Matsuzakaya Ueno Store is renewing the noren (shop curtain) that hangs at its first-floor north entrance arcade, with the new curtain on display from Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Matsuzakaya has walked alongside the town of Ueno since it expanded into Edo in 1768 (Meiwa 5), and the noren is an important symbol of the history and traditions of its roots as a kimono shop (gofukuten). The new noren was made not as a simple replacement but as an initiative to carry the strength of local craftsmanship into the future. It was carefully dyed at Maito Design Works (マイトデザインワークス), a workshop in Kuramae, Taito Ward, that practices traditional plant-based dyeing (kusakizome). While inheriting the history of a noren that has welcomed customers for many years, the store presents it as a piece that will write a new chapter together with the town of Ueno, sharing the appeal of the area and its traditional techniques.
Matsuzakaya Ueno Store special page
Utagawa Hiroshige, "Shitaya Hirokoji" (from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, published in 1856)
The Store's "Face," Dyed by Local Craftspeople
In Edo, indigo-dyed noren that combined durability and beauty were widely used, and dyeing techniques developed along the way. Even today, Taito Ward carries on a rich variety of craft culture, including dyeing, leather goods and other crafts. Matsuzakaya Ueno Store resonated with the techniques and culture rooted in the area and asked Maito Design Works (マイトデザインワークス), a plant-dye workshop in Kuramae, Taito Ward, to make this noren. Through careful dyeing by the workshop's craftspeople, a piece that combines history and local character was completed.
Store Manager Tries Indigo Dyeing and Gets a Feel for the Value of Handed-Down Craft
While the new noren was being made, the store manager of Matsuzakaya Ueno Store, Yamazaki, visited the workshop and tried indigo dyeing. Hearing about indigo-dyeing techniques and the thinking behind locally rooted craftsmanship, the manager experienced the process of dipping cloth into the indigo dye. The deep color of indigo does not come from a single dip, and is achieved by dyeing the cloth again and again. Through the experience, the manager gained a renewed appreciation for the techniques passed down from earlier generations, the gifts of nature and the value of the craftspeople's handwork.
Unveiling of the New Noren
The new noren will hang at the first-floor north entrance arcade of Matsuzakaya Ueno Store from Wednesday, October 7, 2026.
Carrying on its history of walking alongside the town of Ueno, the new noren has been reborn through the handwork of local craftspeople. Matsuzakaya Ueno Store says it will continue, as a department store rooted in the community, to share the appeal of traditional techniques and craft culture and to nurture its ties with the area.
