Introduction of artisans: Menu ----------------------------- Introduction ----------------------------- Introduction "Clothing" Kyo yuzen silk dyeing / Masahiro Ikeuchi Nishijin textile / Takahisa Tamura Kyo yuzen silk dyeing / Ryotaro Hika Kyo Yuzen silk dyeing / Tomoko Fujii Flower arrangement / Michihisa Watanabe ----------------------------- Introduction "Eating and Drinking" Japanese dishes / Takeshi Shinmura Rice / Takashi Hashimoto Sake / Yoshihiro Higashino ----------------------------- Introduction "Living" Synthetic resin / Shigemi Inari Kiyomizu-ware / Hirokazu Kato Woodblock printing / Yuko Harada Jidaigire / Taro Matsumura Folding fans / Takahito Mizukami

Yuzen kimono production entails many processes, a number of which are in Kyoto outsourced to experts of respective processes. However, as a dyeing artist, I do most of the processes myself. The most important process is designing. I often develop kimono designs based on my own drawings, and do most of the remaining processes, including painting designs, brushing dye on the cloth, and blending dyes and pigments to create desired colors and shades. Before the collapse of the so-called bubble economy, we sold dyed kimono to wholesalers. Due to the post-bubble recession, however, few wholesalers now purchase expensive kimono. Accordingly, we sell most of our products directly to end-users who visit our studio. Since most of our products are tailored to individual customers, we can respond precisely to their requirements regarding various kinds of dyed products, including the most formal and semi-formal kimono, haori (short kimono coat), obi (sash) and noren (short curtain for store entrance). We are working to satisfy customers who are extremely demanding and who have never been pleased with the marketed items available in retailers.

Although my father is a dyeing artist of yuzen silk kimono, I little thought that I would succeed to his business. When I was very young, I thought that I would become a company employee, like many others. Until I entered college, I seldom visited my father's studio, which was not attached to our house.
I knew my father was producing kimono, but I did not know what difficult tasks he performed in order to support his family and to pay my school fees.
During my college days, I gradually became interested in my fatherf's profession. He did not persuade me to follow his business, nor did I feel obliged to do so. While visiting his studio and attending a few kimono exhibitions, I simply felt that his business was extremely attractive to me.
Another reason I chose this profession was that during my college days I had many friends who came from other prefectures and who had backgrounds completely different from mine. Through friendly discussions with my friends, I realized that I had grown up in an exceptional environment. I had never been aware that it was so exceptional to live in Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital, and to have ample opportunities to access traditional Japanese items, including kimono. This awareness inspired me to enter my present profession.

Had my father been an artisan engaged in only one of the processes of silk dyeing, I would not have been interested in his business, even though I would respect him all the same. Fortunately, my father was engaged in various processes of kimono production. I found it particularly interesting to produce kimono from plain white silk, since this entails not only skills, but also creativity and the ability to vividly express inner feeling. To do a creative task, however, I truly need deep knowledge, advanced techniques and keen sensitivity, and acquiring all three will take me many more years. Yuzen silk dyeing is indeed a challenging task, but it is thrilling to confirm daily that my skill is advancing and I am approaching my goal slowly but steadily. If any visitors to this site are interested in yuzen dyeing, please remember that the task requires not only skills, but also creativity.

Although I dye many types of textiles, I enjoy dyeing silk best, since I can dye the fabric into the richest and the most delicate and elegant colors. Despite difficulty in handling silk, I am so fascinated by silk that I do not enjoy dyeing other fabrics as much as I do silk. The fabric, however, comprises only 1% of the textiles used for clothing worldwide. Although this is not well known, Japan consumes some 60% of the silk fabrics used in the world. I am truly grateful for living and working in Japan, the world's largest silk market, where people wear silk much more frequently than any others in the world. Because of radical changes in lifestyle, few Japanese people nowadays wear silk as daily clothing. Through my work, however, I hope to share with as many people as possible the recognition that wearing silk is a unique tradition that Japanese people can be proud of, and that silk kimono is the embodiment of Japanese aesthetic senses.

Since junior high school, I have been physically weak. Each time I began some activity, I had to give it up due to illness or injury. So, unlike many others who have ambitions or aspirations for their future careers, I am accustomed to considering what I can do, rather than what I want to do. When I planned my career development, I also considered what I can do to benefit others and society despite my physical limitations. I decided to become an industrial artist, since I thought that by working as an artist I could best exert my ability while maintaining my own pace, both at work and at home. To remain healthy, I need to keep my daily routine - including meal times - unobstructed by others. I believe that an industrial artist's lifestyle is like that of a tortoise in Aesop's renowned fable about the race between the hare and tortoise. Since it takes a long time to complete one task, we must advance step by step, slowly but steadily. I hope to spend my whole life creating a few works that are worthy of my life.

Of the many important lessons I learned from my father, the most essential, I believe, is to live honestly and with the utmost sincerity. Since his childhood my father has loved to draw the plants and other natural objects that he adored. To date, he has remained dedicated to designing kimono using such natural objects as motifs. Over the past decades, his efforts have consistently focused on yuzen kimono production. Being relatively unsocial, he has never been a good communicator. He rarely compromises with others, often refusing to do a job he is not interested in, sometimes even rejecting orders from influential figures. As a result, he has led a relatively difficult life, remaining in solitude throughout most of his life. I assume that he has often been faced with the risk of losing his job. Despite such difficulties, he was able to continue working in the way that he believed to be the best. This I believe is because his honest and sincere approach to his profession has been recognized and supported by many others. Unlike many other people around him, my father has never indulged himself in any sort of amusement, never enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle, but has led a simple life, working hard from morning to night and taking only a few holidays. He had a definite goal in his life, and he continued to work to achieve that goal. He never complained, never gave up, never changed his attitude toward his profession or his life, but continued in dedication to the profession he loved. This approach indeed earned his reputation and patrons.

My father is a man of resolution: he always remembers why he decided to dedicate himself to yuzen dyeing, and he has never regretted his own decision. I hope to lead a life like my father's.

I would like to introduce a happy encounter with one customer.
Although I primarily produce kimono, I sometimes fabricate noren (short curtain) featuring the name of the shop. Two years ago, I was asked to produce a noren for a pub. Recently, the pub decided to remodel, and change its name. The owner asked me to produce another noren and invited me to his pub to discuss the design of a new noren. When I visited the pub I saw the old noren, carefully folded and wrapped. Giving me back the old noren, the owner said, "This was very popular among our customers. This is your work. So I believe it should be returned to you." I believe it is very rare for a noren to be returned to its creator after its service life. I was deeply impressed and pleased to know that the owner recognized my noren not as a consumable article, but as an artistic work. After receiving the order for that old noren (This was the first order I'd ever received), I worked hard to develop my original design, to please the pub's owner and customers. I am truly happy that the customers rated my design so highly and treasured my work so much. Needless to say, I am determined to create an even a better noren for that pub owner.

I have short- and long-term goals. My short-term goal is to develop, by the time I am 30 years old, the ability to produce kimono of satisfactory quality, quality with which I can be satisfied, without relying on others.
My long-term goal is to create Japanese original clothing for Japanese people: clothing developed from kimono's long tradition, and that exhibits Japanese identity. I hope to create and promote such clothing, which is neither traditional kimono nor Western clothing. I hope to achieve this vision either by myself or by participating in a project team to create and promote such clothing.

<Future vision of traditional industries>
Today, independent industrial artists like myself are diminishing in number because they cannot make a living. Many young people who aspire to become industrial artists cannot find job opportunities. Many elderly artists cannot continue in their profession due to economic difficulties. If we do not take appropriate measures immediately, there will soon be no industrial artists, and all kimono items will be mass-produced by companies. In this age of advanced globalization, however, which results in uniform society all over the world, maintaining a Japanese identity is of vital importance. To maintain a Japanese identity we must retain various cultural aspects inherited not just in Tokyo, but also in many local cities.
I decided to engage in my present profession in the firm belief that sustaining yuzen dyeing is essential for Kyoto and its residents. If my profession becomes unnecessary, I will stop working immediately. At the same time, I am concerned about the future of this profession. I believe that we young people should seriously consider and seek optimal ways to sustain yuzen dyeing as a local industry, so that industrial artists can earn their living.

Ideally, I hope to help develop Kyoto into a world center of fine arts and industrial arts: into a city that attracts people from around the world who are interested in traditional manufacturing, and into an attractive, vigorous city that inspires Japanese people to pay greater attention to art and culture. I hope to commit to manufacturing activities in such a city. I know that realizing this vision will be an extreme challenge, but I truly hope to help transform Kyoto into a thriving world center of fine arts, industrial arts and related industries.