Virtual Tour of Katakoto No Kai's 5th Annual Exhibition in Tokyo

The essence of the Shokunin: Katakoto No Kai
This very special session and virtual tour is dedicated to Japanese textiles with a focus on the craft of Ise Katagami, making the paper stencils used to create elaborate patterns for dyeing textiles. If features the first virtual tour of Katakoto no Kai’s 5th annual exhibition in Tokyo.
Ise Katagami is a stencil pattern that is essential to create the meticulous designs seen on kimono, such as Edo Komon, or indigo-dyed yukata, Japanese summer wear. If you’ve seen kimono or yukata with intricate and delicate patterns, then you’ve probably seen examples of Ise Katagami, and in this tour you’ll find out how they are made entirely by hand.
Katakoto no Kai is a unique collective of people; textile craftsmen, artisans, designers, writers and photographers, who came together to spread the culture of textile craftsmanship and its value in everyday life, focusing on younger craft generations as well as the techniques like Ise Katagami, which has been practised for over 1200 years.
The multidisciplinary nature of the members of Katakoto no Kai allows for this exhibition to showcase a holistic view of the art of stencil dyeing, taking the audience through the entire process; from the nerve-wracking hand carving of stencil patterns to the demanding dyeing using traditional techniques.
Featured shokunin (craftspeople):
- Nobuo Matsubara - Nagaita chugata shokunin
- Keiko Nasu - Ise katagami shokunin
The conversation is both English and Japanese, co-hosted by Gianfranco Chicco - experience designer and curator of The Craftsman Newsletter and the head of content and digital at London Design Festival - and Tomo Yoshizawa, a Japan based cultural translator and crafts expert.
Photos courtesy of Mayumi Ishii.
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Links:
*Katakoto No Kai / katakotonokai
*Katakoto Ship katakotoshop.o...
*Tomo Yoshizawa / tomoyoshizawa
*Gianfranco Chicco / gchicco
*The Craftsman Newsletter www.thecraftsm...