TAKESHI KITAMURA, A LIVING NATIONAL TREASURE.

In 2009 I went to Japan to study Mojiri-ori, known in Europa as Leno or Gauze.

I have in an earlier post wrote about mojiri-ori in Japan. Please take a look for more detailed explanation about history and technique.

Before going to Japan, my dream was to meet the Living National Treasure; Takeshi KITAMURA. He have got the title Living National Treasure by the Japanese government and is the only craftman today alive, who have got it twice. First for the Mojiri-ori weaving and second on the warp-patterned brocades weaving.

Takeshi KITAMURA weave the complex Gauze called Ra and he does it in his own very special way, like no one else.
At the Crafts Gallery Collection in The National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo I was fortunate to meet the curator Yoko Imai. Reiko Sudo, the owner of NUNO were so kind and introduce me to her. She showed me the work of Living National Treasure; Heiro KITAGAWA.

The above textile is woven in Ra-Kin.

Another beautiful piece by Heiro KITAGAWA.

All the mojiri-ori textiles I have seen in Japan is woven in silk. All of them for kimono or obi.

I were so lucky to be able to visit Takeshi KITAMURA in his studio in the Nishijin area in Kyoto.

The above textile is amazing. Woven in very fine silk on a jacquard loom.

When KITAMURA was awarded the Living National Treasure title he gave the government this textile as a gift.

I myself had of course also gifts with me. Often I bring some white and blue porcelain from the Royal Copenhagen with me.

I also gave KITAMURA one of my own designs I had woven in Gauze. Mine was in stainless steel. After receiving my gift he went out of the room and came in with a little frame. Inside it there were a sample of this fantastic textile and he gave it to ME. So now I have a little piece of KITAMURA's weaving spirit in my home. I feel so lucky.

Detail photographed through a magnifying glass.

When KITAMURA was awarded the Living National Treasure title, the japanese government asked him to teached the Ra technique to other weavers in Japan. Ra is a technique that only a few knows of and this is why the japanese government does not want it to be forgotten.

He choose several weavers which represented the different kinds of regions in Japan. They all gathered at his studio once a month for two years. The group was called: The Usuhata Group. In 2005 the group had an exhibition at Daiwa Foundation Japan House in London; The Wings of the Cicada.

There are different meanings of where Gauze come from. Some say China and others Peru.

One thing is sure, in Japan there is influence from both countries, depending on how the artist work with the Gauze weaving.

KITAMURA told me that there are another weaver in Japan also working with mojiri-ori like himself. The other weaver have the peruvian incluence and he -KITAMURA have the chinese influence. The japanese government chose him as Living National Treasure as many in Japan believes in the chinese influence.

I think both countries have had there own way of working with the Gauze technique. In China they have been working on jacquard looms and very technical, the material always being silk. In Peru and especially in the Chancay Culture they have been working on the backstrap loom and made the pattern by manipulating the threads by hand. The materials have mostly been cotton which were overtwisted and rarely in wool.

Both ways is to me amazing, as the result have been something that were very special for each country. Today many archaeologists and anthropologists study both countries because both of them have had there own way of developing patterns, yarns, weaving tools ect.

The above textile is woven in Ra-Kin.

Detail.

At KITAMURA's studio several women were working for him. Three of them with the mojiri-ori and two others in the warp-patterned brocade technique.
A young woman was sitting and weaving this beautiful textile for an obi. It was woven like everything else in Gauze in silk, but this silk was different. It had a plastic touch, which I can not say for sure where it came from.

There were many looms in his studio and at a very big jacquard he were weaving this pattern in a very screamy limegreen color, so beautiful. Again in silk. The textile were for a kimono.

Takeshi KITAMURA sitting at a jacquard loom in his studio in Nishijin, Kyoto.
Please notice the bamboo stick he is using to keep out the textile in the width.

Me and Takeshi KITAMURA.

This visit was like a dream came truth to me. I am wearing a scarf from NUNO, woven in doublecloth and overtwisted yarns.

The day before I had to leave Japan Reiko Sudo called me. One of KITAMURA's former student had heard about me and wanted to meet me.

Eriko MATSUDA start working at KITAMURA's studio in 1979, later on she also became one of the weavers he choose for the Usuhata Group.

I visited Eriko MATSUDA in her home in Tokyo.

Today MATSUDA weaves mojiri-ori in a combination of Sha and Ro. The textile above is the first she wove in Gauze after a study to Guatemala.

MATSUDA had an ordinary contramarch loom at her home. It had four sets of harnesses on it, but some how she manage to created very complex pattern. On each frame of harness she had an extra frame with heddles and they were in a way connected to each other. Today I still do not understand how she did it.

Here you can see the bamboo stick which is used everywhere in Japan to keep out the textile in the width.

Also note the extra set of halv doups which is below the loom between the reed and the frame of harnesses. These are which gives her the mojiri-ori.

Detail of the loom with the textile.

She were so kind and gave me one of these very thin shuttles and also a piece of the textile. This is hanging next to my KITAMURA piece.

PISQUILLO IN THE CHANCAY VALLEY.

Happy New Year to everyone.

I want to start the New Year by writing a post about what is close to my heart; the Gauzes from the Chancay Culture in Peru.
I have from an earlier post Chancay Gauzes from Museo Amano, Lima, Peru wrote about these amazing textiles.

When I went to Peru on my third trip I contacted Museo Amano. My dream was to visit the Chancay Valley. I wanted to feel the atmosphere and breathe in where these amazing textiles have been woven, for so many years ago.

Here I am on my way with Museo Amano to the Chancay Valley.
The whole area is an archeological place, a dessert.

I remember I was a bit disappointed when seeing it the first time, because we (Mr. Watanabe, his nephew and I) where the only people there. Also there were no fencing and it didn't seemed like it has been taking care of by the Peruvian Government. For me that was surprising and sad, as I think this is a very important culture in the Peruvian history.

Mr. Watanabe told me that to him and his family this was there second home. They went there often once a week.
In the sand bones, broken pottery and textiles where still lying, surprising to me. I think it's sad the Spanish came and broke all these beautiful things, as they were hoping to find gold inside the pottery.

Mr. Watanabe had a very good eye. He told me he had been there so many times and also he was there in the 1950-60 when he and Mr. Yoshitaro Amano (the founder of Museo Amano) were doing the first archeological excavations.

The textile Mr. Watanabe found. It's a very simple piece and here it's not easy to see, but above and below the pattern there are two rows of a very simple leno with plain weave in between.

Today this textiles is hanging in my livingroom. In a future post I will show some close-up of the textile.

Ruins in Pisquillo.

Everywhere in Peru where textiles have been made there is water, this is the lake of Chancay. So beautiful.

I think it's the first and unfortunately also the last time I will ever see this amazing place. Mr. Watanabe told me that in 5-10 years it will probably disappear, as all the other villages in the Chancay Valley.

I think it's so sad. Deep down inside of me I was waving sadly goodbuy to this, for me very important place in the history of Peru; Pisquillo in the Chancay Valley.

OUR CHRISTMAS TREE.

I can not stop posting pictures of our Christmas tree.
This year is special as it is the first time my husband and I are spending Christmas together at our little flat in Copenhagen.
This year I have bought an old Christmas tree stand.

Our Christmas tree is full of old glass decoration made in Germany and Czech republic.

I love angels of all kinds. Here you can see one from Peru to the right. This year I bought angels from a danish ceramist, who have made some in very thin porcelain.

On the picture here you can also see some handmade pom poms I have made. All of them made by yarns from the japanese yarn company Nakachuu. The pom pom to the left is made with reflex yarn.

The pom poms can be bought through my etsy page.

A little owl and Santa Claus on clips.

A duck in glass.

Czech republic decoration in glass.

One of the wise men on a clips. Beautiful and rare.

I wish everybody a beautiful and happy Christmas.

THREE YEARS WITH THE CHANCAY GAUZES.

Today (November the 24th) is a very special day to me.

Exactly three years ago I meet my husband in the center of Lima at Placa de Armas, Peru. I came to Lima three days earlier as I had an appointment with Museo Amano, to study there beautiful collection of Chancay Gauzes.

This post is a tribute to my husband and our marriage.
In January 2010 I wrote another post about my studies of the Chancay Gauzes. Please have a look for further information.

When studying the Gauzes I always started out by taking a photo with a ruler. This help me now when I am back in Denmark and want to study the textile in details and re-analyze it.

This fragment is very characterful and clearly with the zig zag pattern and the wide plain weave in the top part. It measures approx. 67 x 69 cm.

At Museo Amano they had there own library with information about where the fragments of textiles where found in the Chancay Valley. Some of them with specific details of the many villages such as Pisquillo, Piso and Supe.
This textile is one of my favorites with it's floating threads between the zig zag lines.

The Gauzes have all been woven on a backstrap loom, where it was possible to weave a certain size. All of the Gauzes I have seen at Museo Amano where sewn together, mostly by two pieces in the warp direction to make a larger piece.

The textiles have all been finger manipulated when woven.
The material is cotton which is very general when it comes to the Gauzes.

I have only seen one textile made in a combination of cotton and wool. This one was also made in different colors.

I always finished my studies of a textile by taking several pictures through a magnifying glass. This has helped me now when I am back in Denmark, to keep on studying the different structures in the textile.

This piece is very big. It measures approx. 145 x 64 cm. It is found in Pisquillo, Chico area in the Chancay Valley.

As you can see on this picture it consist of three pieces and is sewn together two times in the warp direction.

The edges in the warp direction is beautiful made. Also the top part of the edges in the weft direction is nicely made, but the down part is scalopped as you can see here.The material is cotton.

Eventhough the pattern is squared, I think the horisontal and vertical stribes and lines stands out because of the floating threads in the weft direction.

This textile had a lot of holes which somebody (perhaps people at Amano or others) have tried to correct.

Here you can see the cotton thread is overtwisted as the threads curls when they lies and floats.

Many of the Chancay Gauzes is overtwisted and I think it gives the apperance of the textile a more beautiful and sofisticated look.

Detail throught the magnifying glass.

The textiles at Amano were categorized into different kinds of patterns. This one belongs to the animal part with the silhouette of a cat face.

It measures approx. 77 x 74 cm.

It was the first textile I chose with a clearly and outstanding embroidery.

Raoul D' Harcourt writes about this technique in the book: Textiles in Ancient Peru and their Techniques.

I see this fragment as very special as the textile is a Gauze with embroidery on the top. Many of the other embroidered pieces consist of a net with the embroidery part on the top.

Here you can see the part where the textile is sewn together. In this piece it is done in a very beautiful way where the pattern still fits together afterwards.

The embroidered part of the eyes and the mouth of the cat.

Also this piece is in overtwisted cotton.

Detail of the embroidered part. This has been made by a thick thread which prejudice on every single warp thread, but just about every other weft thread. By this there is made a knot or swirl on the other side of the textile.

Now I am going out and buying a big bouquet of sunflowers to my husband, so he can wake up to a special morning of ouer day, to some sun instead of the snow falling down outside.

CHECKPOINT ON CHAIRS.

Yesterday I went to Molskroen, a beautiful and special Inn on the nose of Jutland, Denmark.

Here some of my Checkpoint fabric by the danish textile company Kvadrat, have been put on there very beautiful and old baroq chair.
A before picture.

And after.

I think the chairs looks much more modern and elegant with the Checkpoint fabric.

Checkpoint is made out of 100% Trevira CS, a flameretardent polyester.

Detail.

COLORS FROM PERU.

Today I want to show you some of the beautifull colors of Peru.
In the area of Barranco in Lima I saw this amazing door. Here in Scandinavia we would never put these kinds of colors together, and in a way I think it's sad. They are so beautiful, strong and warm.
Barranco is a very nice area with a lot of creative people.

Peru is famous for all it's different kinds of corns. Here some are a little bit dried and some fresh. The very dark one taste so good and they make a juice called "chinca". I still remember this special taste and is looking forward to drink it again next year when going back on a holiday with my husband.

Different kinds of dried spices, mushrooms, fruit ect. These I saw at a market in Cusco.

All of them had different kinds of purposes to treat illness. Me and my husband bought some of the mushrooms and spices, which we have used in tea.

A beautiful woman sitting at the market in Pisac near Cusco. All the colors is unfortunately synthetic as they are so strong. In natural dyes this is not possible.