Japanese Fabric

Japan is crazy about its cats, so it will come as no surprise that cat fabric can be found is a wide array of cute designs.

There are cat cafes, various ‘cat islands’ with large numbers of ‘neko’ as they are known in Japanese. And one cat named Tama was even elevated to the position of station master at a Wakayama Prefecture train station, where she attracted thousands of fans and lots of merchandise sales.

Tama is also the name of the cat featured on a series of twelve furoshiki made by a Kyoto company. But this is just coincidence, as Tama is among the most popular and well known names for cats in Japan.

Tama also happens to mean ‘ball’ in Japanese, but the name doesn’t carry that meaning-it’s simply made up of sounds that are pleasing to the ear and have come to have an endearing ring to them.

The cotton fabric pictured below is from the Tama the cat furoshiki series and is one of my favorites because it includes various aspects of the culture that I know well from many winter days spent indoors in old, drafty houses without central heating.

This Tama is a native breed called a Japanese Bobtail. They come in various colors, but the calico(mi-ke) variety is the most well known abroad and also has wide popularity in Japan. As such, it’s a good bet that if you see cat fabric that comes from Japan, it could well feature this beloved breed.

Though Tama is snoozing in this scene, as Japanese Bobtails are naturally active and playful, she can be seen out and about among some vivid seasonal scenery in the other designs in the series. The Tama furoshiki featuring her out for a stroll under cherry blossoms shows her in fine, active form.

But while she’s dozing in the design below, you really can’t blame her. ‘Kotatsu’ low tables with heating elements and blankets to retain the heat like the one depicted on the fabric cloth below are indeed magnets for not only cats but also their owners!

And the ‘mikan’ mandarin oranges in the bowl are also fixtures of the season. It’s a good thing they’re so easy to peel, because a little time spent with your legs under a table like this will make anything that takes more than a modicum of effort seem like its just not worth the bother!

Depictions of cats in Japanese art have a long history, including the work of noted masters of ‘Ukiyo-e’ woodblock prints.

Paramount among them is Utagawa Kuniyoshi, who created numerous works featuring cats in the 19th century. His inspiration was never far away-it’s said that his studio was full of his feline muses!

Recently, in recognition of this, another Japanese furoshiki cloth maker has produced cat fabric that is sure to please cat lovers in and outside of Japan. It incorporates a multitude of cats in fanciful poses taken from his works.

Have a look below and you’ll be hard pressed not to get a sense of just how devoted he was to his models! Click on either of the photos to see it on amazon.

Whether you find it as furoshiki squares as above or as yardage or in another form, Japanese cat fabric has a spirit and a flair all its own.

Look carefully and you’ll see that like Japanese textiles in general, many interesting aspects of this fascinating culture are also illuminated, and the longer you look, the more you’ll find to enjoy!

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• Japanese Cat Names
• Japanese Good Luck Votives: Ema Prayer Plaques and the Animal Zodiac

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Originally posted 2017-04-11 18:00:33.

Before I read an English version in the Japan Times this week of an article that originally ran in the Chunichi Shinbun newspaper, I had admittedly begun to take black crested formal kimono for granted.  As elegant as they are, I’ve seen hundreds of used kimono like this at Kyoto’s famed monthly markets at Toji Temple and Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. The markets are affectionately referred to by locals as Kobosan and Tenjinsan and are held on the 21st and 25th of every month respectively.

I’ve bought many of these formal black kimono over the years for resale, and the prices are always very reasonable because when Japanese people do buy vintage kimono for wear or projects these days, this type is of relatively limited use. As formal kimono they include family crests, and it’s always interesting to look at a crest to see if it’s an often seen one or not.  There are hundreds of crests, with many that look quite similar with small variations.  Some crests are more common in certain parts of Japan, so there is a geographical component to them as well. I’ve browsed lots of reference books on kamon as the crests are known in Japanese. My favorite is the well worn one on my bookshelf now, Family Crests of Japan.

Other than the crests, well, black is elegant, but black’s black, or so I’ve always thought. That’s what was so enlightening about the story about a Nagoya dye company and the two brothers who are striving to adapt to a changing marketplace.  It turns out that traditionally made black crested kimono have an especially deep tone which includes just a bit of blue and red. They are shokunin-true craftsmen!

 

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Living as I do in Nishijin, traditionally Kyoto’s weaving center, I’m well acquainted with the challenges that traditional kimono and obi makers face, and I’ve seen numerous attempts at changing their product lines to combat sagging sales as fewer and fewer Japanese wear kimono.  I’ve even seen dog wear made of silk brocade of the type traditionally associated with fine obi.

Nagoya’s Nakamura brothers are betting that their dyeing and designing skills will make such new products such as t-shirts and stoles appealing to a new generation. Other companies, including at least one in Kyoto, specialize in dyeing their clients’ old clothes black.  Which seems like another great way to put traditional skills to use, and also to give used clothing a new lease on life.

I didn’t know that Nagoya has long been a center of kuro-montsuki black crested kimono dyeing. But thanks to this article, I looked and in no time ran across an informative English video about another Nagoya dyeing company! This one is run by the Takeda family.  Mr. Takeda is seen below dyeing various kimono, and the focus shifts to black dyeing and family crests just after the five-minute mark.

Originally posted 2017-03-22 15:14:57.