 mbroidery is the process of gorgeously and magnificently adding color to obi belts and beautiful, colorful kimonos. Japanese artisans who are skillful with their fingers hold the sewing needle like a paintbrush. They have taken embroidery to new areas as an art form through rich expressionism and surprisingly meticulous work.
The roots of embroidery techniques were brought to Japan up to 1400 years ago from China along with Buddhism. At the time, a style known as ?Shubutsu? was a popular form that expressed Buddhist images through embroidery. In the year 794, Nuibenotsukasa, a group that unified embroidery artisans, moved to Kyoto and established themselves there. This was known as the beginning of the Kyonui style, and artisans began their work of beautifully embroidering the kimonos of nobility in the area. Then around the 13th century, thanks to the economic prosperity of ordinary citizens, Kyonui embroidery spread throughout Japan and the elegant culture of Kyoto blossomed. Today, Kyonui has become a traditional art of Kyoto, and among the embroidery styles throughout Japan, Kyonui is said to be the very finest.
Nuishou Inagaki?s own Embroidery Master Yoshimi has been certified as a traditional craftsman. Nuishou Inagaki has for generations continued to pass down the art by accepting female students. In the previous generation, her mother has the first woman to be recognized as a master artisan of Kyoto, where Kyonui embroidery was known as a man?s work. Master Yoshimi grew up watching her mother work at her embroidery worktable, and in this environment this is where she probably refined her sensibilities. The works of art that Master Yoshimi produces overflow with creativity that attracts the elegant refinement of Kyoto.
Master Yoshimi says that there are many types of embroidery around the world, but Kyonui embroidery?s specially features are that the silk it uses brings out a fantastical elegance. Embroidery made with high-quality silk does not degrade even after 100 years have passed. In Kyonui, a flat thread is pulled back straight and used so that it doesn?t twist. One strand of thread is a bundle of 10 to 12 even smaller super-fine strands. Master Yoshimi has an intimate knowledge of the special qualities of this thread, and she assembles it with threads that produce volume weaved by her own touch, with the flat threads that have a brilliant polish to them according to the design she wants to express. Then she freely moves her hands to do the stitching unique to Kyonui embroidery. These techniques she has mastered produce shading and the feeling that the images are standing out at you, and create expressions that are unique to Kyonui embroidery. When looked at from up close, you would probably be surprised at the variety of colors her technique expresses.
Bringing out the highest sense of different qualities is what color matching entails. About 500 to 600 different colors are mainly used in Kyonui. Without coming on too strong or too reserved, the exquisite relationship that forms between the embroidery and the fabric is a special sense that can only be produced in the atmosphere of Kyoto. Also the gradation is also a skillfully employed aspect of Kyonui embroidery.
The works of art laid out at Nuishou Inagaki are all one of a kind. Order made requests are also possible, so please tell them your budget and they will offer you the best possible work in that range. They also have Kyonui embroidery trial lessons if you make a reservation 7 days in advance. This could be the ideal opportunity for you to experience the techniques of one of Japan?s most prominent artisans. |
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| A motif embroidery of a René Lalique butterfly |
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Elaborate and meticulously hand-sewn with silk thread |
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One-sided Wallet 24,000 yen |
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TEL: +81-(0)75-841-0668 FAX: +81-(0)75-823-2262
Address: 11-1 Mibumori-machi, Nakagyou-ku, Kyoto
Available Language: Japanese
Website: http://www.inagaki-art.jp/
Credit cards: Not Accepted (Cash Only) |
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