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ARTICLES SAKIORI AND BORO VÄV 4/08 RICHES FROM RAGS SAKIORIWEAVING CONTEMPORARY DESIGN BEAUTY IN SAKIORI SAKIORI AT VÄV08 TINA AND BENGT ARNE IGNELL VÄV 4/16 JAPANESE BORO YOSHIKO IWAMOTO WADA RAGS TO RICHES PETRA HOLMBERG PROJECTS SAKIORI VÄV 4/16 WEAVE SAKIORI IN A FRAME TINA IGNELL 2 VÄV 4 2008 TEXT: TINA IGNELL PHOTO: BENGT ARNE IGNELL Kei Kawasaki showing a futon, a type of coverlet, made of small woven pieces. Some of the pieces are from sakiori weaves made of rags. Riches from Rags KEI KAWASAKI COLLECTS ANTIQUE TEXTILES AND HAS A GALLERY IN KYOTO. VÄV 4 2008 3 Left, Weaves from bastfibres as wisteria and elmfibres. Some of them are indigodyed. THE WORD ‘SAKI’ COMES FROM ‘SAKU’, weaving into a contemporary context, with with regular usage over a long period of time. meaning to tear, clip or cut rags for weaving. new design, interesting colour combinations, Replacing bast fibre clothing with softer The verb ‘ori’ means to weave. Traditional fantastic qualities, yet with the same inten- worn cotton fabrics was a longed for, welcome sakiori weaves are made of indigo dyed tions as those who wove sakiori previously; change. Small patches would be pieced to- cotton rags. These folk treasures caught the that of recycling textile material. gether and padded for warm clothing or else a attention of journalist Shige Fukabori, till The original sakiori weaves made from variety of garments would be made from the recently chairperson for The Sakiori the 19th century to the beginning of 20th rags. These became workwear for fishermen Association of Japan, when she chanced upon century are closely linked to the availability and farmers in the countryside, people who an exhibition catalogue of antique sakiori of cotton. Cotton came to Japan via China could not afford clothes for sale. Initially weaves in an interiors shop in Kyoto. The several hundred years ago and was initially the warp for those densely woven cloths was exhibition in question, ‘Riches from Rags’, cultivated in the warmer western regions. of bast fibre, as ramie or hemp, while later had been shown at San Francisco Craft & However, it was not until the 19th century cotton became more accessible and began to Folk Art Museum in I994. The weaves at this and in some isolated spots right into the be used as warp. exhibition had been loaned from a number of 20th century, that cotton became available Worn, mainly indigo dyed textiles came museums in Japan. throughout the country. via merchants from the towns. Much came – I was overwhelmed by what I saw and re- Prior to this, the fibres being spun into on sea vessels via the Kitamaesen, a trade alized that I, along with many other Japanese, yarn and woven into cloth were bast fibres route down the west coast of Japan which had knew nothing about these fantastic weaves, from plants growing in the forests that cover its heyday in the Edo period, (1603–1868). which were to prove an important part of our about 80 per cent of Japan. Wild hemp and The cloths were sold directly in the harbours cultural heritage. ramie were the two most important fibres but or else salesmen were paid to go to outlying thread was also obtained from wisteria, lime villages. It could happen that families that In 1996, Fukabori and other enthusiasts and elm. had done piece spinning of the cotton yarn, joined the meeting which brought well over Collecting and processing bast fibre was sold to the cotton weaving mills in town, then one hundred people together in Nagano. time-consuming and hard work, mostly car- had to buy the used clothing or rags for sale Their aim was to preserve an interest in sakio- ried out by women. The yarns were not dyed to weave garments for protection against rain ri weaving and develop it. Today the associa- and left in their natural shades. The cloths and cold. tion has over 350 members. Many of them are made of these bast fibres were hard, scratchy Sakiori weaves were made into different practising artists who are transposing sakiori and not especially warm before being worn in forms of apparel depending on requirements. 4 VÄV 4 2008 Below Wisteria fibre weave. Right Wild wisteria The fishermen’s kimono-like garment had rag weft could be snipped, torn or cut with cloth holding the kimono in place) in sakiori. long sleeves to protect against the wind and a knife. It was usually narrow. Noted in the Kei Kawasaki has a gallery in Kyoto where cold while those working in the forest needed San Francisco exhibition catalogue is a weave she shows and sells antique sakiori weaves. We more freedom to move and wore a protective, with a weft of 3 mm wide rag strips. Apart were taken there by Fukabori and two textile slightly longer and sleeveless waistcoat, known from garments woven in the kimono form, artists from the Sakiori Association: Chiyoko as sodenashi. waistcoats and jackets were made as well as Kumon and Junko Kobayashi. Indigo dyed In the northern parts of Japan where the aprons, gloves, bags and the futon, a coverlet antique cloths, variously sized, were laid out winters are frequently long and cold with of finer rags. on the shelves, some finely striped, some with plenty of snow, sakiori garments were a huge The custom of wearing sakiori woven gar- the wonderful resist dyework, kasuri, along change compared to the earlier, thinner, ments died out at the end of the 19th century, with sakiori weaves and bundles of cloth bast-woven garments. There, when it was at but reappeared during the 2nd World War woven in a variety of bast fibres. its coldest, several layers of sakiori woven and when the Japanese had to live through anoth- We had just seen wild wisteria on a bus trip quilted garments could be piled on. Cords er period of poverty. During this time people into the mountains and asked if there were were used to hold the garments together. The also began weaving obi (the wide piece of any wisteria weaves. VÄV 4 2008 5 Parts in this borotextile are pieces of Sakiori Below Wisteria fibre weave. Right Wild wisteria Kawasaki took out a plain weave with Recycling which was yet again recycled. who think silk kimonos were the traditional shifting nuances reminiscent of our un- – For me, these textiles tell something of Japanese dress are not familiar with our histo- bleached flax, which she rolled out on a black our amazing folk history. Each piece of cloth ry. Should you or I have worn a kimono one painted table. It was stiff and evenly beaten. and each weft in a sakiori weave shows diverse hundred years ago, it would have very likely The lamp cast its light over the weave; it glis- patterns and ways of resist dyeing. You can’t been a sakiori weave, or at least in cotton, said tened back. This narrow wisteria weave had stop being amazed at the level of handwork Kawasaki. been woven for making up into a garment. skill here. And the care in making use of Kawasaki then opened up one of her things until there was nothing left. cupboards in which she keeps her textile – The more worn and used the textiles are, collections. the more they mean to me. This kimono was Carefully, she unfolded a futon, a coverlet first woven. It was in all probability used a lot made like a patchwork quilt from pieces of and worn most on the front where it has been cloth, some of which were small woven pieces, patched with small pieces of cloth. It repre- while others were remnants of a sakiori weave. sents the ordinary person’s clothing. People gallerykei.jp 6 VÄV 4 2008 TEXT: TINA IGNELL PHOTO: BENGT ARNE IGNELL Above Leno weave with indigo dyed rag strips. nedan Rag sprang 1996. Winner of the Asahi Modern Craft Exhibition. Sakiori Weaving Contemporary Design "THE REASON I BECAME FASCINATED by sakiori is because of the amazing beauty radiat- ing out of those cloths and because of the great scope there is to alter and revitalize this type of weaving using different techniques.” After grad- uating in Comparative Culture Theory (theoret- ical studies), Kobayashi went on to do a textile oriented training at Joshibi University of Art and Design, where she learnt dyeing and weaving. Junko She began her professional life by designing Kobayashi embroideries. For several years she worked in a handwork shop and wove functional cloths to be 1979 College of Compa- rative Culture, University sold. of Tsukuba However, once she had caught sight of vintage 1981 Joshibi Univer- sakiori weaves in the early 1990s, her interest sity of Art and Design, turned solely to researching the potential in using Tokyo. fine rags of diverse qualities for weaving. Selected to show work at the Japan Craft Kobayashi initially wanted to produce new Design Association qualities of sakiori weave. The old, coarse sakiori (JCDA). weaves are, to her, entrancing with their hand- 1995 Solo show of spun, handwoven and indigo dyed cottons, but sakiori weaves at she wanted to create a fabric for contemporary SENBIKI-YA Gallery 1996 Winner of the use from newer and finer fabrics. Kobayashi’s Asahi Modern Craft weaves incorporate rags from slightly rough Exhibition cotton through to the very finest silk fabrics, and 2000-2007 6 solo some new techniques. shows 2008 Selected artist for the KOKU-TEN show at Kobayashi brought out two weaves she made at The National Art Center the beginning of her career, one of which earned in Tokyo.