JAPANESE EMBROIDERY(Nihon Shishu)

flg. 1 Hand-embroideredfukusa (detail), Meiji period (1890s)

Text and photographs courtesy of Arjen de Winter

AJapanese kimono is one of the most highly valuedtypes of traditional dress in the world. It is not

only appreciated because of the actual cost, but morebecause of the design elements used to create high qualitykimono.

The shape and cut of a kimono is basically the samefor all styles, but the uniqueness of each comes from thediffering materials, colours, designs and techniques used todecorate it.

The three main techniques defining the value of akimono are: embroidery, shibori (tie-dyeing) and yuzendyeing. If all three are found (and it has a good pattern), akimono is considered to be of high quality.

Focusing on one design element in this artic1e-embroidery-we will look at the technical side and a bit ofhistory and general appreciation. As welI as traditionalembroidery we also find sashiko, which is stitching ratherthan embroidery. Sashiko is found on more day-to-daytextiles. To round out the embroidery picture, a shortparagraph on sashiko is appended.

Traditional Japanese embroidery has many followers,in- and outside Japan. Nihon ShishU,the name for traditionalJapanese embroidery, is studied and valued alI over theworld. Nihon Shishíi is used on kimono and on all kinds of

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other textile-based artic1es used in daily life, from bags tofukusa (presentation wrappers) (see fig. 1), and walldecorations to bedspreads. To understand the intricacy ofJapanese embroidery we look at the actual technique asstudied in the worldwide organization Kurenai-kai.

First a bit of historyAlthough it was little known outside Japan until about

25 years ago, traditional Japanese embroidery has been anintegral part of Japan's culture for a millennium. It carne toJapan from China through Korea by the route known as theSilk Road 1600 years ago.

With the introduction of Buddhism carne the import ofreligious images, many embroidered. Typical Japaneseembroidery developed from China's Sui and Tang dynastyembroidery. Fragments of Japanese embroidery exist thatdate back to 622, the 30th year of Empress Suiko's reign.The ShOsoin (built in 756) collection of textiles has pieceswhich were embroidered using untwisted threadembroidered in the sashi-nui style (long and short stitches).

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333) interest inembroidery increased, as it was used by commoners forreligious images.

Embroidery for a long time wasa most popular way to decorategarments, apart from the wovendesigns already used.

It was particularly popularduring the Muromachi era (1392-1568), when simple embroiderytechniques were used to decorate cloth.Bugaku (a classic dance form)costumes survive from this periodshowing elaborate embroidery mostlydone in watashi-nui (float stitch withno running thread on the reverse side ofthe cloth).

During the Momoyama era(1568-1600), embroidery coveredgarments completely, a style still seenin current Nó costumes. AIso surihaku

(use of metallic leaf on cloth) carneinto fashion. It also featuredembroidery using relatively largemotifs, using long parallel stitches,known as ura-nuki.

Until the Meiji era (1868-1912),embroidery in Japan was known as nui,which literally means 'sewing'. Theword shishU carne into fashion when

Westem embroidery skills carne in. TheJapanese style was from then on knownas Nihon Shishu.

Edo era embroideryThe Edo period (1600-1868) saw

many different attitudes towardsembroidery. Under the feudal system, adistinct division of classes (andclothing) was established, whichresulted, amongst other things, in a1683 ban by the Shógun on the wearingof luxuriously embroidered kimono bythe lower classes.

During the Keichó (1596-1615)and Kan'ei (1624-1644) periods,preferences changed to minute designswith short sparse stitches, e.g. to createtiny landscapes of flowers and autumngrasses.

During the Manji (1658-1661)and Kanbun (1661-1673) eras,embroidery became more dense andprecise with increasingly realisticdetail, foreshadowing the later matureEdo periodo

The Kyóhó era (1716-1736) sawincreased use of embroidery as the solemeans of decoration. In that period su-nui developed, based on ink drawing. Itwas characterised by fine lines, limitedcolour range and monochrome ground.

fig. 2'Hakoseko (hand-embroidered purse that is tucked between obi and kimono),Showa period (1950s)

fig. 3 Mon (crest) of contemporaryfurisode (long-sleeved kimono)

fig. 4 Mon of kabuki kimonofor female part, ShOwa period (1970s)

This crest has been embroidered on aseparate piece of silk before attaching it tothe kimono.

In the 19th c., many techniqueswere used, and from ca. 1850embroidery was combined with othertechniques, e.g. on katabira kosode.Kosode was the term used for kimonobefore the late 1800s. The kosode (fig.5) is the predecessor of the currentkimono, and developed from theunderkimono of earlier times. Akatabira is an unlined summer kosode,which used stencilled designs withembroidered accents including kinkoma (couching metallic thread).

In the Meiji era (1868-1912)subdued designs were favoured.Touches of embroidery were used toaccent and highlight objects withinsimple scenery (fig. 7).

From 1850-1915, uchikake(house coats, used as over-garment andlater as wedding kimono) were oftenwholly embroidered with auspiciousdesigns.

The Taishó era (1912-1926) sawthe return of heavier designs, mostlycombined with yuzen and hand-painting. Machine embroidery allowedfor heavier designs and compacterembroidery.

Currently many painted designsare highlighted with embroideryespecially on more formal kimono liketomesode (the most formal kimono formarried women, with crests at theback, front and shoulders and designs

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fig.5 Hand-embroideredkosodekimono,Edo era (1850s)

on the lower half of the garment. Kuroor black-tomesode are very formallikeWestern black-dresses while ira orcoloured tomesode indicate the basegarment colour (figs. 6, 8 & 11). Heavyembroidered designs are found onwedding furisode (long sleeved, mostformal kimono for unmarried youngwomen) and uchikake.

fig. 5a Sleeves of fig. 5

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Gold and silver leaf andthread

Gold leaf and the preceding goldthread has been used for centuries.Initially it was applied directly to thec1oth. Over the years distinctive stylesof applying metal leaf, and later onmetal thread, were developed.

One of the styles that emerged isnuihaku-lit. sewing and metallic leaf.The kosode was decorated with

embroidery and applied metallic leaf,initially for high society women, nowused for No robes which are known bythe same name. This style employedsymmetry and repetition to copy thedesign style of woven materials of thelate 16th c. and replaced it.

During the Edo period nuihakuused a wider variety of design elements

fig. 5b Detail of fig. 5

like asymmetric composition and morehaku, metallic leaf.

During the Muromachi period(1392-1568) through the 1st decade ofthe 17th century, a special type ofdesign flourished-tsujigahana. Itcombined shibori (Japanese tie-dyeing), kaki-e (painting), surihaku(metallic leaf) and nui (embroidery).

In surihaku, metallic leaf wasapplied to painted sections within thedesign but this was largely replaced bykin-koma by the Kanbun era (1661-1673).

fig. 6 lro-tomesode (detail),Meiji period (1910s)

Single embroidery stitches highlight conesof pine branches.

fig. 7 Detail of 1900sfurisodeSingle yelIow embroidery thread accentuates a pine needlegroup.

fig. 9 Detail of han-eri (hand-embroidered collar cover),

Meiji period

fig. 10 Detail of uchikake sleeve,kin-koma and appliqué

fig. 11 Detail of iro-tomesode, Taishó eraHand-embroidered highlights on

chrysanthemum petals

fig. 8 Detail of iro-tomesode, Taishó periodHand-embroidered detail on flower design

Modern wedding kimono ha veadded gold or silver with a new style ofsurihaku and kin-koma (fig. 12). Appliquéin combination with kin-koma is alsofound (fig. 10).

Beni

Yfizen dyeing, paste resist dyeingwith dye applied using a brush, developedin the late 1600s-early 1700s, becomingthe favoured way of decorating kimono,but embroidery was still not forgotten.

The colour beni, a pinky red madefrom safflower petals, was the favouriteEdo era colour: warm and luminous with

yellow undertones, and gold wasembroidered on yfizen dyed garments tocompensate for the yfizen red, which wastoo cold, too clear with blue undertones,and did not match sensitive Edo eratastes.

fig. 12Detail of uchikake, 19908Sample of modero surihaku and kin-koma and metallic thread embroidery

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fig. 13 Machine-embroidered uchikake,late ShOwa period (1980s)

Introduction to West

After having been refined andperfected over so many centuries,traditional Japanese embroidery hasbecome a style in its own right.Themes from earlier periods ofJapanese history and colour schemesall have their own special meanings.

With kimono, as with otherelements in Japanese life, designs andcolours are chosen to fit the season and

wearer's age. Designs usualIysymbolize traditional themes, legendsand scenes from classical Japaneseliterature, like The Talesof Genji.

Until 1980, when Nihon Shishfipieces were exhibited at the nationalseminar of the Embroiderers' Guild ofAmerica, lnc. in DalIas, Texas, itsembroidery was hardly known outside

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fig. 14 Machine-embroidered uchikake,Showa period (1960s)

fig. 15 Detail of kabuki kimono for male role, Showa period (1980s)

Japan. Now it shines as a paramountachievement in the world of textile arto

is headed by Tamura Shfiji.The JEC is a non-profit

educational organisation which aims topreserve and promote the culturalheritage of Japanese embroidery bypursuing Nui-d6, the Way ofEmbroidery.

Kurenai-kai

The Japanese Embroidery Center(lEC), Kurenai-kai, was founded in1989 at Dunwoody Georgia, USA and

Traditional Japanese embroidery;basic concepts as defined by Kurenai-kai

Traditional Japanese embroidery is worked with silkand metal threads, almost always on a silk ground. Thefabric is mounted on a frame whose design has lasted over amillennium. It is held drum-tight so tension can be kept onthe threads to enhance the shine.

Reeled filament silk is used flat, or twisted by hand toa variety of sizes and degrees of twist. The metals are goldor silver in several sizes, twisted around a silk (thread) coreand held in place on the work by couching with fine silkthread.

Japanese embroidery fabricsOne fabric used is habutae silk-a soft, lightweight

plain-weave silk like taffeta. This silk has a slightly ribbedsurface giving a lustrous effect. It also is used for formalmen's kimono and haori jackets, and tomesode. Customarilyused for kimono linings, it is very thin.

The juni-hito-e, 12-fold court costume of the Heianperiod (794-1185), was made from it. Fine with a smooth.surface, it is easy to stitch, but for that same reason is notsuitable for heavy designs.

Many different silk fabrics are suitable for the kimonoitself. These are heavier than habutae but not as thick as obi

fabrico They may have various woven patterns and thesurface may be smooth or textured. Crepe is used for thekuro (black)-tomesode, the most formal kimono for marriedwomen. Crepe has a distinct weft valley, making it suitablefor fuzzy effects.

Mon-muji fabric is used for informal obi. Relativelylight, it can be dyed after weaving. The surface is slightlytextured and so is suitable for applying gold leaf.

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Shioze fabric has a distinct weft riboIt is also used forinformal obi and can be dyed after weaving or have gold leafapplied. However, gold leaf is seldom used for shioze, as thefabric is considered casual.

Shusu is a satin-faced fabric used for informal obi,pocketbooks and belts. The thread must be dyed beforebeing woven.

Nishijin fabric is often used for formal obi. Thesurface of this fabric is smoother than shioze, so is suitablefor realistic effects. In Japan it is also used for pictures. Themost formal obi fabric is gold or silver Nishijin, woven witha silk warp and weft of silk and metallic leaf on paper. Itsthickness makes it suitable for heavy designs.

The stiffest obi fabric is tsuzure. The weft threads areround and metallic, rendering the fabric quite stiff. It isconsidered suitable for the heaviest designs. Leather

fig. 16 Detail of kabuki kimono for male role, ShOwa periodHand-embroidered on separate piece of cIoth and sewn as a wholeonto kimono.

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fig.17 Machine-embroidered uchikake,ShOwa period (1950s)

thimbles, instead of European metal or ceramic ones, areused when embroidering this fabric, because of its extremedensity.

These fabrics are made of silk, or silk and metallicthreads. OccasionalIy ro or linen fabric is used for summercostumes. The open weave of the ro or the linen's coolnessmakes it suitable for warmer seasons.

Japanese flat silkIt appears that Prince Koma-O, a renegade subject of

the Chinese Emperor Chuai, first brought silkworm eggs toJapan about 195 AD. He is said to have introduced tea,Buddhism and sericulture (silkworm-rearing).

It took several hundred years, before the Japanesecould create the quality of woven fabric made in China,which had been guarding knowledge of sericulture fromforeigners for centuries, but the Japanese finalIy managed tounravel its secrets. The best silk was imported mainly fromChina, until by the late 17th century most silk was produced

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fig. 18 Machine-embroidered shiromuku ("pure-white"version of the uchikake) used for the most formal part of

the wedding ceremony, late ShOwa period (1970s)Heavy embroidery with white and silver thread

domesticalIy in northern Japan and the Kanto region aroundEdo.

Although more recently silk has proven a versatilenatural fibre from which to make various products, weaversand embroiderers were the first transfixed by the beauty ofthe silkworms' creation.

Each cocoon consists of an approximately one-milelong filament, which is slightly elastic and varies in qualityalong its length. The silk filament is an extruded protein,unlike the animal fibres wool, mohair, cashmere, or humanhair, which are all growing cellular fibres.

Through a microscope, silk looks like a rounded,triangular glass rod, while the growing celIular animal fibreshave overlapping scales. The shape and pearly sheen of thesilk filament is used to produce 'reeled' silk.

The remaining coarser, weaker sections and somefrom broken or imperfect cocoons, or 'waste' silk, are used tomake 'spun' silk. These pieces are carded, combed, and spuninto a thread.

r

fig. 19Detailof uchikake,early Heiseiera (1990s),kin-komaandmachineembroidery

The superior reeled filaments are stronger than spunsilk. They produce the finest silk fabrics and 'flat' silk, thethread that stitches traditional Japanese embroidery.

During the soaking and reeling process, filamentsfrom five to eight cocoons are plied together,'since thefilament from a single cocoon is too fine to be handledalone. The reeled silk is then rewound into skeins, loosecoiled bundles.

Japanese flat silk is wound to a thickness of aboutsixteen ply, depending on the weight. Silk has always beensold by weight. It takes about three thousand cocoons toproduce one pound of silk thread, enough for one kimono.

Japanese gold and silver threadReal Japanese gold or silver thread is made by hand.

Real gold or silver are pounded into an incredibly thin leaf,which is then glued onto paper. This is then cut into finestrips, which are wound spiralIy around a thread coreoWhilethis process was originalIy done by hand, very high-qualityimitation threads are now machine made.

NormalIy gold or silver thread is couched, sewn ontothe ground with another silk thread. The most usualcouching thread for Japanese gold is a red-orange orsometimes gold silk.

Red couching thread adds lustre to the gold, whereasgold tends to cool it. Of course, other couching threads canbe made of any coloured flat silk, to obtain an infinite rangeof effects.

Japanese silver is generalIy couched with white silk,but, again, other coloues may be used to different ends.

Not only is the gold or silver thread affected by thecouching thread's coloue, but padding may influence thefinal look. Cotton padding thread is the usual choice underJapanese gold threads. Often a layer of gold flat silk isworked over the padding to lessen the chance of the whiteshowing through. Orange silk padding threads can giveadditionallife to Japanese gold.

Padding shows through the gold more than onerealises, and the colour used will become part of thereflection created by the metal.

Types of stitchesKyoto Shoin's Art Library of Japanese Textilesdescribes thefolIowing stitches used in Nihon Shishfi:1. Kaeshi-nui or outline stitch (fig. 21)A simple stitch that slants backwards. A line is formed byrepeating the stitch back and forth.2. Tsugihari-nuior two-way stitch (fig. 22)

fig. 20 Kin-koma design on sleeve of kabuki kimonofor male roles

fig. 21 Kaeshi-nui or outline stitch fig. 23 Kusari-nui or chain stitchfig. 22 Tsugihari-nui or two-way stitch

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fig. 24 Sagara-nui or French nut stitch

I 1'>.I .Lo..

fig. 25 Sashi-nui or long-and-short stitch

fig. 26 Hira-nui or satin stitch

fig. 27 Watashi-nui or Ooat stitch

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fig. 28 Tome-nuior fixingstitch

By repeating the simple running stitchon the same line, but in the oppositedirection, a solid line is forroed.3. Kusari-nui or chain stitch (fig. 23)An embroidery stitch which forrosconnecting links like a chain. Thisstitch is used to make lines and fill.space.4. Sagara-nui or French nut stitch(fig. 24)An embroidery stitch which forms dots.The thread is stitched from theunderside of the cloth and knotted on

the outer side. This procedure isrepeated to express dotted pattems.5. Sashi-nui or long-and-short stitch(fig. 25)Altemating long-and-short stitches usedto fill in parts of a designo All stitchesgo in the same direction. When usedeffectively for shading, the designappears realistic.6. Hira-nui or satin stitch (fig. 26)Close parallel stitches fill out a designoEvery caution is made to prevent thestitches overlapping. Because the thread"floats" on the surface of the cloth,

tome-nui, a fixing stitch, is often usedto secure it.

fig. 29 Matsuri-nui,a variation on kaeshi-nui outline stitch

fig. 30 Koma-nui or cording stitch

7. Watashi-nui or float stitch (fig. 27)This is a variation of hira-nui. Stitches

go back and forth, from one edge of thedesign to the other without the threadappearing on the underside of the cloth.Used in the 14-16th c.

8. Tome-nui or fixing stitch (fig. 28)This stitch is used to secure the

"floating" thread of the hira-nui andwatashi-nui stitches. It means thatthread of another colour or material is

combined with the underlying floatingthread to keep this floating thread in itsplace and create geometric pattems likehemp leaves and lozenges or figurativedesigns like petals, stamens and leafveins.9. Matsuri-nui, a variation on kaeshi-

nui outline stitch (fig. 29)Used to forro a line.

10. Koma-nui or cording stitch (fig. 30)An embroidery technique to secure goldor thick twisted thread, which cannotpenetrate cloth. The thread from a komareel is unwound and laid along theunder-drawing line, then stay-stitchedonto the cloth with thin silk thread.

fig. 31 Simple sashiko bag

Sashiko embroideryThe term sashiko comes from

sasu, to pierce. It consists of a simplerunning stitch that decorates a singlelayer or stitches together multiplelayers of cloth. Initially this kind ofstitching was probably for recycling orextending the cloth's life. Layers wereobviously added to make thicker,warmer and more durable clothes.

Sashiko stitching has beenknown at least since the 8th C.,judgingfrom a robe in the Sh6s6in collection

(AD 756). Sashiko is not only found oncountry clothing, but also on firemen'sclothing to combine layers ofprotective cloth and decoration.

Sashiko typically is white cottonthread on fabric dyed with indigo or ai(giving many shades of blue). Doubleor single strands are used. The lengthof the stitch depends on the number oflayers stitched together. Generally theyare straight and even.

Sashiko either forms onerepeating pattern or combines severalpatterns. Most notable sashiko stylesarase in T6hoku, N-E Japan.

Closure

The advantage of embroideryover woven designs is flexibility,limited only by the colours of silkavailable. Both woven andembroidered kimono share the

flexibility and freedom of painting andyüzen dyeing, but embroidery makesthe designs three-dimensional. Evenwhen painting methods advanced,embroidered colours were preferredover paints.

Embroidery adds a feeling ofwarmth, volume and depth to designson a flat surface. This can either be ona ground that already has relief or asmooth ground to create extra relief.Touches of embroidery added to adelicate scenery design, as on Meiji-erakimono, or fully-blown embroidereddesigns from the Momoyama-era, bothhave their own charm..

Because of hand-embroidery'shigh cost, machining has become themain way of embroidering kimono.The silk thread used is fine, unlike theflat silk used when hand-embroidering.Generally it is more compact and so

much heavier than hand-embroidery; aresult is that the ground now mainlywill be mixed materials, i.e. silk andsynthetics, to give the material enoughstrength to suppoit the heavyembroidery.

Contemporary wedding furisodeand uchikake have heavily embroidereddesigns, which now are machined on.

Any type of embroidery adds lifeand dimension to a design and manymachine-embroidered kimono willhave great impact on the person thatencounters embroidered kimono,especially for the first time.

There can be, however, nocomparison with hand-embroideredkimono-they do have a life of theirown! Unfortunately hand-embroideredkimono are expensive nowadays.

During my continuing searchesand digging, 1 do hope to come acrossan affordable hand-embroidereduchikake, of the Edo or Meiji periods,to add to my collection. As anycollector will very likely understand,you can never have enough of the itemthat you collect!

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lig. 32 Machine-embroidered uchikake, 19908

Sources

oJapaneseEmbroidery Center: Kurenai-kai, Ltd.www.japaneseembroidery.comoWhenArt Became Fashion-Dale Carolyn Gluckman &Sharon Sadako Takeda, Weatherhill, Inc. & The Los AngelesCounty Museum of Art, 1992oTheStory of the Kimono-Jill Liddell, E. P. Dutton, NewYork, 1989oJapaneseCostume and TextUeArts, The Heibonsha Surveyof Japanese Art, volume 16-Noma Seiroku, JohnWeatherhill, Inc., 1st English Edition 1974, used edition 5thprinting 1983oBeyondthe TanabataBridge, Traditional JapaneseEmbroidery-edited by William Jay Rathbun, Thames andHudson,London,1993oJapaneseEmbroidery-Kyoto Shoin's Art Library ofJapanese Textiles, Kyoto Shoin Co. Ltd., September 20,1993

Spring 2005 42

The author is a kimono enthusiast and owner 01 a

small kimono shop in Madrid, Spain

Web page: FUYU. eo. UKEmail: INFO@ FUYU. eo. UK

For more information about Japanese embroidery inthe UK contact:

Margaret Lewis(Graduate & Authorised Tutor: Kurenai-kai)Japanese Embroidery UK,(Eikoku Kudari Nuidó Group),P.O. Box 815, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2WHEmail: info@japaneseembroideryuk.comWeb page: www.japaneseembroideryuk.com