From 15th to 20th of Jan 2014, the second solo exhibition of MUNEHIRO YOSHIKO is held in Gallery OKARIYA, Ginza, Tokyo. The exhibition consists of her works, which are hand-dyed and woven TSUMUGI, silk, used in traditional kimono to daily fashion items like handbags.
Here are some snapshots from the preparation day.
OBI, belt for Japanese Kimono, with YOSHINOーGOSHI pattern is definitely something to see. K(G)OSHI stands for “checkered pattern”.
YOSHINO-GOSHI is composed with a weaving structure that is much more complex than the one of flat cloth, thus more time-consuming. YOSHIKO, laughingly, says she gave up on house work to fully focus on her work.
YOSHINO-GOSHI is something her late father, MUNEHIRO RIKIZO, Japan’s national heritage, used in his textle frequently.
This year 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of his birth. Commemorating this occasion, there will be a few works from RIKIZO on the display too.
There will also be some works from YOSHIZAWA TAKESHI, YOSHIKO’s husband who has been making KOTO (Japanese musical instrument) for over a half century. Totally hand-crafted, using paulownia tree from Aidu, Fukushima, the beautiful sounds of his Koto attracts customers from all over Japan.
Tsumugi (a kind of silk) handbags are something fun to try on. Light to carry, good with either Kimono or T-shirt, it is one easy way to introduce silk material to our daily life.
Each one is hand-crafted “one and only”, so please come by to see it in your hand.
Gallery OKARIYA GINZA