Journal of Student Research 2019

Journal of Student Research

Tradition and Modernization: the Survival of the Japanese Kimono

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According to Japan - Mud, Sweat and Fears: The Making of a Japanese Kimono (n.d.), the general manufacturing process of one silk kimono starts from the silk cocoon to the silk starcher, the designer, the binder 2 , the dyer, the weaver, the inspector, the tailor, the sales personnel, and finally to the consumer. In the dyeing, weaving, and embroidery process, there are different techniques used to create the pattern, aesthetic and luster of the kimono. A favorite method used in the weaving process is called Nishijin-ori , which is the basic one used to create the luster and feel in many kimonos. In the dyeing process, there are multiple techniques. The oldest one is Kyo-kanokoshibori , Japanese resist tie-dyeing. Kyo-yuzen , which has two styles: Tegaki-yuzen , hand painting, and Kata-yuzen , stencil dyeing. Komon , small print dyeing using small patterns; and Kyo-kuromontsukisome , black dyeing that was initially favored by the samurai due to its strength, but now mostly used in ceremonial robes such as the haori, hakama , and female mourning kimono (Inoue, 1999). In the embroidery process, there are multiple stitching techniques used depending on the fabric and what the ending result should look. Specialized stitches came from different parts of Japan. Example, in Tsugaru, in the northernmost part of Japan, the Kogin method was created to make diamond patterns on the kimono. However, there were basic stitches used in addition to the specialized ones. To create patterns such as flowers and leaves, a flat stitched ( Hira-Nui ) like the satin stitch in western culture is used and for larger areas both long and short stitches ( Sashi-Nui ). However, to get a 3-D appearance and texture to the kimono, the Katayori and knot stitch ( Sagura-Nui ) is used (Museum, 2013). Depending on the occasion and type will depend on the kimono making technique. Depending on the technique, will

Upper image: Kimono pattern Lower image: Kimono marker on the fabric (Bryant, 2014)

This simple design and construction were easy to make at home while not giving shape to the wearer which shows the Japanese aesthetic of light and shadow. The imagery how a woman wearing the traditional kimono hides her whole body, apart from her dainty hands and white face represents the aesthetic beginning in the Heian era (Tanizaki, 1977). The kimono, a symbol of beauty by itself is also a symbol of beauty in the Japanese culture and the body. The process of creating this one bolt of fabric paved the way for job opportunities for artisans. According to Soichi Sajiki, a kimono maker, From the silk cocoon to the final product, there are more than 1,000 processes involved in one kimono, each carried out by different specialist craftsmen. [These craftsmen] can take 40 years to master a single technique (qtd in Demetriou, 2010, p. 6). However, with the times changing and many of the younger generation not wanting to learn these crafts, Japan will face a difficult situation of losing thousands of years of kimono making techniques (Demetriou, 2010). Already, parts of the traditional art have become lost not only through time but also, in the 21st century.

Kyo-kanokoshibori: Japanese resist tie-dyeing (Smith, 2018).

2

The person who makes a pattern from the silk that matches the design pattern.

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