Hello ! The photo above is a tapestry of the national treasure, “Ogata Korin’s Kouhakubaizubyobu (Red and White Plum Blossoms)” expressed by Nishijin-ori.If you want to see the profundity of Nishijin-ori, I recommend the Nishijin-ori Asagi Museum in Kyoto.And it was a content that made me more obsessed with Nishijin-ori.
This time, the exhibition at “Nishijin-ori Asagi Museum” was a special one such as “Impressionism and Ukiyo-e fascinated by Nishijin-ori”, and it made me realize how wonderful Nishijin-ori is.First of all, the Nishijin-ori of “Nishijin-ori arts and crafts Asagi” exhibited at this museum is a textile with 1800 points woven on a Jacquard loom.1800 points means that there are 1800 intersections (4 to 9 times that of general Nishijin-ori) of the warp and weft yarns in the Fukuro-obi width (about 30 cm).While having the staff guide me about the AsagiMuseum, what I saw was a container containing a lot of cocoons. The number of about 3,000 cocoons required to weave a single round obi.When I think that only one obi can be made from such a cocoon, I considered lots of threads as the next thing.
The patterns are woven by using dyed threads, but there are many processes to complete them. And the processes are specialized by stand-alone businesses such as a designer, design pattern paper industry, yarn twisting industry, yarn dyeing industry, warping industry, heddle industry, rearranging process industry. There are dedicated craftsmen in every process and they have outstanding skills which they can do in each process.When I knew that Nishijin-ori was a wonderful product, I was deeply moved that it would be an expensive substitute.And I was more fascinated by Nishijin-ori.
This time, it was a special exhibition, “Impressionism and Ukiyo-e fascinated by Nishijin-ori”, so I want you to take a look at this work first.
The work is more like a glossy painting than a textile, and the colors of the silk threads create a different charm from the painting. In the permanent exhibition, which is the area of the shining Byobu that floats in the darkness, the work woven with phosphorescent threads is shining in the darkness like a god.
It seems that it is said, “there is nothing which cannot be woven with Nishijin-ori.
Also, the work that uses Nishijin-ori for clothes are displayed. I left the museum with the feeling that the fusion of such traditional technology and fashion would be efforts to inherit it to the next generation and create new value.