Sayoko Hayashi creates monumental textile artworks from vintage Japanese fabrics, many of them reclaimed from old kimonos and other cherished textiles.
While rooted in the tradition of American patchwork, her work has evolved into a uniquely Japanese form of textile art, portraying traditional townscapes, landscapes, and cultural heritage with extraordinary precision.
Each large tapestry is entirely hand-stitched by the artist herself—a process that often takes years to complete.
Some of the fabrics incorporated into her works may represent textiles that are no longer produced in Japan, making each tapestry not only a work of art but also a quiet archive of Japanese textile heritage.
Hayashi first visits the site, observes its atmosphere and structure, and then translates her impressions into full-scale quilt designs.
Every stitch in these monumental works is sewn by the artist herself. She entrusts no part of the sewing to assistants, believing that each work should remain entirely the expression of a single hand.
Exhibition Period
October 22 (Thu) – October 25 (Sun), 2026
Opening Hours
Please note that opening hours vary by day.
Sunday, October 25: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 22: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 23: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 24: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Admission:Free
Venue
Annex Hall, The Museum of Kyoto
Evening Concerts at the Exhibition Venue
Special concerts will be held at the exhibition venue on the evenings of October 23 and 24.
Friday, October 23, 2026
Left-Hand Piano Concert
by Yasuyo Segawa
Doors Open: 5:30 p.m.
Performance: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Capacity: 50 guests (advance reservation required)
Admission: ¥3,500
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Guitar Concert by Masashi Mizobuchi
Doors Open: 5:30 p.m.
Performance: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Capacity: 50 guests (advance reservation required)
Admission: ¥3,500
Reservations and Inquiries
Please click here for reservations and inquiries.
- Please indicate your preferred concert in the subject line of your email by writing either “Piano Concert” or “Guitar Concert.”
- Please include your name and the number of tickets you wish to reserve in the body of your email.
- Seating is limited to 50 people for each concert. Your reservation is confirmed only after you receive a confirmation email from us. Sending a reservation request alone does not guarantee your seat.
- The admission fee (¥3,500) should be paid in cash at the venue on the day of the concert.
The Road to The World of Sayoko Hayashi’s Art Quilts 2026
November 10, 2025
Sayoko Hayashi is an artist who creates intricate quilted works depicting traditional Kyoto townhouses, historic architecture, and landscapes using antique Japanese textiles.
https://www.hayashisayoko.com
In January 2021, we had the pleasure of presenting an exhibition of her work at La Neige, our contemporary tea-room space in Kyoto.
This exhibition focused on Fushimi, the hometown shared by both the artist and La Neige. A large tapestry depicting a sake brewery was displayed at the entrance, together with the embroidery frame used in its creation. 
The first floor featured the original design drawings, patterns, and other materials illustrating the creative process behind this work. 
As the daylight changed, the works were occasionally illuminated by rainbow-like light. 
Throughout the exhibition, visitors could watch the artist creating a small quilt by hand. 
Framed works depicting scenes of Fushimi, gathered together with a map linking each work to its actual location. 
Visitors viewing the series depicting the four seasons of Sewaritei, Yawata. 
Uosaburo, a work depicting a traditional Japanese restaurant, was shown alongside a live Zoom view of the restaurant. The owner and proprietress visited the exhibition and joined the artist for a commemorative photograph.
Following her exhibition at La Neige in 2021, Sayoko Hayashi continued to create new works and expand the scope of her artistic activities.
From November 12 to 18, 2025, she held The World of Sayoko Hayashi’s Art Quilts 2025, a special exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of her creative career.
Around that time, I learned that this exhibition would be her final solo presentation at Gallery Nishiri, where she had exhibited her work for many years.
The large-scale tapestry of Fushimi Inari Shrine featured on the invitation card measures 252 cm in height and 170 cm in width. I was told that this monumental work, the twentieth large tapestry in Sayoko Hayashi’s career, would also be her last in this format.
After the completion of twenty large-scale tapestries and the celebration of the 25th anniversary of her creative career, I began to wonder whether it might be possible to present all of these major works together in a single exhibition. I also hoped to share some of the materials that reveal the artist’s creative process, including original drawings, patterns, and preparatory studies, much as we had done during her exhibition at La Neige in 2021.
At that very moment, I learned that the venue we are now planning to use for the exhibition was a place that Sayoko Hayashi had dreamed of exhibiting in since the early years of her artistic career.
For many years, I have believed that her work deserves a far wider audience. Rooted in the tradition of American patchwork yet created from antique Japanese textiles, her quilts depict townhouses, landscapes, and cultural scenes that evoke the essence of Japan. They deserve to be seen not only throughout Japan, but internationally as well.
I also hope that this exhibition will create new opportunities for encounters and discoveries: opportunities for more people to experience these remarkable works, and perhaps for textile specialists, curators, and researchers to shed further light on the historical and cultural significance of the rare fabrics incorporated into them.
For these reasons, preparations are now underway for a major exhibition in Kyoto in the autumn of 2026. The exhibition will bring together all of Sayoko Hayashi’s large-scale tapestries, alongside smaller works, design drawings, patterns, and materials related to her creative process. Two evening concerts are also planned during the exhibition period, allowing visitors to experience the works in a different atmosphere.
We look forward to sharing further details in due course.
Beyond their artistic beauty, these works may also hold significant value as records of Japan’s textile heritage. It is our hope that this exhibition will inspire new dialogue with museum curators and textile specialists, opening fresh perspectives on the materials woven into each tapestry.