THE SEARCH FOR TSUJIGAHANA

discovering the art

Itchiku Kubota’s life-long passion has sometimes been characterized as the search for Tsujigahana (pronounced tsu’-jee-ga-ha-na). Kubota described his feelings when he first saw a small sample of Tsujigahana textile in 1937 at the Tokyo National Museum this way:

My heart was beating faster; I was moved, trembling and fascinated in the face of such mastery and refinement of beauty. For over three hours I remained transfixed there in the deserted museum hall contemplating this little fragment of fabric which seemed to have been on display in the showcase for me alone.

The encounter had been intense, charged with mystery. I later thought that, if such a thing as reincarnation did exist, then the creator of this Tsujigahana dye would have been me.

Captivated by its extraordinary beauty, design complexity and saturated colors, Kubota spent decades trying to recreate that museum textile. It was not, however, until 1977, when he was 60 years old, that he finally developed his own dyeing and decorating techniques that involved complex tie-dyeing and ink drawing, often on textiles woven with gold or silver threads. It was a new technique which drew its spirit and inspiration from the lost art of Tsujigahana.

But just what was Tsujigahana? It is, at best, a mystery lost in time, and at worst, an artistic conundrum.

Tsujigahana is a term found in medieval Japanese literature that describes a kind of textile, but there are no actual textiles that can definitely be linked to this term. In the early 20th century, some Japanese dealers/collectors gave the name Tsujigahana to a group of textiles from the 15th and 16th century that has survived, mainly in fragments. They generally consist of tie-dyeing and ink painting combined. However, some late 16th/early 17th examples also incorporate gold or silver leaf glued on the surface of the silk.

Unfortunately, no one knows the specific piece of textile that Master Kubota saw in 1937, so we cannot be certain which combination of techniques he was looking at. He did develop a unique system of tie-dyeing and over-dyeing with ink—some of which are done on silks woven with metallic threads or have other interesting textures. He called his version "Itchiku Tsujigahana" to indicate his source of inspiration and his own contribution. Some textile specialists in Japan are concerned about the use of the term since we can’t be certain what Tsujigahana really looked like, and the name attached to the old textiles is a modern identification.

It is generally believed that the Tsujigahana method of textile dyeing flourished in medieval Japan. It was an outgrowth of the shibori tie-dyeing method which immersed portions of cloth repeatedly in dyes to create multi-colored designs. Tsujigahana craftsmen developed their process to include the use of ink brushes to produce fine lines and shadows and added embroidery and gilding. The result of this intricate work was richly-colored patterns which had previously been impossible. Tsujigahana kimono were highly prized among Japan’s aristocracy.

There is no clear reason why use of the technique faded after the 17th century, although the yuzen techniques that have flourished in the years since share some of the same elements. The yuzen technique may have eventually replaced the Tsujigahana method.

Shibori encompasses a variety of methods to embellish textiles by shaping cloth and securing it before dyeing. Shibori does not treat cloth as a two-dimensional surface, but rather it is given a three-dimensional form by folding, crumpling, stitching, plaiting, or plucking and twisting. It is secured in a number of ways, including binding and knotting. Shibori relies on the pliancy of a textile and its potential for creating a broad spectrum of designs.

Yuzen is a textile process that combines a mixture of freehand paste resist and painting, which may also include stencil and shibori work. The decorative flexibility possible with this combination of techniques is unsurpassed. Designs are initially outlined in paste resist, and dyes are then applied to give subtle gradations of tone. Both delicacy and lavishness are characteristic of yuzen, as are traditional themes and decorative designs. Embroidery and gold leaf are sometimes elements of yuzen composition.