Founded in the Lanes of Gion
Midnight Aurora Crest was established in 1947 by master craftsman Hiroshi Yamamoto in a narrow machiya townhouse on Gionmachi Kitagawa — the same address we occupy today. Hiroshi had trained for fifteen years under the legendary Tanaka Chochin workshop, learning to split bamboo to a width of two millimetres and to lay kozo washi with absolute precision.
In the years following the war, Hiroshi believed that restoring the glow of traditional lanterns to Kyoto's streets was an act of cultural healing. His first commissions came from the Yasaka Shrine and local machiya innkeepers preparing for the Gion Matsuri.
A Living Lineage
Hiroshi passed the workshop to his son Masao in 1978, who expanded the studio's range to include stone tōrō carving and interior andon lighting. Masao introduced careful documentation of each lantern's construction — a practice that allows us to recreate historical pieces for shrine restorations across Japan.
Today, Hiroshi's granddaughter Keiko Yamamoto leads the atelier. A graduate of Kyoto City University of Arts, Keiko has brought a refined contemporary sensibility to the studio while maintaining absolute fidelity to ancestral technique. Every commission passes through her hands before it leaves Gion.
Gion, the World, the Light
We now serve clients across Japan and internationally — from private collectors and Japanese garden designers in Europe to ryokan proprietors and Shinto shrines undertaking restoration works. Our lanterns have been featured in NHK documentaries, international design publications, and permanent collections of cultural institutions.
Commissions are accepted for all types and scales of lantern work. We welcome visitors to our Gion atelier by appointment, where you can observe the full process from bamboo splitting to final lacquering and calligraphy.