Embroidery panel with water fall, Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum Collection

Kyoto embroidery well developed in the pre-modern era of Japanese history thanks to the great demands from feudal households, temples and shrines. However, during the Meiji period (from 1868), this traditional craft began experiencing great drawbacks as artisans lost patrons due to the abolishment of the feudal system and the weakened position of Buddhist temples as a result of the anti-Buddhist movement at the time. Consequently, the embroidery industry in Japan looked to foreign markets for business. In doing so, the extent of embroidery application suddenly widened, leading to the creation of not only embroidered paintings for pure appreciation, but also embroidered items such as folding screens, tapestries, curtains, and table cloths that would befit western interior.