Who is KIYATA?
Our artist/brand name KIYATA is taken from a Sinhala word, one of the languages of Sri Lanka which means ``saw``.
KIYATA is a wooden craft brand started by Shinobu Moshino and his wife Yuka – the two of them both had special connection with Sri Lanka so they picked this word liking the sound of it coming from a far away land.
While Shinobu was working as a contemporary artist, together with Yuka, who is excellent in pleasing guests, as a husband and wife team they started having this idea of creating interior spaces that can add some fantasy to people’s everyday living.
Ever since they started KIYATA in 2008, the two have been trying to create meaningful and thoughtful handmade products while continuously questioning today’s consumer-driven culture.
Our Concept
Imagining the place that is hidden deep in the forest where creatures are pleasing their non-human guests...
KIYATA’s works are created within a story like this.
KIYATA caravan continues traveling while collecting small pieces in the forest. Like how a baby is born during the travel, a wedding happens, building a house, or dressing up for parties and festivals….our works are created just like they are born to meet with you at each of the special events in life. We feel as if we are traveling through the KIYATA forest while sculpting wood pieces everyday. That is how we create our pieces.
Some of KIYATA’s works may not be as practical as they can be, but they hold exceptional power to dream up a story. We wish our pieces will be loved just like one of the family members even with a special name given to them and enjoyed for a long time.
Shinobu and Yuka Moshino
Founders of KIYATA