Kyukyodo: printing by hand since 1663
Why a single postcard from Kyoto is still worth sending
A shop older than most postal systems
In 1663, Kyukyodo opened in Kyoto — first as a maker of medicine, then of incense, and finally of the fine papers and writing tools used by the Japanese court. More than three and a half centuries later, it still stands, now with its famous flagship in Ginza, Tokyo.
Few objects you can buy today have been made, uninterrupted, for that long.
The seasonal silk-screen postcard
Each color on a Kyukyodo postcard is a separate silk screen, pressed by hand, one layer at a time. A single design can take many passes — and many held breaths. The motifs follow the seasons: a branch, a bloom, a fruit that appears for a few weeks and then is gone until next year.
That is why the card feels less like stationery and more like a small, dated object. It marks a moment.
Why it matters
Good paper doesn't just carry information. It carries the temperature of the hand that wrote it, and the slowness of the time it took. In a world of cold screens, a hand-printed card is a quiet act of attention.
Before the season slips away — why not leave a tangible mark?
A Found Object from Unwrapping Studio. Ships across the UAE and the Middle East.