Weaving, Dyeing, Patchwork, Painting
- At November 01, 2021
- By admin
- In Annes Letters
0
Dear Family and Friends,
My friend Noriko has wonderful ideas for day trips. So, whenever she asks if I would like to join her, I always say yes. This time she invited me, along with several other friends, to visit a weaving-dyeing shop in the mountains near Sendai. The area is called Zao. It is famous for a crater lake, good skiing, and thermal baths. But it turns out many artists-crafts persons have found their way there, too. So, it is a haven of creativity in a very natural setting.
The place we went to was called Go-Nin-Ten (五人展). That means “Five Person’s Display (of Goods). It was a lovely shop in a traditional house.
The traditional shop was filled with goods hand-made by the five friends. There was dyeing, of course, and also weaving and patchwork. We could wander, touch, try on, imagine to our hearts’ content. All this while the lady who made a particular craft told us its story.
Against another wall was kimono material that had been dyed from plants with such poetic names as Moon Viewing Grass (月を見る草), Akane (Red Root) (赤い根), Tree of the West (西の木), and Kusagi or Tree of Grasses (草木).
What was a highlight for my friend and the five artists was a man who suddenly appeared while we were there. This gentleman had graduated from the same university, but ten years earlier than the others. He had been an abstract painter most of his adult life. But after his mother died, he began painting Mandalas. I had seen his work in a museum several months ago.
“I realize I was not a good son and I feel bad about that,” he confessed. “So, I create Mandalas as prayers for my mother. I also make them to purify my own heart. I want to send the purest of apologies and love to my mother. So, I need to be completely transparent inside.
“The process of painting these Mandalas is very sacred to me. And so, I offer them not only to my mother, but to the world. I want their energy to reach far and wide. I know we all have to make mistakes in order to learn. So, I hope these works will be a guide to anyone who needs them and is able to connect to their energies.”
Today was meaningful for each of us in our own way. As we left, we bowed our good-byes, and came home with memories of a day filled with beautiful crafts, long-lasting friendships, and the profound wisdom of a man seeking inner peace in the final years of a life well lived.
Love,
Anne
[1] The only translation I could find for Akane (赤い根) is literal, “red root”. But I am not sure what the correct term for this plant is in English.
My friend Noriko has wonderful ideas for day trips. So, whenever she asks if I would like to join her, I always say yes. This time she invited me, along with several other friends, to visit a weaving-dyeing shop in the mountains near Sendai. The area is called Zao. It is famous for a crater lake, good skiing, and thermal baths. But it turns out many artists-crafts persons have found their way there, too. So, it is a haven of creativity in a very natural setting.
The place we went to was called Go-Nin-Ten (五人展). That means “Five Person’s Display (of Goods). It was a lovely shop in a traditional house.
Five friends from university days show their crafts there. They sell them if they can. But that is not important. What means the most to them is the creative process itself. “We just love what we do,” they will eagerly tell you. “We have been doing our craftwork for over 50 years, so it is a part of who we are. We would not be ourselves without this ongoing creative process. When people come here and appreciate our work, that is the best payment we could ever have.”
These artists and my friend Noriko studied in the same university, but with different majors. They became friends, though, and still stay in touch. Friendship, too, is very important to all of them.
Normally when you enter the shop, the first thing you encounter is an area with boiling pots. The dyeing artist collects leaves and grasses, flowers and berries in the surrounding forest. She then dries them, and grinds them into a fine powder for dyeing. It was Sunday when we went. So, that section of the house was quiet, but beautiful with recently dyed pieces hanging to dry.
These artists and my friend Noriko studied in the same university, but with different majors. They became friends, though, and still stay in touch. Friendship, too, is very important to all of them.
Normally when you enter the shop, the first thing you encounter is an area with boiling pots. The dyeing artist collects leaves and grasses, flowers and berries in the surrounding forest. She then dries them, and grinds them into a fine powder for dyeing. It was Sunday when we went. So, that section of the house was quiet, but beautiful with recently dyed pieces hanging to dry.
The traditional shop was filled with goods hand-made by the five friends. There was dyeing, of course, and also weaving and patchwork. We could wander, touch, try on, imagine to our hearts’ content. All this while the lady who made a particular craft told us its story.
For example, I learned that the colors of the natural dyes are strongly affected by season. Also, when I went deeper into the shop, I saw several long strips of cloth hanging from display poles. Their colors were subtle and exquisite. They were made from marigold flowers and the leaves of “akane”[1], peach, and eggplant.
Against another wall was kimono material that had been dyed from plants with such poetic names as Moon Viewing Grass (月を見る草), Akane (Red Root) (赤い根), Tree of the West (西の木), and Kusagi or Tree of Grasses (草木).
What was a highlight for my friend and the five artists was a man who suddenly appeared while we were there. This gentleman had graduated from the same university, but ten years earlier than the others. He had been an abstract painter most of his adult life. But after his mother died, he began painting Mandalas. I had seen his work in a museum several months ago.
“I realize I was not a good son and I feel bad about that,” he confessed. “So, I create Mandalas as prayers for my mother. I also make them to purify my own heart. I want to send the purest of apologies and love to my mother. So, I need to be completely transparent inside.
“The process of painting these Mandalas is very sacred to me. And so, I offer them not only to my mother, but to the world. I want their energy to reach far and wide. I know we all have to make mistakes in order to learn. So, I hope these works will be a guide to anyone who needs them and is able to connect to their energies.”
Today was meaningful for each of us in our own way. As we left, we bowed our good-byes, and came home with memories of a day filled with beautiful crafts, long-lasting friendships, and the profound wisdom of a man seeking inner peace in the final years of a life well lived.
Love,
Anne
[1] The only translation I could find for Akane (赤い根) is literal, “red root”. But I am not sure what the correct term for this plant is in English.
