| 京源とは



1910年、日本に古くから伝わる「家紋」を着物に描く前の工程を担う職人「紋糊屋」として初代 波戸場 源次が「京源」を創業する。その後、二代目の波戸場 源が着物に家紋を手で描く職人「紋章上繪師」となり、三代目 波戸場承龍、息子の耀鳳へとその技術を受け継いでいる。


2010年、京源三代目 波戸場承龍・耀鳳親子が工房「誂処 京源」を立ち上げ、昔ながらの手描きの手法にデジタル技術を導入し、家紋による新たな表現を作り出すデザイン会社に転向。日本の伝統的な意匠と現代感覚を融合させ、オリジナル家紋をはじめ企業やブランドへのデザイン提供、アート作品、服飾雑貨、パッケージデザイン等ジャンルにとらわれず様々なモノやコトに家紋デザインを数多く手掛けている。


Works

オリジナル家紋デザイン/プロダクトデザイン/パッケージデザイン/家紋アート作品制作



| Kyogen is



“Kyogen” was originally established as a place of “Mon-nori-ya” artisanal work, where the artisan handled the processing prior to the hand-painting of Kamon (family emblem) on kimono. The next generation to follow then went on to become Monsho-uwaeshi (the artisan who hand-paints Kamon on kimono), which is a traditional form of art that has been passed down in Japan since ancient times. This masterful technique has been handed down to this day through generations of the family business.


In 2010, "Studio Kyogen" was launched. Through the introduction of digital technology into this time-honored hand-painting methodology, the company was transformed as a design company with the ability to create new ways of expression through the use of Kamon. "Kyogen" continues to blend traditional Japanese design with the modern sensibility of today, working with a diverse range of genre, from original Kamon designs to interior decoration, artworks, fashion goods, packaging design and production, just to name a few.


Works

Design of Kamon/Product design/Package design/Art piece



波戸場 承龍



京源三代目 紋章上繪師



着物に家紋を手で描き入れる紋章上繪師としての技術を継承する一方、家紋の魅力を新しい形で表現したいという想いで、2007年より家紋のアート作品を制作。紋章上繪師ならではの「紋曼荼羅® MON-MANDALA」というオリジナル技法を生み出す。家紋やロゴデザインの域を超えて、森羅万象を描き出す職人兼デザイナーとして、あらゆる分野のデザインに挑戦し続けている。著書に『紋の辞典』（雷鳥社）/『誰でもできるコンパスと定規で描く「紋」UWAEMON』（彩図社）がある。


NHK Eテレ デザインあ「もん」出演/もん制作 他



Shoryu Hatoba



The 3rd generation of Kyogen
Monsho-uwaeshi / Kamon artist & designer



While utilizing his expertise as a Monsho-uwaeshi, an artisan who hand-paints Kamon on kimono, Shoryuʼs long-standing passion for expressing Kamon in a new light was finally fulfilled in 2007 when he began the production of Kamon artworks. His distinctive technique of “MON-MANDALA®” is filled with the unique perspectives earned as a Monsho-uwaeshi. As an artisan as well as a designer, the subjects of his art is everything in the universe, which enables him to continuously expand his field beyond conventional Kamon and logo designing. He is also actively involved in the “Mon” section within the NHK Educational TV program, “Design Ah!”



波戸場 耀鳳



紋章上繪師



工房「誂処 京源」の立ち上げを機に家紋とデジタル技術を掛け合わせた多種多様なビジネスモデルを構築。デザインの宝庫である家紋が常に身近にある環境で育ち、8歳から始めた書道で培われたバランス感覚で、シンプルでミニマルなデザインを行う。父 承龍とともに、家紋の魅力を国内外に発信している。著書に『紋の辞典』（雷鳥社）/『誰でもできるコンパスと定規で描く「紋」UWAEMON』（彩図社）がある。



Yoho Hatoba



Monsho-uwaeshi / Kamon designer



Upon the establishment of the studio, “Kyogen”, Yoho develops a diverse business model where Kamon and digital technologies are integrated. He spent his childhood always surrounded by a variety of Kamon, a veritable treasure trove of design influence. At age eight, he started learning calligraphy and acquired a sense of balance, which eventually brought him to delve into the world of simple, minimalist designs. Along with his father, Shoryu, he plays an active role in conveying the charm of Kamon through workshops and lectures targeting different generations and people abroad who are not familiar with the concept.



| 紋章上繪師とは



着物に家紋を手描きで入れることを「紋章上繪」と言い、その職人を「紋章上繪師」という。極細の筆を付帯した竹製のコンパスと定規を巧みに操り、円と線だけで繊細な家紋を墨で描き入れる職人技は、江戸時代より伝承された伝統技術として、国の選択無形文化財に選択されている。家紋が人々の生活に根ざしていた江戸時代に最も活躍したが、現在では殆ど失われつつある職業のひとつ。京源の波戸場承龍と耀次は、紋章上繪師としての技術を継承し、その技法を応用しながら、家紋デザインの魅力を表現し続けている。



| Monsho-uwaeshi



Monsho-uwae refers to the technique of hand-painting Kamon on kimono, and Monsho-uwaeshi is an artisan who performs it. Drawing Kamon takes seemingly simple tools – a ruler and bamboo compass with a superfine brush attached to it. The craftsmanship of this art requires utilizing these tools ingeniously and drawing delicate Kamon – combinations of circles and lines – with Sumi ink. This tradition dates back to the Edo period when Kamon were naturally part of peopleʼs lives. Nowadays, Monsho-uwaeshi is considered to be a vanishing profession and its unparalleled technique is registered as an intangible cultural property. Shoryu and Yohji Hatoba continue to apply their skills as Monsho-uwaeshi to spread the value of Kamon designs.



| 円と線



家紋は正円と直線のみで構成されている。複雑な曲線も、紋章上繪師の道具である分廻し（竹製のコンパス）で、大小の正円を巧みに繋ぎ合わせて描かれる。江戸時代後期に活躍した浮世絵師、葛飾北斎が「万物はつまるところ方（四角）と円に尽きる」という言葉を遺しているように、日本ではものごとの本質を捉え、それ以外の部分を極限まで削ぎ落として表現するという引き算の美学が存在する。まさに日本ならではの家紋デザインには、本質だけを捉えた「円と線」の美しさが宿る。



| Circles and Lines



Kamon solely consists of perfect circles and straight lines. Even intricate curved lines are drawn by skillfully connecting large and small perfect circles using Bun-mawashi, a compass made of bamboo that is one of the essential tools for Monsho-uwaeshi. Just like Katsushika Hokusai, an Ukiyo-e painter of the late Edo period, left behind the phase“Every object can be drawn using the relationship of the circle and square”, the “aesthetics of subtraction” is one of the significant ways of characterizing art in Japan. The true nature of things is precisely captured while removing as much of what remains as possible, thus embodying the concept of “less is more.” The designs of Kamon are highly unique to Japanese art, beautifully representing nothing but the essence using “circles and lines.”



| 家紋とは



日本固有の紋章で、苗字とは別に代々受け継がれてきた家の印。貴族のみが使用を許されている西洋の「紋章」とは異なり、誰もが持つことができるのが日本の「家紋」である。森羅万象をモチーフにし、円と線によって構成されたデザインには、人々の想いや願いが込められている。平安時代より約1000年もの長い年月を経て継承され、現在では5万種類以上のデザインがあるとされる。伝統的な慣習のひとつであるが、使用に関しての自由度が高く、複数の家紋を持つことや、個人で紋を持つことも可能である。



| ABOUT KAMON



The term Kamon refers to family crests that are native to Japan and are inherited through generations, but it is noteworthy that they are separate from family names. Unlike “heraldic crests” in Western culture which serve as the symbols for aristocrats, “Kamon” in Japan can be held by anybody. Kamon uses everything in the universe as its motif, and the designs that consist of circles and lines includes peopleʼs passion and wishes. The Kamon has approximately 1000 years of history since the Heian period and it is said that there are as many as 50,000 distinctive designs of Kamon today. Although Kamon is one of the traditional customs in Japan, its usage is highly flexible and some people holding multiple and others having personal symbols that represent oneʼs identity.



| 紋曼荼羅®︎



家紋の構成要素である正円と線に注目し、手描きで描く際には表わすことのない「円と線の軌跡」を可視化して描く、波戸場承龍オリジナルの技法、及び、アート作品を紋曼荼羅®と呼ぶ。家紋をアート作品に昇華させた表現方法であり、紋章上繪師の経験に裏打ちされた感覚で描かれる曲線が、独特な世界観を生み出す。家紋のみならず、ありとあらゆる森羅万象を無数の円の重ね合わせで表現する。紋曼荼羅®の名称は、サンスクリット語の曼荼羅という言葉の「丸い」という意味に由来する。



| MON-MANDALA®︎



MON-MANDALA® represents a unique technique developed by Shoryu Hatoba as well as his artwork, where the “traces of circles and lines” are intentionally visualized unlike traditional methods of drawing Kamon. In this technique, Kamon is sublimated to a form of art, creating a distinctive worldview with curved lines that are produced through years of Shoryu’s experience as a Monsho-uwaeshi. Not to mention Kamon, absolutely everything in the universe can be expressed by integrating countless circles. The term MON-MANDALA® is derived from the word “Mandala” in Sanskrit, meaning “circle.”



三本開き傘
Three Umbrellas



干し網
a casting net



丸に木瓜
a design of bird's nest



徳川葵
Hollyhock leaves



鶴の丸
Crane





Kyogen Inc. | Shoryu Hatoba

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