoto. There are well-known wagasas including “honshiki-nodate-gasa” for outdoor tea ceremonies and “janome-gasa” used by maikos (apprentice geishas) in Gion.
Their honskiki-nidate-gasa wagasas were used at the welcome ceremonies held at Katsura-rikyu Imperial Villa when Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana visited Japan.
Since their establishment, they have been selling wagasas mainly to people who are in the tea industry or are kimono manufacturers. However, in order to allow wagasas be utilized by a wider range of people, they recently established a website and began selling wagasas to the greater public in Japan and overseas.
Kotaro Nishihori, the fifth owner of Hiyoshiya, says “With our motto