Kasuri Ikat Textiles of Japan
Kasuri: The Japanese term for textiles that have been woven with fibers specifically dyed to produce geometric patterns and images in the fabric. It is the ikat technique developed in Japan.
Kokoro and Kosei
Bound within the weaves of traditional textiles, one can discover incredible insight into the culture of a region – textiles act as a prism that offer profound glimpses into the history and heritage of a land and its people. In much of Japan, this complex prism is thought of as real living spirit embodied in the artisan tradition of Kokoro (loosely translated: heart, mind, spirit). This concept represents the passing of a piece of one’s spirit into the final product of their work.
The numerous imperfections that naturally occur during the creation hand made work is part of what makes it exceptional. The celebration of these natural peccadilloes are referred to as Kosei, (translated: Individuality) - the idea that handmade items are special because they are bestowed with the unique characteristics of human folly.
Kasuri
Kasuri – the deep indigo and white Ikat textiles of Japan – are closely intertwined within the culture. The fabric is as iconic as snow capped pagodas, gardens of raked sand and Ukiyo-e woodblock prints.
During the time of the Meiji Restoration (1868-1889), Kasuri textiles first made their way around the world as Japan opened to international trade. Kasuri Ikat designs were found in paintings, garments like kimonos, decor like noren curtains, blankets, bedding, etc. If a thing can be “as American as apple pie” then Kasuri Ikat textiles are as Japanese as Mt. Fuji.
Conventionally, Japanese artisan traditions evoke images of wise old men carefully honing their craft, perfecting their creations in cramped rooms lined with sliding paper doors in Edo and Kyoto. From Masamune and his katanas to print making masters like Hiroshige and Yoshitoshi, the traditional vision of Japanese artisanship is that of masculine, aged wisdom.
However Kasuri, the most famous of Japanese textiles, is not that way at all. The invention of this seminal Japanese fabric occurred far away from Tokyo (modern day Edo) in the town of Kurume on the southern island of Kyushu.
It was there in 1799, when a 12-year-old girl named Den Inoue revolutionized traditional Ikat techniques by unraveling an old kimono and creating her own unique process she would later coin Kasuri.
Before Kasuri: Textile Traditions of the Ryuku Kingdom
Its good to remember that Japan is not just an island, but a far-reaching archipelago. At the southernmost tip of this archipelago lies the Ryukyu islands, the largest of which is Okinawa. Closer to Taiwan then Tokyo, Okinawa welcomed a diverse array of trade via the East China Sea before the isolationist Edo period began. This is where the acaba banana plant was first cultivated from specimens brought from the Philippines.
Japan was shut off for trade in 1600. As a result Europe’s seventeenth century revolutions passed it by. The Ryukyu Kingdom was invaded and conquered by the Shimazu Clan in 1609 from Satsuma, Japan. By this time, the region had become well known for exporting their exquisite basho-fu fabrics to China, Korea and the rest of Japan.
Part of what makes these Japanese textiles special was the way the Ryukyu had cultivated the Basho plant with the intention of creating fabric with it. Japanese "basho" plants are distinctive for their fibrous stems rather than their fruit, despite resembling common banana trees. Basho plant "trunks" contain fibers that are extracted, divided into tiny strands, tied together to form thread, and then woven into a fabric called basho-fu.
Cotton was introduced to Japan via Portuguese traders in 1512 and sometime soon after, (estimated 1522) Indonesian Ikat textiles made their way via trade or tribute to Okinawa. These fabrics influenced the islanders to begin binding up selected threads of cotton in the Ikat style. The practice migrated north over decades, up the Japanese archipelago to the island of Kyushu.
These new materials and techniques from Okinawa and Indonesia eventually found their way to the Kyushu island town of Kurume - where the local weavers began incorporating these methods with their own weaving practices and created an exquisite craftsmanship like no other in the world.
Den Inoue and the Origins of Kasuri
It was in Kurume where, in 1799, a talented 12-year-old weaver named Den Inoue created the first kasuri patterns. She had become fascinated in the gathering of speckled white spots within an old kimono. Through much trial and error, slowly unraveling and studying the kimono and its threads, Den figured a way to bind white spots into patterns through resistance dyeing. She called her technique Kasuri, a word referring to snowfall.
Den Inoue spent the rest of her long life teaching kasuri technique to others. She stressed that Kasuri is defined more by its preparatory work than the weave itself. Beginning with the creation of the dye, leaves from rare indigo trees (only grown in specialized prefectures in Japan) are gathered and soaked in large clay pots. These leaves, called sukumo, are fermented for 100 days. Using taste to know when the sukumo are ready, the fermented leaves are separated into four intensities of concentrated indigo dye.
The yarn is bound into bundles before dyeing and the bundles are then pressed through the four dye process, gradually rising in potency. This gradual process creates that deep blue hue that is so ubiquitous in traditional Japanese imagery.
Den Inoue also taught the weavers how to tie and bind thread patterns around each warp thread to create the famous “fuzzy” shapes – such as a diamonds, circle or fan patterns.
By her death in 1869, her technique had spread to various regions of Japan now known for textiles like San-in, Bingo, and Iyo on Shikoku Island. Today, the spirit of Den Inoue is said to visit weavers from Kurume when they reach an expert level – something many strive towards yet few ever experience.
Kasuri Legacy
Long associated with the rural working classes of Japan, over time, kasuri began to be used on clothing more broadly, including robes worn by samurai and wedding garments for brides.
As the method made its way around the archipelago, certain motifs became recognizable symbols among different regions and communities. For example, a Tsumugi pattern (“zigzag” pattern) is associated with Fukui prefecture while a Fundoshi pattern (ornamental fan design) is associated with the Toyama prefecture.
Today, garments and decor made from kusume kasuri ikat are highly sought after by collectors worldwide. Kasuri technique still evolves through experimentation with new materials such as synthetic dyes but continues to hold an important place in Japanese textile artistry and culture. Ushijima Noshi developed the kogasuri technique, which produced more intricate patterns and Otsuka Tazo created the egasuri ("picture kasuri") technique for adding decorative illustrations and words to designs. Kasuri is often seen in garments like yukata (summer kimonos), bags or accessories like obi belts and hair combs, which feature traditional designs or unique combinations of colors and patterns arranged in beautiful ways.
Imbued with this incredible history, Kasuri Ikat textiles are the embodiment of Kokoro. A tradition that evolved over centuries only to be perfected by the groundbreaking techniques of a remarkable young woman. One whose spirit can be found within the weaves of this extraordinary material.
By: Joshua Lee Vineyard