Ranseian (Kurume Kasuri atelier)

Written by TOMIKAWA Kyōko

　

Designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan in 1957, Kurume Kasuri (久留米絣), a cotton fabric representative of Kyushu, is believed to have emerged in around 1800. One of the country’s three major Kasuri, it features images and characters called E-gasuri (絵絣) with indigo-dyed threads.

Creating artistic Kurume Kasuri for over 160 years, Atelier Ranseian (藍生庵, which carries the meaning of ‘living with indigo’) has been in the MATSUEDA family for seven generations. Of particular note is the third generation artisan, MATSUEDA Tamaki (松枝 玉記, 1905 – 1989), who incorporated light indigo (awa-ai 淡藍) and pale blue indigo (chū-ai 中藍) into Kurume Kasuri (previously mostly white on a dark indigo background) and began poetically expressing the features of natural landscapes such as grasslands, trees, mountains, and oceans. In 1957, Tamaki was recognised as an Important Intangible Cultural Property Holder (Living National Treasure) for his Kurume Kasuri.

Continuing the sensibilities and using the skills of his grandfather, Tetsuya (哲哉, 1955 – 2020) succeeded Tamaki. Tetsuya, who unfortunately passed away at the age of 64, learned indigo dyeing from his grandfather between the ages of 13 and 15, and later mastered the tekukuri (手括り) technique of applying tie-dye to thread by hand. At the age of 24, he was recognised as a Technique Holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property. Impressing many kimono enthusiasts, Tetsuya expressed light and shadow, and wind and stars with his vivid “light of Kasuri” pieces in indigo blue and white.

　

　　

　　

The MATSUEDA Family’s Heritage

After Tetsuya’s passing, his wife Sayoko (小夜子), took over Atelier Ranseian. Weaving intricately and using subtle gradations of indigo and white, she specialises in graceful Kasuri expressions.

“After Tetsuya’s passing, there was a period where I couldn’t engage in craftsmanship. However, our son Takahiro (崇弘), decided to take over, so I am now passing on everything I have learned to him,” she said.

Takahiro, the 7th generation Ranseian artisan, was born in 1995. After graduating from university he initially worked in the corporate world, but after his father Tetsuya’s terminal diagnosis, he decided to take over the atelier. His father guided him from his sickbed. Takahiro’s debut work at the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition(*1), titled Forest Light, Sound of Rain (森の光・雨音), received the Encouragement Award from the Japan Kōgei Association. Truly embodying the vision and techniques passed down by his parents, including indigo dyeing and E-gasuri, this piece dynamically expresses the sound and light refraction of rain drops.

It can be said that this was the point that the essence of “indigo in the MATSUEDA family” had firmly been conveyed from father to son.

　

1.MATSUEDA Sayoko (松枝 小夜子)　　2.A Kurume Kasuri kimono called Yuki no Kesshō Rikka-mon (雪の結晶 六花文: snow crystal pattern) created by MATSUEDA Sayoko. This piece was exhibited at The 51st Exhibition of Traditional Art Crafts of Japan’s SEIBU Area in 2016. Its intricate expression conveyed through extremely fine Kasuri and weaving construction captivates the viewer.

　

3. Together here to tie threads for dyeing (糸括り), the MATSUEDA family in days past.　　4.The Kurume Kasuri kimono called Forest Light, Sound of Rain (森の光・雨音) created by MATSUEDA Takahiro. This piece won the Encouragement Award at The 68th Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition hosted by the Japan Kōgei Association in 2021.　　5.Close-up of Forest Light, Sound of Rain.

　

　　　

In a Place Where the Power of Nature Is Sought, One Comes to Know the Awe of Nature

Searching for an environment suitable to further develop their indigo, Tamaki, Tetsuya and Sayoko finally settled in Tanushimaru, Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, which is where Atelier Ranseian is located today. 

Walking with a cane about 30km east of the original atelier’s location, Tamaki said that the immaculate water from the upstream river was life itself. When Tetsuya first produced indigo dye(*2) at his new atelier, he declared that the water there enhances the power and beauty of indigo, and threw himself further into his work.

　

　

Disaster Strikes

On July 10^th, 2023, a catastrophic landslide struck the area. Public roads were buried under debris, and the atelier was inundated by a sea of mud. Although the mud and water did not break the reinforced glass windows, it did breach the wooden entrance doors. The interior was flooded, which ruined weaving looms, threads, fabrics, and other valuable materials, but a table in the living room that belonged to Tamaki acted as a shield at the entrance of the dye bath storage room, protecting it from the rocks and boulders that swept through.

For a week it was impossible to enter the site. When the family was finally able to get in, they were horrified to see that mud and water had filled the dye bath storage room, causing the indigo to spill out. The life of the indigo had been dissipated…

　

1.The atelier flooded with mud.　　2.The dye bath storage room suffered extensive damage.　　3.Cleaning the indigo dye baths. Mud still contaminates the ground beneath.

　

　

Breathing New Life into the Indigo

After using heavy construction equipment to remove the mud from the atelier, Takahiro started cleaning the indigo dye baths. “Mud had got into the dye baths, so I began scooping it out with a small ladle, because it could harm the bacteria that reduce indigo. To ensure that the delicate indigo dye thrives properly, I thoroughly washed the inside of the dye baths with natural, additive-free detergent and rinsed them out multiple times,” he explained.

Four months after the disaster, two of Ranseian’s twelve indigo baths were back in use. They cautiously started using the one bag of sukumo (蒅) that had miraculously remained untouched by the mud. (Sukumo: fermented persicaria tinctoria leaves essential for creating indigo dye.)

“I have never seen indigo so lively before. Sometimes we adjust the strength of the indigo, but this time, I did not want to restrain its power,” Takahiro said with a smile. Beautiful indigo flowers (藍の華: bubbles that emerge from fermenting indigo dye) bloom on the surface of the dye baths. Whilst the indigo deity watches over this scene from the Shinto altar in the dye bath storage room, the indigo itself seems to be supporting the atelier’s recovery.

　

1.Takahiro dyeing threads with the newly cultivated indigo dye.　　2.Beautiful indigo flowers bloom in the indigo dye baths.　　3.Work continues under the watchful gaze of the Shinto altar’s indigo deity in the dye bath storage room.

　

　

To Create Beautiful and Beloved Things

Sayoko and Takahiro have begun their next creative endeavour in the newly cleaned and refreshed atelier.

“I want to create beautiful things,” Sayoko said. Each kimono she produces is a practice in pursuit of the sincere beauty she strives to express. Once the art of weaving begins, in general there is no turning back. Chuckling she says, “When things don’t line up somewhere in the pattern, I may have to undo the woven part”. Despite the difficulty, she does indeed sometimes undo woven parts back to their original warp and weft threads, such is her sense of passion for the pursuit of beauty in her work.

While Takahiro continues to produce kimono, he also maintains the activities of his late father, such as ‘Art in Hospital’. Commissioned by a hospital in Kurume City, an indigo-dyed, six-panelled, organic cotton fabric piece created by Takahiro is on display. With reference to a second piece in the same hospital he explains, “It has been proven that bacteria in indigo also has beneficial effects on humans. Making such a large partition, we enable patients to touch it.” Sayoko adds, “Creating something that is loved by the creator and the receiver is my reward. I think the connection between the sensibilities of both parties gives meaning to making beautiful things.” 

　

1.The restored atelier.　　2.A six-panel gallery display in a hospital in Kurume City created by the MATSUEDA family.　　3.Takahiro’s indigo fabric partition in the same hospital. Patients can touch the fabric.

　

From thread tying to dyeing and weaving, every aspect of the MATSUEDA family’s kimono-making process is completed in-house. It takes 3 to 6 months to complete a single piece.

As I was leaving, Sayoko kindly dyed a handkerchief for me using the newly cultivated indigo dye. After just one dip in the dye bath, the pure white handkerchief had turned into a deep indigo colour. In all my years of reporting, I have never seen such strong vibrant indigo. As Takahiro mentioned, the indigo really does seem to be supporting its own recovery.

“When moving our hands, we feel our presence,” Sayoko says.

I visited the atelier for this interview in early February. Over the following six months the garden gradually recovered from the disaster, and butterbur sprouts started to emerge. As the seasons turn, the handcrafted work of the MATSUEDA family continues.

　

　

※ From October 12th to December 1st, 2024, an exhibition titled “Kasuri by the MATSUEDA Family (松枝家の絣)” is scheduled to be held at the Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art.

　

　　

Profile:　

MATSUEDA Sayoko (松枝 小夜子)

– Member of the Association of Technique Holders of Important Intangible Cultural Property for Kurume Kasuri
– Regular Member of the Japan Kōgei Association (Public Corporation)
 
1956　Born in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyūshū.
1974　Studied under MURAYAMA Takuma (村山 琢磨), who taught her oil painting in Nagasaki.
1979　Studied under MUNAHIRO Rikizō (宗廣 力三), a Living National Treasure, at Gujō Kōgei Institute. Learned plant dyeing, Kasuri, and Tsumugi (紬: pongee) weaving in Gifu Prefecture.
1982　Studied under TORISU Mizuko (烏巣 水子) and later mastered:
Uki-hana-ori (浮花織): a weaving technique whereby threads are raised to express flower-like patterns while weaving. 
Sha-weaving (紗): Gauze is a thin, transparent silk fabric woven using a hemp yarn weaving technique. It is woven by taking one weft thread each and intertwining two warp threads of high-twisted yarn. It is often woven with raw yarn. 
Ro (絽): A summer fabric woven using mojiri-ori (a weaving method by which two warp threads are crossed over every 3, 5 or 7 weft threads).
Monsha-weaving (紋紗): A ground pattern woven into a gauze, which is an intertwined weave. The pattern is woven out of a combination of the transparent part of the gauze and the non-transparent part of the plain weave.
1982　Made her debut at the Exhibition of Traditional Art Crafts of Japan’s SEIBU Area, receiving numerous awards thereafter.
1985　Married MATSUEDA Tetsuya and studied under his grandfather MATSUEDA Tamaki.
1994　Certified as a member of the Association of Technique Holders of Kurume Kasuri designated Important Intangible Cultural Property.
2022　Certified as a member of the Fukuoka Prefecture Art Society.
2022　Awarded the Nikkei Prize at The 56th Japan Traditional Art Crafts Dyeing and Weaving Exhibition for her Kurume Kasuri kimono Karin (花輪: garland).

MATSUEDA Takahiro (松枝 崇弘)

1995　 Born in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
2002~　Learned indigo dyeing from his father, Tetsuya, from the age of 7.
2005~　Learned weaving from his mother, Sayoko, from the age of 10.
After graduating from university, he entered the corporate world.
2020　Prompted by his father Tetsuya’s illness, Takahiro began to seriously take over the family business. The MATSUEDA family’s techniques were transmitted from father to son (even from his father’s sickbed) utilizing videos and other methods.
2020　 MATSUEDA Tetsuya passed away.
2021　 Made his debut at the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition with Forest Light, Sound of Rain (森の光・雨音), winning the Encouragement Award of the Japan Kōgei Association.
Since childhood, he has enjoyed writing tanka poems, and one he wrote in third grade was selected for a National Cultural Festival, receiving numerous awards.

　

　

*1 Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition… The largest and only exhibition in the field of crafts sponsored by the Japanese government.

*2 The making of indigo dye: So-called aidate (藍建て), which literally translated means “to build indigo”. As the indigo plant itself is not water-soluble, to make new indigo dye from Persicaria tinctoria in a dye bath, various processes such as adding ingredients (lye, sake, etc.), fermenting, adjusting the pH, etc., are necessary. After soaking threads and textiles in indigo dye, they are dried to oxidise. This fixes the pigment and makes it water-resistant again.

　

　

LINK:
Ranseian
https://ranseian.com/

 

 

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