Japanese Silk Embroidery
By Adeline Panamaroff
Adeline, a freelance writer/proofreader, located in Edmonton, Alberta can be contacted at www.adelinepanamaroff.com for writing and marketing requests.
History: Japanese silk embroidery came to the islands that would later be known as Japan sometime in the 6th Century CE. on the coat-tails of Buddhism. Used mostly to illustrate large story tapestries that explained the teachings of Buddha to the masses, and for ceremonial robes, silk embroidery stayed exclusively in the hands of temple monks for centuries.
During the Heian period, 794 to 1185 CE., Japanese silk embroidery experienced a new venue. It started to be worked onto the silk kimonos and obi of the imperial court. Taking inspiration from nature, motifs of birds, flowers, waves and fish started to be used, as well as traditional objects like drums, and fans were also incorporated into designs. When the ancient capital was moved to Kyoto in 794 CE., the silk embroidery hub also moved there, as the demand for lavishly embellished kimonos was from the imperial court. The 12-layer kimono that the female aristocrats wore was the main source of employment for the Kyoto silk embroidery artisans at this time.
“Sake Box” Design by Japanese Embroidery Center / Stitched by Marian P
It was through the patronage of Noh actors during this period that silk embroidered garments started to spread to the more common populous. Actors who caught the fancy of the imperial aristocrats were often gifted pieces of their wardrobe, as a sign of their favour. These garments were then worn on stage by the Noh performers, and thus were then seen by a wider audience.
While the shape and cut of kimono evolved over the centuries, the use of silk embroidery remained consistent, as a way to adorn the outer kimono, obi and hoari cover coat. The designs for the embroidery were usually developed by a different individual than the stitcher, usually painters and people specifically trained to create these motifs. Also, when Japan opened its borders to international trade, especially during the Edo period, 1603-1867 CE., silk embroidery stitchers started to take inspiration from the European artwork that came as parts of the imported cargo. Whole or parts of paintings were replicated in silk stitches, usually as wall hangings. In turn, interest in Japanese silk work gained interest in the West. This opened up the creative application of the art even more. To cater to Western tastes, landscape scenes that depicted everyday life of the common people in Japan, as well as still life of plants native to the area were the most sought after in the Western market. These pieces were most often meant to be framed as art pieces.
This stitching technique firmly stayed in the hands of trained artisans, and their line of descendants. When the westernisation of Japan occurred, after the Second World War, the use of kimono drastically went down. This saw the decrease in demand for silk embroidered items. Seeing his artist world about to vanish, one silk embroidery master, Iwao Saito, brought this stitching method out from the confines of a close-knit group of artisans and established a national school of embroidery in 1970. Here, anyone was free to join classes to learn traditional techniques. Along with learning the practical side of stitching, students also learned the spiritual side of the art. His successor, Shuji Tamura, brought this embroidery method even further out from Japan in 1989, by establishing a school in Atlanta, Georgia. It is now through these two schools that numerous other smaller venues for learning Japanese silk embroidery have sprung up all over the world.
“Double Cypress Fan” Design by Japanese Embroidery Center / Stitched by Karen P
Technique: The piece of silk fabric to be stitched is mounted onto a frame, in order to keep the backing material taunt. In the early days, the design was applied to the fabric with a mixture of ground up seashells and water and then painted onto the fabric with a brush. Later on, once paper became more readily available, the pattern would be drawn onto very thin paper. This was then laid over the backing material, and the outline of the design would then be lightly stitched onto the silk fabric, through the paper, with light, thin stitches. The paper would then be torn away, leaving behind the stitched outline that the embroiderer would fill in with colored threads.
Silk thread in Japan is manufactured slightly differently than in other areas of the world. The cocoon of the silkworm is unravelled in one whole strand, in the Japanese method. This produces a flat thread. In other silk producing areas of the world, a hole is made in the cocoon, in order to release the silkworm. This breaks up the silk fibres, making it necessary to twist the fibres, in order to join the shorter stands, resulting in a rounded thread. Both flat and rounded types are used to create different texture effects. Colored threads are achieved by either dyes, or, for metallic threads, hand twisting filaments around a core of silk threads. Often the metallic filaments are thin strips of paper that have metal leaf lacquered onto them.
The stitches used in Japanese silk embroidery are numerous. Some are chain stitch, staggered diagonal step stitch, various knots, and running stitches. One of the distinct features of this embroidery method is that it has raised elements and multiple layers that are stitched over several times, in order to create depth and complexity in a piece. The raised areas are often padded with lines of cording, which are made with a cotton core encased in a tube of silk.
There are many stages that the novice embroider must go through in order to reach a master status. Depending on the school of thought that the student is learning from, this could be as many as 10 or 20 levels. In total, it can take 5 years of continuous practice to become a master Japanese silk embroiderer. Part of the traditional training takes the form of meditation and work in outdoor gardens, meant to increase the students’ mindfulness of their connection to nature while stitching.
The choice of what design to stitch, the gender and age of the person for whom it is intended for, and the season that it will be worn all influence the colour scheme of the piece that an embroiderer will create.
Innovation: After the Second World War and the steep decline in the use of silk kimono, new uses for silk embroidery were found in the form of smaller pieces. Narrow wall scrolls that reflect seasonal changes in plant life and animal life, large framed landscape scenes, adornments to small bags, hats, and shrine charms, are but a few places where Japanese silk embroidery can be found today.
Machine silk embroidery is also something that can be found on mass produced items, like obi. One way to tell a hand worked item from a machine produced object is if the stitches are all running in one direction. If this is the case, then it is very likely a machine embroidered piece.
References and Further Reading:
Japanese Embroidery Center - A Brief History of Japanese Embroidery
Webinar Lecture on the History of Japanese Embroidery or NUIDO with Benedicte Riou
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