Connect Japan and the world through Japanese spirituality｜ Japan Cross Bridge｜Tokyo
Express Japanese art and culture to the world
I love to make cherry blossom themed artworks, so I wanted to hold my solo exhibition during the cherry blossom season. I am really grateful that I could hold my first solo exhibition in a nostalgic Japanese old house near Meguro river, Tokyo, where cherry blossoms are really famous. This exhibition is already one of my best memories.
Japanese EMAKIMONO style hanging scroll
First of all, what is EMAKIMONO??
Emakimono – “E” means “pictures”, “makimono” means “scroll” in Japanese.
Emakimono is a Japanese traditional horizontal scroll which tells stories with pictures.
From right side, we unroll the scroll to the left, and illustrations tell you Japanese narrative.
So Emakimono usually is a few meters long, sometimes even 20 meters long!
The oldest Emakimono that still exists is believed to made in Nara period, AD 710 to 794.
I made Emakimono style scroll with Japanese scenery painting.
To make this unique scroll, I used Precious Kimono silk obi belt for both ends.
It is woven with silk and making gorgeous patterns.
In the center painting area, I used white silk kimono fabric.
This white silk fabric is thin and soft, so I attached Special Japanese paper called “urauchi youshi”, on the back to make it stronger and harder.
This special paper has glue on one side and by ironing, I can attach this paper to the silk fabric.
I made this scroll with 2 meters long, so this can be hung on the wall in the rooms easily.
This Emakimono style horizontal scroll allows me to draw Japanese landscape scenery.
I really love to draw Japanese symbols, especially Mt. Fuji, Sakura cherry blossoms, Bamboo, and Koi fish.
Those symbols express Japanese beauty, and every time I draw them, I find myself being in love with them more and more.
In the past, I painted these symbols a lot on Usual Kakejiku hanging scrolls (Vertical scroll), but especially this horizontal scroll has enough space for me to draw all in here.
That’s what I wanted to make.
Fukuro Obi belts are precious obi belts for Japanese Kimono.
They are usually made with silk, having Japanese patterns.
Shiny silk threads create beautiful and gorgeous looks.
These obi belts can become gorgeous decorations by themselves.
Kakejiku style wall decorations using these Fukuro obi are made to enjoy their own beauty.
Small Japanese paintings are not the main stars here.
Gorgeous Fukuro obi belts are the main stars.
This Kakejiku style wall decorations have their uniqueness- with the combination of Fukuro obi and Japanese painting.
Kimono is Japanese traditional fashion and culture.
All Japanese people used to wear Kimono every day long time ago, and Kimono was our clothes.
But we wear Kimono only occasionally now, especially on special occasions such as weddings, new years, come of age day cerebration, or tea ceremony.
And Kimono we wear on those special occasions are really gorgeous.
Depends on the seasons, Kimono fabric can be silk, cotton, or wool.
Kimono Obi Belt is inevitable to wear Kimono.
Obi belts are quite wide and stands out in the center of our body, so it is very important.
There are different kinds of Obi belts, called Nagoya-Obi, Fukuro-Obi, Han Haba- Obi.
Han-Haba Obi is used for daily Kimono or Yukata (summer cotton Kimono), and casual.
Nagoya-Obi also can be used for daily Kimono, or Japanese cultural practice such as tea ceremony or flower arrangement.
Fukuro-Obi is the most gorgeous belt and is for weddings or cerebrations.
When you look at Fukuro-Obi, you will see how gorgeous, shiny it is and the pattern is an amazing art.
When you touch Fukuro-Obi, you can feel that Fukuro-Obi is really precious.
Fukuro-Obi can cost a fortune, sometimes over one million yen.
Fukuro Obi is woven with shiny gold, silver thread, silk thread by artisans.
This is totally Japanese amazing culture.
When this precious Kimono Obi belt turns into hanging scroll, it starts another new life.
We are honored to be able to make gorgeous hanging scrolls with them.
Small compact size Kakejiku hanging scroll – Kimono silk and fabric, Japanese painting art
Do you like bamboo forest? We have Japanese style bamboo painting artworks!
