Black Silk Scarf

¥58,000

Kaga Yuzen hand-painted shawl “Tennyo-no-Hagoromo (shawl of the Heavenly Maiden)

Out of stock

Category: Tag:

Description

Product size: approx. 70 x 190 cm
Product weight: About 15g
Box size: 16 x 38 x 3.5 cm
Box weight: About 200g

STORY
About ten years ago, the director of the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts where my work was exhibited was wearing a mysterious, lustrous see-through scarf.
I had heard of the world’s thinnest material was produced in Ishikawa: this was the Super Organza.
I was fascinated by this thin and light material and made an appointment to see the President right away to get permission to hand-paint on it using Kaga Yuzen techniques. He consented willingly providing me with the material samples.

The material was delicately woven with fine, almost-invisible threads—7 deniers—about one-fifth the width of a black hair. Conventional tools for hand-painting Yuzen patterns could not be used as they would damage the fabric, so it was necessary to devise the appropriate tools from start.

Not many Yuzen artists hand-paint on thin materials as unevenness is likely to occur. Furthermore, the material was polyester—a synthetic fiber, not silk—which had never been used for a conventional hand-painted Yuzen: I decided to be the first challenger. As expected, it was very difficult to hand-paint Yuzen on these different materials, and there was a series of trial-and-error and failures.

For example, when trying to sketch or putting the starch on the material, I saw the desk through the thin material prohibiting me to grasp the distance between it and the brush. My “eye-auto-focus” was completely off making me seasick. The only way to achieve the goal was to do it over and over again and make my hands learn to get a feel of it.
While the way to creation was fun and rewarding, it was very stressful at the same time. As the craftsmen get income only when the products are turned in, I could have never made it without my wife’s support who watched over me even during the hardest times.
When I had finally managed to hand-paint on the material, I felt as if a door had opened up leading me to a New World.

About Tennyo-no-Hagoromo Shawl
It has been over 10 years since I started making Kaga Yuzen-dyed super-organza shawls. Much improvements have been made on methods and tools and we can now provide the customers with different sizes, patterns and materials. Since the shawl is extremely light and almost-transparent, it goes well with kimono as well as western clothing.
Recently, it has been appreciated as interiors as well.

Super Organza material is made using the latest technology. On the other hand, Yuzen-dyeing is a technique has 300 years’ history. Hand-painted Kaga Yuzen Tennyo-no-Hagoromo shawl is a product that combines both the traditional Japanese technology and the cutting-edge Western technology.

I can not produce in quantities as every piece is made by hand, but I would like all the customers to enjoy the unique, light-weight, ethereal shawl with a stunning Kaga Yuzen pattern floating on it.