With the weeks of rain we’ve been experiencing this spring here in New York, I had to show a shibori juban that’s all about rain, birds and a spring-like feeling.
A juban is a garment worn under a kimono; in the past they were often piece-constructed from “flashy” or contrasting textiles, many of which were “recycled.”  The bodice of this juban is of hand spun, hand woven cotton that has been shibori dyed in botanical indigo. The particular passage, shown below, feels like spring: new blossoms, a soaring bird–and  tendrils of what may be weeping cherry branches suggest rain.The indigo color of this juban is beautifully rich and clear–and the toothy, hand spun cotton is the perfect vehicle to accentuate the rich, blue color of the dye.And the rustically rendered umbrella, below, which is set in a gloomy patch of dark indigo, really matches the wet, cold, brooding weather of the east coast.
The sleeves and the eri, or collar, of this juban are made of commercially produced cotton; very often juban were made of a mixture of cloth, and, that said, very often the sleeves and collars of garments in old Japan were repeatedly taken off and replaced due to wear.On the hem of the garment, above, seen on the lower left just next to the umbrella image, you’ll see an image from Genji ko, or an incense naming game that dates back to the 11th century.  Even the partial lining of the juban, seen below, has a wonderful fragment of old shibori.  The bodice of this juban probably dates to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century–the sleeves and the collar are younger.

Jun Tomita is one of Japan’s most renowned textile artists–and he has just launched a website that shows his work and that of Mayo Horinouchi.
Tomita’s  innovative woven textiles–what can be described as “post-kasuri” or “painted kasuri”–have been exhibited around the world for over twenty years. His work is in the collection of major public galleries and has been shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Tomita’s light-filled studio is located in a beautifully situated rural area of Kyoto Prefecture.I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to write a profile on Tomita and his work which is available in the current issue of Hali magazine.