Yoshikawa entered the family dyeing business at the age of 18, eventually becoming the 4th generation of Yoshikawa Sensyo. Kyo-yuzen is one of Japan's leading traditional crafts, beautifying women since the Azuchi-Momoyama period (late 16th century). Hiroya Yoshikawa, a sensyo (master dyer) who has been in the business for 140 years, has produced many kimonos with highly skilled craftsmen. Yoshikawa challenged himself to express the "beauty" and "glamor" of women not as kimonos but as works of art, using traditional techniques as they are. Yuzen patterns are characterized by curves and auspicious designs. He finds a similarity between this tradition and women in the beauty of curves. In the kimonos worn by women, the women themselves are never depicted, but in this experiment Yoshikawa depicts a mixture of the women themselves and the patterns, creating a world of glamor and beauty. In yuzen, the pattern is dyed into the fabric. Lines are drawn, colors inserted, steamed, and washed away with water. This process is repeated many times, and the thickness of the layers of color created by dyeing on pure silk and the world created is very transparent yet profound.