About
The Ryokan Collection

Our Dedication
The Ryokan Collection is the world’s first consortium of luxury ryokan traditional Japanese inns and Japanese small luxury hotels. For the past decade, we have been introducing exciting new discoveries and experiences guests from around the world.

Japanese ryokan can trace their history back over 1,300 years. These small, family-run inns, many of them clustered in hot spring towns throughout Japan, have, over the centuries, developed Japan’s special style of hospitality, called omotenashi. Today over 35,000 ryokan throughout Japan provide this special brand of premium service.

Currently, The Ryokan Collection consists of 47 ryokan members, all of them representative Japanese inns that have passed our rigorous inspections.

This traditional hospitality and Japanese way of meticulous service have been the main reason behind the success of family-run ryokan businesses for centuries.

The style of service is a little different from what you might find at a conventional luxury hotel. Ryokan usually offer two meals for each night’s stay, breakfast and dinner. The ryokan’s chefs procure fresh local ingredients each day, then cook and serve them in the freshest, most delicious state possible. To serve the meals in peak condition, the timing of the meals is determined by the ryokan.

Delicious meals, friendly staff and relaxing onsen hot springs are the main reasons behind the huge popularity of ryokan in Japan.
These traditional inns are usually located far from the big cities, surrounded by rich nature and close to natural hot spring sources.

These locations make it possible for you to experience all kinds of unique and fascinating local beauty and culture. When you stay at a ryokan, you have lots of opportunities to see some incredibly beautiful scenery and explore new places. For example, you might visit a sake brewery with an introduction from the ryokan’s manager, or you could meet craftsmen who make the handmade pottery used in the inn.
These encounters and discoveries add to the fun of staying at a ryokan.

We look forward to introducing you to some of the best food and hospitality available in Japan, and helping you experience the unique charms of various regions of our country. These are authentic experiences of the rich culture that the Japanese have nurtured for centuries.

Let us show you to Japanese culture, introduce you to warm-hearted local people, and help you discover delicious new foods that you may have never tried before. Let us help you to find a new appreciation of Japanese culture through experiencing the luxury ultimate lifestyle.

Hiroki Fukunaga
Founder and CEO
The Ryokan Collection
Our Logo
This original kamon crest represents the Ryokan Collection philosophy of communicating the ritual, nobility and refinement of Japanese hospitality to the world with a wisteria flower. Noble families since the Heian Period (794-1185) have loved wisteria and have used it as a symbol of fecundity, with the many blossoms representing a multitude of descendants. Similarly, we hope that the international guests who stay at our hotels and ryokans will come to see the beauty of Japan and each unique region, finding ever more reasons to return. Since around 1300, the same time ryokans come into existence, kamon crests have been used to represent family lineages. For the modern world, we hope this kamon will come to represent the lineage of beauty and ritual that is the Japanese ryokan.
Designers
Monsho-uwaeshi / Kyogen Inc., CEO: Shoryu Hatoba (Photograph right)
Born in 1956.
Recognized for his talent during his early childhood, Shoryu received specialized education from his father Minamoto to become a Monsho-uwaeshi. Through his inheritance of the family trade of hand-painting Kamon on kimono as a Monsho-uwaeshi, his desire to keep the tradition of Kamon alive but in a new light only grew stronger, and at the age of 50, he began production of Kamon artworks by hand. The game-changer was when his son Yohji taught him how to use Adobe Illustrator in 2010. Shoryu then began expressing his art of Kamon in the digital world, expanding his realm of expression, and embarking on a new service for the family business with the concept of “Kamon as a design”. His activities extend far and beyond as one of the few artisans and designers in existence today, combining both the skills for handcrafted work and digital work for this traditional form of art.

Monsho-uwaeshi : Yohji Hatoba (Photograph left)
Born in 1983.
From a very young age, Yohji was surrounded by his father Shoryu’s Kamon work. With the launch of “Studio Kyogen” as an eye-opener for him on design, he began learning how to use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop on his own. Growing up with a constant source of Kamon within reach, the technique of Japanese calligraphy he began at the age of 8, and the balance of knowledge he acquired through such teachings, have all been pivotal in his design work today. As he continues to train in the art of Monsho-uwae, under the guidance of his father Shoryu Hatoba, Yohji spreads the word of Kamon and its appeal… both within Japan and abroad.
About Kamon
What is Kamon or Mon (Family Crests)
The term Kamon refers to family crests that are native to Japan. In ancient times, the Kamon was created to serve as a unique emblem to represent each family’s identity, separate to that of the family name. It differs from the “heraldic device” used by European countries, in that anybody can have one. Kamon is a unique culture and tradition that can only be found in Japan.
The use of Kamon began with “Shinra-bansho (All of Nature)” as its motif, and has nurtured to its existence today for over 1,000 years. It is said that there are over 35,000 distinct individual designs passed down into existence today.
The role of the Kamon has varied throughout the eras. The fact that the designs hold a close familiarity for Japanese people while also being highly flexible, today, the Kamon are not only used as family crests, but can also be seen in a wide variety of settings, such as original Mon designs in the world of traditional performing arts and as logo designs for companies and commercial facilities.
Contact - Kyogen
3-2-4, Higashi-Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo,
110-0015 Japan
Mail: info@kyogen-kamon.com
Website: kyogen-kamon.com