Kimono with wide hanging sleeves of ro gauze with hanaori weave checker pattern. “Ruddy kingfisher”

Miho Fukaishi

For the past five or six years, I have been making textiles on which silk gauze and Hanaui weaving are combined with checked patterns. One day after finishing work on a piece of textile I decided to call it Ichimatsu Hanaro-ori. After using this weaving technique on other pieces, I noticed a distinct spatial or stereoscopic effect, which could be described as color shading. I had not noticed this while working and facing the loom before, and now I find I am completely captivated by this effect. Depth has appeared in the wonder of mosaic-like coloration created by the crossing of the vertical and horizontal colored stripes, and the crossing of plain and gauze woven structures. When I see this textile, I come to realize the eloquent expressiveness of shadows created by the strong and intense light of this southern island. I feel the natural beauty of the place seems to have influenced my creativity without my knowing it and guided me to weave this textile. I received an Agency for Cultural Affairs Commissioner's Award for a work I wove by applying this technique. The following is an excerpt: 　“An elegant color field structure produced by skillful techniques and a refined sensitivity exceeds the classic checked patterns, and the work is filled with a contemporary feel. By combining the Hanaui weaving of Okinawa with a modern approach, the work makes us aware of new possibilities in the textile arts.”