National Art Education Association

Instructional Resources: Wearable Arts of Japan Seattle Art Museum Author(s): Sarah Loudon Source: Art Education, Vol. 49, No. 6, Art Education Reform and New Technologies (Nov., 1996), pp. 25-32 Published by: National Art Education Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193620 . Accessed: 13/02/2011 12:48

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http://www.jstor.org INSTRUCTIONAL

WEARABLE A ARTS

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KatsushikaHokusai, Japanese (1760-1849). Five Beautiful Women. Edoperiod, early 19th century. Gouache, ink, silk, scroll. 34"Hx 13 1/2"W.Margaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund. SeattleArt Museum. Photo credit: Susan Dirk. WEARABLEARTS OF JAPAN SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

INTRODUCTION andfront overlap. The basicshape and construction are shared Japanis knownfor a high levelof accomplishmentin the withother traditional garments, including the twocoats and areasof craftand decorative arts. In fact, traditionally in Japan coverletshown here. There is some variationin the proportions the distinctionbetween fine arts and decorative arts was not of kimono-for instance,in the lengthand width of the madeas it was in the West.Many of Japan's best known sleeves-however, the standardconstruction is a greatcontrast paintersalso worked in ceramics,lacquer design, and textiles. to the emphasison varietyof shaping,tailoring, and garment Participantsin chanoyu(tea ceremony) devote attention to constructionin Westernclothing. For kimonos, the design ceramics,bamboo utensils, landscape design, lacquerware, and interestcomes firstfrom the designof the fabricitself and textilesas well as to the hangingscrolls that are part of the secondfrom the wayit is wornand combined with other items teahouseenvironment. Textiles are the focusof this resource, to createan ensemble.The long straightexpanse of clothon beginningwith a paintingto introducekimonos, their design the backof kimonosand other traditional garments sometimes andhow they areworn. Three textiles (a man'sjacket, a servesas a surfacefor a compositionpainted in :the coverlet,and a farmer'scoat) are shown with discussion of their relationshipbetween Japanese textiles and painting is designand social background. introducedby the secondexample. Kimonois a relativelyrecent term (19thcentury) for the The Japanesetextile collection of the SeattleArt Museum is traditionalJapanese garment, floor length and long-sleeved, exhibitedboth at the downtownlocation and at the Seattle thatis wornwith a sash knownas a obi.Although kimono refers AsianArt Museum. Selections from this collectionare included to bothmen's and women's garments, the men'skimono is in the travelingexhibition Beyond the Tanabata Bridge: A seldomworn in Japan today. On special occasions in TextileJourney in Japan. contemporaryJapan, women wear kimonos in a fairlystandard waycompared with the varietyof traditionalclothing of the GOALS past. 1.To examineand compare the designof severalexamples The kimonois remarkablefor its simplicityof construction. ofJapanese textiles and to analyzethe relationshipbetween the A boltof fabricin the standard14" width is cut intoa few surfacedesign of the textiles(the two-dimensional design) and rectangularsections (nothingwasted!), and sewn togetherwith the garmentconstruction (the three-dimensional design). a few straightseams. Two very long sectionsare joined 2. To discussexamples of Japanese textiles as social togetherup the centerof the backand are left open down the indicatorsand distinguish items that were madefor personal front.The otherrectangular sections form the sleeves,collar use fromitems made for a livelihood.

Five Beautiful Women KatsushikaHokusai (1760-1849), Edo period, early 19th century, Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper,34" x 131/2",Seattle Art Museum 56.246, Margaret E. FullerPurchase Fund

OBJECTIVE prolificartist and not onlycreated many series of Studentswill examine a paintingfor visual information about landscapeprints but was also a painterof scrollsand folding traditionalJapanese women's clothing. screens. The womenshown in this hangingscroll have individuality BACKGROUND not so muchfrom their facial features as fromtheir posture, KatsushikaHokusai (1760-1849) is best knownin the U.S. activities,and clothing. Although they overlap,the womendon't for his woodblockprints, in particularthe famousprint of the seem to noticeone another,and they arenot placed in a defined largewave with Mt. Fujiin the distance.He was an incredibly setting.The topwoman pauses to thinkwhile writing a poem.

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The secondwoman bends overher flowerarranging. The third womanis arranging.The thirdis decoratedwith bush clover, womanwears the hat of a shrinepilgrim. The fourthappears to one of seven autumngrasses andcommon fall motif. The fourth be a courtesan.The fifthreads a book,perhaps a storyof the is wearingseveral layers of cherryblossoms in differentcolors womenfloating above her. foran exuberantspring outfit. The bottomwoman is wearinga Hokusaiput a lot of careinto painting the women'skimonos. lightweightfabric for summer wear (althoughits darkcolor A woman'skimono conveyed a lot abouther; it reflectednot maynot seem summeryto us). onlyher individualtaste, but alsoher class,marriage status, Allkimonos are decorated with allover repeated patterns. age, the seasonand the formalityof the occasion.Sumptuary Whatdifferent ways of wearingthe kimonosdo you notice? lawsprohibited common people from wearing luxurious Lookat the obis,and you can see thatthey aretied in different fabrics,brilliant colors, and elaborately patterned garments ways,including the womanin cherryblossoms who has her obi reservedfor the elite. tiedin front.Now look for bits of liningsand undergarments thatshow some contrast,primarily in red.These detailsof their DISCUSSION ensembles,as well as the differentpatterns, were how these Whatdo these womenhave in common,and what shows womenshowed their individuality while all wearing similarly theirindividuality? Clearly these womenenjoyed leisure time cutkimonos. forpursuits of writingpoetry (top), flower arranging (second The purchaseof kimonofabric was an importantand major fromtop), and reading a book (bottom).They enjoyedwearing expensefor these women.Women bought bolts of kimono finekimonos, and judging from the widehanging sleeves, were fabricand sewed them up themselves.Sewing up the garment not concernedwith a lot of housework,cooking, or sports. tookno greatskill, as a coupleof cuts andstraight seams did Theirkimonos show attentionto detailsin the fabric.You the trick. canenjoy the patternsand imagine the heavyweight of the Traditionally,chairs were not used inJapan; people sat on brocadeof one comparedwith the gauzylight feel of another. the flooron tatamimats. In this painting,you can see howtheir Eachhad its ownseason of wear,determined by its warmthbut clothingwas designedto be seen eitherwhile sitting on the alsoby its motif;the toppattern of irisgrowing by the waterwas floor,with their wide sleeves andhems spreadaround them, or forwear in Maywhile iris arein bloom.The secondis a fall whilestanding. The effectwould not be the samewhile sitting ensemble,signaled partly by the fallchrysanthemums the on a chairor at a table!

Coat (hanten) Showaperiod, ca. 1930-40,Silk cloth with freehand paste-resist decoration (yuzenzome), 36 5/8"x 50 3/8",Seattle Art Museum 89.163, Gift of Virginia and Bagley Wright

OBJECTIVES canbe achievedwithin the colors,and the numberof colors. Studentswill: 1) analyzea textiledesign and its relationship The processis time-consuming,requires great skill, and has withpainting; 2) discussa textilecreated by an urban alwaysbeen expensive. professionaltextile artist. DISCUSSION BACKGROUND Here'sanother traditional garment, a coatfor a man. This coatwas an urbanmerchant's garment. As merchants Althoughit is shorterthan a kimono,the constructionis becamewealthier, their clothing resembled more the textiles similar.The designis of a pairof mandarinducks on a pondin wornby the elite,and this jacket was madewith the yuzenzome the snow.The backof the coatis shownhere (as they are techniqueon silk.The yuzen technique is the textiletechnique usuallyshown in museumsand in books)because the main most closelyrelated to paintingand was developedby fan designis on the back.Due to the openingin the front,the larger painterMiyazaki Yuzen. In this technique,all the dyes are expansefor a designis on the backand so it is conceivedin view paintedon withbrushes; none areapplied through immersion frombehind. in a bath. Rice paste is used as a resist, first to outline the Howis the pattern(or surface design) differentfrom the patternareas, and then to coverand protect painted areas kimonosin the painting?It does nothave an alloverrepeated beforebrushing in the backgroundcolors. The pasteis then designlike the kimonosbut has a compositionlike a landscape washedout of the fabric.Silks decorated in this wayattract painting.It is asymmetrical,has a focalpoint, gives an illusionof attentionfor their fine detail,the graduationand shading that depth,and is continuousfrom the backacross both sleeves.

NOVEMBER 1996 / ART EDUCATION I

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Coat(hanten).Japan, Kyoto, c. 1930-40,Showa period. Silk, yuzen, rice paste. 36 5/8"Hx 50 3/8"W.Gift of Virginiaand Bagley Wright. Seattle Art Museum. Photo credit: Paul Macapia. CoverletinKimono form (yogi). Japan, 19th century, Meiji period. Cotton cloth with freehand paste-resist decoration (tsutsugaki). 61"H x 55 1/2"W. Giftof Virginiaand Bagley Wright. Seattle Art Museum. Photo credit: Paul Macapia. The longvertical expanse of clothon the backis a littlelike the dimensionsof thejacket. The dyerwas alsofamiliar with formatof a hangingscroll (likethe Hokusaipainting). The techniquesof inkpainting; his jacketuses themin the delicate continuationof the compositionacross the seamsto the sleeves shadingof the snowand rocks, and in the feathersof the birds. mightremind you of anotherJapanese painting format, the Whatkind of mando you thinkwore this coat?The wealthof foldingscreen, in whicha compositionis continuedacross the coat'sowner is evidentfrom the silkfabric and painstaking panelsof the screen.Because it is a man'scoat, the composition paintingprocess. His choiceof subjectsignaled his desireto wouldnot have been brokenup andpartly hidden by an obi. showhis knowledgeof artistsand painting of the past.By the The dyerof the garmentbased the compositionon a famous timethis 20thcentury coat was made,laws no longerprevented paintingof twocenturies earlier, changing it a bitto fitthe merchantsfrom wearing luxurious coats like this.

Coverlet in kimono form (yogi) Meijiperiod, 19th century, Cotton cloth with freehand paste-resist decoration (tsutsugaki), 61" x 551/2", Seattle Art Museum89.145, Gift of Virginia and Bagley Wright OBJECTIVES andwas paddedwith raw cotton for warmth. Perhaps people Studentswill 1) examinehow kimono design has been puttheir arms through the sleeveswhile sleeping, or perhaps adaptedfor a coverlet;2) discussa ruraltextile production the sleevesjust hung overthe sides of thefuton.The coverlets processthat was partlycommissioned and partly homemade. arelarger than kimonos, and were madewider with an extra panelof fabricin the centerof the back.The motifof rabbits BACKGROUND jumpingthrough waves is a commonone, showinggood wishes Cottonfabric dyed with was typicalof ruraltextiles. forthe marriageand hopes forchildren. A familycrest, unique Theywere decorated by usinga ricepaste as a resistto block to this family,is in the center.Crests were also placedon the outpattern areas before the clothwas dyedin the indigovat. centerback of kimonosand jackets, but here the crestis much These were inexpensiveand easily available materials in most largerthan it wouldappear on clothing.This crestis a designof ofJapan by this time.The tsutsugakitechnique of resist- threemandarin orange blossoms forming a circle. used here is a freehandtechnique: in anothercommon Noticewhere the designcrosses the seams of the coverlet. technique,stencils were used forapplying the paste.The strong The mainpattern is placedalong the bottomedge. Kimonos contrastof whiteand dark blue andthe freehandpaste were oftendesigned this waybecause they were worn with obi. applicationof the tsutsugakitechnique lend themselves to bold As obisgrew wider and more of a focalpoint, the fabricdesign large-scaledesigns. forthe kimonoconcentrated on the bottomof the sleeves and Forthe freehandtsutsugaki method, the pasteis appliedby hem areas.This typicalkimono design was carriedover into the squeezingit througha cone-shapedtube. The pasteis applied yogi design,although no obiwould have been used!Here, the as a resiston both sides of the clothto the areasto remain "sleeves"are narrow, not the wide swingingsleeves of young white:here, to the crest,the rabbitsand the lines outliningthe women'skimonos, and are left a solidcolor. The familycrest is waves.The pasteapplication is somewhatlike decoratinga enlargedfor balance between top and bottom, compensating cake:small tips on the tubes areused fordrawing thin lines, and forthe lackof obi.The designis asymmetrical,not an allover tipswith larger openings are used forthicker lines. Several repeatedpattern. However, it was clearlydesigned as a immersionsin the indigodye bathwere needed to achievethis coverlet,and does not havethe appearanceof a painting darkblue background color. After the firstfew dippings,paste translatedinto a garment. was also appliedover the wavesso thatthey would remain light Yogicoverlets were used by commonpeople and were blue in color,while the remainderof the fabricbecame typicalof ruralareas. This typeof textiledecoration was not successivelydarker. After the dyeingwas completedand paste restrictedto the eliteby this time,although not everyonecould was washedoff the fabric,details of the rabbits'features and fur affordit. They were an importantpart of a bride'strousseau, werebrushed in withink. Using ink, the designerachieved meantto showthe statusof her family,and wishes and these details,but not the fine shading,brushwork, and color aspirationsfor her newlife as partof her husband'sfamily. gradationof the man'scoat. The scatteringof whitefoam above Althoughthese ruralwomen could not affordluxurious the wavesmight remind you of the snowfalling on the previous kimonos,they couldput together an impressivecollection of jacket. householdtextile items. The bride-to-beand other women in her familyspun cotton, wove it, thentook the clothto the village DISCUSSION dyerto be decoratedwith auspicious patterns and family crests. Hereis a coverletin the shapeof a kimono.It was used like a The womenof the familysewed the fabricup intovarious quiltwhen sleepingon afuton(mattress stuffed with cotton), householdarticles.

ART EDUCATION / NOVEMBER 1996 INSTRUCTIONAL __---IB

Farmer's Coat LateEdo-early Meiji period, 19th century, perhaps Shonai, Quilted (sashiko) recycled cotton cloth and patchwork cloth pieces with paste-resiststencil decoration (), 44" x 45",Seattle Art Museum 89.146, Gift of Virginiaand Bagley Wright OBJECTIVES interestingway to createa composition! Studentswill 1) analyzefunctional and expensive elements Howwould you comparethis coatwith an American of a garmentdesign created by stitchingtogether sections of patchworkquilt? Both reuse andcombine scraps of fabricand used fabric;2) discussa traditionof textilesmade by womenfor use a varietyof stitchingpatterns to holdlayers together. theirfamilies. Womenmade sashiko garments for themselves and their families.This was not a specializedtechnique that textile BACKGROUND professionalsdid for a living.Nevertheless, today the coatis Sashiko,a techniqueof stitchingtogether layers of cloth, considereda workof artisticvalue for a museumcollection. was an artof a ruralarea of northernJapan (Tohoku, the northernmostarea of Honshu,the mainisland of Japan), a FOLLOW-UPQUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES remotearea known for harsh winters and the impoverished Arethere any items of clothingin yourfamily that some lives of its residents.Although cotton was availablein this area peoplemade themselves? Is thereanything (like the coverlet) by the timethe coatwas made,it was usuallybrought in from thatwas partlypurchased and partly added to (suchas a tie- southernareas of Japan. Cotton was so expensivefor people of dyedT-shirt or a decoratedjacket)? Are there any textile items this areathat they boughtit alreadyused, andthen recycledit at home thatreuse or recyclecloth (suchas patchworkquilts)? to use againfor many generations. Originally sashiko stitching Makea list of the Japanesetextile processes that people did for servedto strengthenworn fabric and also to makethe garments themselvesand those thatpeople paid for. How does it compare warmerby holdinglayers of clothtogether. Stitching also withyour own experience? servedto createdecorative patterns and textures. Whatdo you knowabout family crests? Do you knowof othercultures besides Japan that use them?What shapes are DISCUSSION they?What kind of symbolsdo they use?Collect examples (if Let'slook at a farmer'scoat from northern Japan. What possible,including Japanese, European, Northwest Coast similaritiesand differences do you noticefrom the other NativeAmerican and others) to compare.Design your own textiles?The basicconstruction is similar,but the sleeves are familycrest and explain its symbolism. quitenarrow, for working in. The colorscheme of a white Explainthe differencebetween an alloverrepeated pattern decorativepattern on an indigoblue background is the sameas anda singlecomposition in clothingand point out examplesof the yogicoverlet, the otherrural example. The stitchingcreates each in clothingaround you. Cutout two large kimono or jacket small-scalerepeated textures and patterns compared with the shapes (as seen fromthe back)and think about what season bolddesigns of the coverlet. andoccasion you wouldlike each of themto be for.Draw or Takea look at the asymmetricaldesign and variety of paintdesigns on them,making one of theman alloverrepeated stitchingpatterns. The designwas createdpartly by combining patternand one a singlecomposition. You may want to include differentfabrics. Several stitching patterns unify and create a familycrest on the centerback of yourgarment designs. interestin the design.The backis stitchedin whitein a squared-offswirl motif. The motifrefers to a woodenbox used REFERENCES to measuregrains, and so was consideredlucky for a farmer. Dalby,L. C. (1993).Kimono: Fashioning culture. New Haven,CT: Yale Lookhow the stitch as it reachesthe UniversityPress. designchanges shoulders, D. & S. S. Whenart became to cross overto the andto createa smallerdiamond Gluckman, C., Takeda, (1992). fashion: front, shape Kosodein Edo-periodJapan.Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County in the centerback (wherea familycrest would be on a kimono Museumof Art. orjacket). On the sleeves, an overlappingcircle motif in the Kuo,S. (1985).Katagami:Japanese textile stencils in thecollection of stitchingalso signalswishes forgood fortune. theSeattle Art Museum. Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum. The of blue fabric into the Liddell,J. (1989).The story of the kimono. New York: E.P. Dutton. rectangles lighter incorporated Loudon,S. M. (1989).Spring blossoms, Autumn moon: Japanese artfor garmentwere originallystencil-dyed in southernJapan. Here theclassroom. Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum. these scrapswere given a second life.They were too precious Rathbun,W. J. (Ed.). (1993).Beyond the Tanabata Bridge: Traditional to throwaway! Look how the stitchingcreates a design overa Japanesetextiles. Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum and Thames design andholds the garmenttogether visually. Also, notice andHudson. A thousandcranes: Treasures ofJapanese art. San Francisco, CA: how the two sections on the backwere not placedtogether SeattleArt Museum and Chronicle Books, 1987. alongthe hem but staggeredin theirarrangement for more design interest.The womanwho createdthis coatfrom used fabricwould have done so fromnecessity, but thatdid not Sarah M. Loudonis SeniorMuseum Educatorat the Seattle preventher fromusing these differentpatterns in an Art Museum, Seattle, Washington.

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SastikoRobe. Japan, 19th century, late Edo period-early Meiji period. Sashiko; cotton, handspun; indigo; patchwork, katazome. 44"H x 45"W.Gitt ot Virginia and Bagley Wright. SeattleArt Museum. Photo credit: Paul Macapia.