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| Hiroshi TAJIMA |
How many silk cocoons does it take to make one Japanese Kimono?
Spend an hour or two in the Silk Museum in Yokohama and you’ll find out plus so much more. In February, a small but dedicated group left Yokosukachuo and headed to Yokohama to learn about the silk industry and hopefully see some beautiful traditional Japanese kimono. We were not disappointed. The museum has two floors, the bottom floor is dedicated to silk production, information about the silkworm and the many different types of fabric that can be produced from silk cocoons. Normally, I might start to glaze over at some point with information about insects and production but was surprised to find the information was not only presented in English (YEAH!! A big thank you to whomever at the museum made that call) but it was interesting as well. They have hands on stations where you can feel the different types of fabric, you can visually see the silk threads being pulled from multiple cocoons and made into thread. Admittedly, I might have more interest in this process than the average person, having dyed silk scarves for a number of years before moving to Japan, but even my fellow Explorer’s seemed to take their time meandering through the museum. The second floor is dedicated primarily to an exhibit of traditional Japanese silk clothing. There were beautiful Noh Theatre costumes and silk kimono but the discovery of a video presentation was what made this trip so worthwhile. Tucked in the corner was a touch video display – four options in English. The first video we watch was interesting but moved pretty darn slow, I was fighting to keep my eyes open. When that ended I wasn’t really sure I wanted to select another option – more worried that my companions would feel obligated to sit through another slow-mo video but they encouraged me to make another selection and am I ever so glad they did. We watched Kako Moriguchi at work in his Kyoto studio using the yuzen-zome dye painting method to create breathtaking artwork in the form of Japanese Kimono. I saw some of this process on another video when I visited the Kubota Museum last June, but this video put together by The Japan Foundation, takes the viewer from conception of the design to completion of the kimono. We learned about a special technique that Moriguchi created – maki-nori– where the artist sprinkles small particles of resist paste onto the fabric to create gradation and texture. I have seen some of these beautiful kimonos on display but had no idea how they were created – according to an article from The New Yorker, each kimono can take six to eight weeks to create and can go for between $40,000 – 80,000 U.S.D. If you’d like to learn more or see some of Kako Moriguchi’s work, or his son Kunihiko click on the links below.
After a quick stop at the museum gift shop we headed over to the Red Brick Warehouse, about a 10 minute walk, to check out Bills Restaurant. From the looks of our plates at the end of lunch we all enjoyed our fare and I, always amazed at the Japanese presentation, couldn’t help taking another photo of a cuppa with that heart-felt attention to detail.
It was a great outing, easy to get to and I left both the museum and Bills … inspired. Oh, and the answer to the question “how many silk cocoons for one kimono?” Drumroll please … 9000!For Yokosuka-peeps: Take the Keikyu from Yokosukachuo to Yokohama. Switch to the Minatomirai Line and take the subway to Nihonodori. From the train station, take exti 3, take a right at street level, then a left at the light and cross over heading towards the water (there’s a LandRover dealership on the corner). Walk two blocks and you will see the Silk Center on your right. The Silk Museum is located on the second floor. To get to the Red Brick Warehouse from the Silk Center cross the street caddy-corner and head towards the Ferris-wheel. You’ll see the Warehouse area after you go behind the buildings and follow along the water.
Moriguchi Kako
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