竹とすだれ 西河
初代近江屋源兵衛は、天保2年（1831年）葭すだれ商として京都にて創業。本年で創業194年を迎えます。
二代目が宮中や武家階級でしか使えなかった御簾を一般にも使えるように考案し普及させました。
それまでザルなどの日常の道具が多かった京都の竹細工を、茶道・華道の文化を取り入れ、【京すだれ】とともに現在の【京竹工芸】への礎を築きました。
夏は暑く、冬は京の底冷えと言われる「京都盆地の気候風土」が「良質の竹」を育てる好条件となっており古くから京都では竹の加工や作品作りが伝統とともに紡がれてきた歴史があります。『西河』は素材選びと伝統の技術をまもることにこだわっています。
Bamboo and blinds Nishikawa
The first generation, Omiya Genbei, founded the company in Kyoto in 1831 as a reed blind merchant. This year marks the 194th anniversary of the company’s founding. The second generation designed and popularized bamboo blinds, which were previously only available to the Imperial Court and the samurai class, for general use. Until then, Kyoto bamboo crafts had focused on everyday items such as colanders, but by incorporating the cultures of tea ceremony and flower arrangement, he laid the foundation for Kyoto bamboo crafts as we know them today, along with Kyoto blinds.The climate of the Kyoto Basin, known for its hot summers and bitterly cold winters, provides ideal conditions for growing high-quality bamboo, and bamboo processing and crafting have long been a tradition in Kyoto. Nishikawa is committed to selecting materials and preserving traditional techniques.