Akemi's Blog

Mood Indigo: Textiles from Around the World

Currently showing at SAAM is "Moon Indigo: Textiles from Around the World." As the title indicates, you can see its rich collection of textiles that use indigo dye from all over the world.  

The main Japanese art collections on display were many kimonos, Yogi (kimono-shaped bedding), and Futon covers. I never dreamed that such ordinary items as Futon covers could be museum items. Well, each piece was far from ordinary.

Carp design Futon cover

Pictured on this Futon cover is a military ship called the Katori which carried Crown Prince Hirohito - the first Japanese prince to travel abroad - to Great Britain in 1921.

Yogi is a kimono-shaped bedding. In the northern part of Japan it gets pretty cold in the winter. By wearing this bedding you could avoid the cold air from coming in through the shoulders.

SAAM's indigo kimono collection

Visiting Tokyo? Then visit Japan Silk Center

Under the wing of Dainippon Silk Foundation, the Japan Silk Center's, charter is to promote products made of Japanese silk.  At the Cener, you can not only see but also purchase Japan's silk products.  There are both permanent collections as well as limited-time exhibitions. When you have an opportunity to visit Tokyo, why not visit the Japan Silk Center?

They are open Monday through Friday, 10am until 6pm. Closed on Saturday, Sunday and national holidays.

The address: 1-9-4, Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006 

If you have visited this place, please share your thoughts. I'm hoping to visit there during my next trip to Tokyo. I'm already kind of disappointed, however, that it's not open on the weekend....

 

Japan's study has contributed to sericulture worldwide

The Institute of Sericulture hosts many trainees from all over the world, and their staff members travel overseas to train. Japan's contribution to the world's sericulture has a long history.

By the beginning of 19th century, Japan's sericulture was the most advanced in the world. In 1803, a series of books about sericulture called "Yosan Hiroku" was published by Morikuni Uegaki. It is said that a German physician and botanist Philipp Franz von Siebold brought the books to Europe in 1829 when he returned from his stay in Japan. The books were translated into Italian and French, contributing to their sericulture advancement in Europe. 

"Yosan-Hiroku", Japanese book of sericulture technology written by Morikuni UEGAKI in 1803. Exhibit in the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan.

 

Research and Development Mecca of Japan's silk industry

The Dainippon Silk Foundation (DSF) was established in 1892 as the R&D hub of Japan's silk industry. They published newsletters covering the latest technologies, hosted workshops and competitions, and presented awards to those who contributed to the industry. The honorary president of the foundation has always been Japan's royal family member. The current president is Prince Hitachi, current Emperor Akihito's younger brother.

DSF includes two main research institutions: Institute of Sericulture and Silk Science Research Institute.

Located in Ibaragi Prefecture, about 1 hour away from the center of Tokyo, Institute of Sericulture is surrounded by a mulberry tree field. Preserving silkworm species, breeding new species, hatching silkworm eggs, and new sericulture techniques are the main focus areas of their research. Here 248 different silkworm species and 127 different mulberry types are preserved. In collaboration with Kyushu University, the institute also documents instructions on how to store eggs or sperm and how to inseminate artificially.

It usually takes 10 years to breed a new species. In the case of Platinum Boy, it took the institute 37 years of research and development. The Institute also provides technical support to sericulture farmers on how to cultivate the new species that it has developed.

Silk Science Research Institute focuses on silk thread. They are now developing a universal reeling machine. The new machine is expected to reel extremely thin thread with consistent texture, hence the world thinnest silk fabric can be woven. The institute also researches silk's protein so that it can be used for various fields such as cosmetics.

 

 

 

Mr. Katsuyama's pursuit for reviving the ancient silk fabric

Mr. Katsuyama and Mr. Shimura don't use machines for reeling the thread. When degumming the silk they only use straw ash solution. They use natural dye. The weaving is done with hands, not by machines. Beaten with a wood block called Kinuta, the fabric assumes rich texture just like the ancient fabric that Mr. Katsuyama once saw.

The fabrics made through this process are called "Usuhaginu". Only 4 kimonos and 100 obis are made through the process every year. Mr. Katsuyama sells his kimono and obis mainly at his exhibitions.

People who have tried his Usuhaginu kimono and obi are first amazed at its light weight, and impressed with its graceful look. The obi only weighs half as the normal ones, yet it keeps good shape after being tied. It has been 6 years since Mr. Katsuyama started marketing Usuhaginu obis. One of his clients loves them so much that she has over 20 of them!

Understandably, the Usuhaginu kimono and obi are pricey. Mr. Katsuyama hopes that a person who wears them really enjoys the experience.

Usuhaginu fabric for obi

 

Usuhaginu fabric for kimono

Salting cocoons

A silkworm changes to a pupa in the cocoon, and about 10 days later it comes out of the cocoon as a moth, tearing the silk thread into pieces. In order to secure the long silk thread intact, it is necessary to keep the pupa inside cocoon.   The most common method to store cocoons is to dry them with hot air. Other methods include steaming, sun drying, and cooling cocoons. People also used to salt cocoons to store them, but this method has long been abandoned.

Takeshi Katsuyama is the 5th generation obi maker in Nishijin, Kyoto. He once had a chance to see a piece of centuries old silk fabric, and was fascinated by its beautiful texture. He tried to replicate the fabric using any and all the silk yarn available in Nishijin, but this was in vain.

While he was pursuing his ultimate silk, he met Akira Shimura, who had been pursuing the same goal. Their collaboration started with opening a sericulture farm together in Nagano Prefecture. They selected a specific kind of mulberry tree, which had ceased to be grown for over 100 years. They also picked old species of silkworms.

Mr. Katsuyama and Mr. Shimura agreed to the method of storing cocoons, too. They chose salting cocoons, because this method gave the silk thread shinier, softer texture.

Mr. Katsuyama

 

Mr. Matsui's love for silkworms

Mr. Matsui is a farmer dedicated to sericulture, one of very few remaining in Japan. He grows cocoons five times a year: spring, summer, early fall, late fall, and very late fall. The spring cocoons used to be regarded to yield the best quality, but lately fall cocoons are just as good, perhaps due to the climate change.

As soon as he receives 120,000 silkworms that have molted twice each season, Mr. Matsui starts to feed the worms fresh mulberry leaves three times a day. He keeps quite busy satisfying the worms' huge appetite.

When silkworms stop eating and get ready to enclose themselves in a cocoon, Mr. Matsui has to quickly move the worms into a device called "Mabushi." In Mabushi there are many tiny cubicles where each silkworm is settled in. Mr. Matsui has little time to sleep so as not to miss this critical transfer timing.

Taking advantage of silkworms' tendency to climb upward, a rotating Mabushi was invented. Until each silkworm finds its own tiny cubicle, the Mabushi keeps rotating.

When Mr. Matsui was a child, most of the people in his neighborhood were sericulture farmers, including his father. His father passed away when he was a junior high student. Soon after graduating from school, Mr. Matsui took over his father's work. To him and his wife, silkworms are their inseparable family members.

Maybe only those people like Mr. and Mrs. Matsui who love silkworms can continue sericulture.   Now there are only 2 sericulture farmers left in the area.

Mr. Takashi Matsui and his rotating Mabushi

Mr. Nishio's association

Believing that the distribution system needed to be changed in order for Japan's domestic sericulture to survive, Mr. Nishio patiently talked to local administration and to cooperatives. Finally Mr. Matsui agreed to sell all the spring and late fall cocoons to Mr. Nishio.

Mr. Nishio also formed an association with 25 kimono artists, and provides raw silk reeled from Mr. Matsui's cocoons to these artists. Mr. Nishio sells the kimonos madly these artits in his shop. The brand of the cocoon is "Gunma 200," as it was developed in the Gunma Sericultural Technology Center.

Silk shawl with vegetable dye by Kyoko Nagamine

Obi fabric by Soh Yanagi
 

 

 

When Mr. Nishio met Mr. Matsui

Located in Maebashi-city of Gunma Prefecture, the largest silk producer in Japan, a kimono shop Nishio is known for its sophisticated original designs and reasonable prices.

The shop owner Hitoshi Nishio was born and raised in this sericulture center. Since his father used to own a silk mill, Mr. Nishio himself has deep interests in raw silk as kimono's material. He was concerned about the continuous decline of Japan's raw silk production.

About 10 years ago Mr. Nishio read about a sericulture farmer in a local newspaper. Impressed by the farmer's dedication to his work, Mr. Nishio decided to visit the farmer and offered to purchase the silk cocoons directly from him. Takashi Matsui, the farmer, was surprised. At that time there were 25 sericulture farmers in the area. All of them sold their cocoons to the local agricultural cooperatives, but none directly to a kimono retailer.

Mr. Nishio (center) and Mr. and Mrs. Matsui

Platinum Boy makes the sericulture farmer proud

Hiroshi Ishikawa was quite impressed by the plan that his name will be shown on an expensive kimono fabric. In addition to agreeing to grow Platinum Boy, Mr. Ishikawa also placed an order for the very kimono fabric that had his name.

At the press conference announcing the first Platinum Boy kimono, Mr. Ishikawa also was on the stage and shared his endeavor with the audience.

Farmers, previously totally faceless to consumers, got an opportunity to boast of their work publicly through the certificate. Mr. Ishikawa was again on the stage at the party celebrating Ginza Motoji's 35th anniversary.

Mr. Ishikawa is now a "cool Grandpa". Watching Mr. Ishikawa's work every day, his grandson in elementary school now is telling him that he will become a sericulture farmer when he grows up.

Currently Mr. Motoji sources about 1,500 pounds of Platinum Boy silk cocoons twice a year, in the spring and in the fall from 5 sericulture farmers for his original kimonos. His son Keita, who asked him that question 20 years ago, came back from England after studying there. Now working for his father's comapany, Keita is planning to revitalize the kimono business in a new way.  

A sericulture farmer Mr. Ishikawa tries on his own kimono fabric.