Work with a Twist

Temple Workwear

Work with
a Twist

Located in Kyoto’s Kamigyo Ward, Koshoji Temple is known as “Oribe Temple” for its connection to Furuta Oribe, a feudal lord, tea master, and disciple of Sen no Rikyu.

Humor, asymmetry, and playfulness. Oribe’s unique aesthetic is known as “Hyōge.”

Samue is traditional workwear worn by monks for daily tasks like cleaning and chopping firewood. SOU・SOU adds a touch of Hyōge through its distinctive textile designs.

※ Koshoji Temple is usually closed to the public, except for special openings in autumn and other occasions.

Even movement is
part of the practice.

“Practice in motion far surpasses practice in stillness,” taught Zen Master Hakuin, who revived Rinzai Zen.

Zen practice extends beyond meditation into daily tasks like sweeping, wiping, and carrying. The traditional form of samue evolved through these everyday activities. ※Zen Master Hakuin (1686–1769): A Rinzai Zen monk of the Edo period, known for revitalizing the declining Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism.

Step into a World of Color

We live in an age when people are growing increasingly distant from temples. Traditionally, a temple is a place to reflect on oneself and seek the truth. Put more simply, perhaps it is a place to discover what makes us truly “cool.”

But what does being truly cool mean?

I believe it is more than simply wearing beautiful shapes and colors or surrounding ourselves with them. What matters is developing the sensitivity to become part of those shapes and colors.

I sometimes describe the feeling of becoming one with color as “entering a tunnel of color.”

To me, truly cool people are those who continually refine their sense of beauty. And I believe a temple is a place for that refinement.

I hope you will wear this samue during the moments that matter to you and discover your own brilliant, radiant self.

Head Priest of Koshoji Temple (Rinzai Zen Buddhism)

Rev. Kosai Mochizuki もちづき こうさい

  • • 2008 Entered Daitokuji Temple’s Zen training monastery and trained for approximately seven years.
  • • 2015 Appointed Head Priest of Koshoji Temple of the Rinzai school.

Textile design /Oribe

Oribe is a visual style named after Furuta Oribe, a pupil of Sen no Rikyū (the foremost tea master), under whose guidance it was first produced.
The unique shapes and vivid patterns were manufacture in large quantities according to Oribe’s taste.
Oribe ware introduced a truly new and bold vision to a ceramics tradition that had previously favored somber, monochrome designs. (Katsuji Wakisaka)


As a “kabuki mono” (who dares to be different), Oribe create a unique aesthetic sensibility to express his fascinating personality.

Koshoji Temple (Oribe Temple), Kyoto

Usually closed to the public, Koshoji Temple was founded in 1603 by Furuta Oribe, who appointed his Zen master, Kiin Enni, as its founding abbot.

In front of the Unryoan tea room, named after Oribe’s Buddhist posthumous name, stands a sunken stone washbasin about two meters deep. Oribe Hall houses a wooden statue commissioned by his great-grandson.

Later, accused of rebellion by the Tokugawa shogunate, Oribe was forced to take his own life alongside his sons. His wife, Sen, built a temple within the grounds, spending her remaining years praying for her family.

Today, the graves of Oribe and his five sons, along with Sen’s stone memorial, remain on the temple grounds.

Autumn Special Opening 2026

Nov 14 (Sat) – Dec 13 (Sun), 2026

Known as “Oribe Temple” for its ties to tea master Furuta Oribe, founder of the Oribe tea school. Usually closed to the public, the temple opens for autumn foliage viewing. Oribe Temple × SOU・SOU samue is available during this period.

Address
：647 Kamitenjincho, Horikawa-dori Teranouchi-agaru 2-chome, Kamigyoku, Kyoto
ＨＰ
：https://www.ko-sho-ji.jp/
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