Using
sap taken from spider plants, Kenji Maida
draws lines on a sheet of silk to express
a natural landscape. The colors are more vivid
than those of nature, yet it has a distinctive
and reserved atmosphere.
Kaga-yuzen silk dyeing originated in
Ishikawa Prefecture. Among a great many artists
of the trade, Maida's skill of dyeing a natural
landscape on a sheet of cloth is an awesome
technique that very few artists in the same
industry can match.
Engaged in the Kaga-yuzen industry for more
than 40 years, he runs a studio that can cover
all parts of the production process, amid
the prevalent tendency of dividing all stages
of the process into different studios for
efficiency. TRJ conducted an interview with
Kenji Maida to trace his unique careers in
the Kaga-yuzen industry. |
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| Q:
How did you get to encouter yuzen? |
|
| "I
have engaged in the Yuzen industry for about
40 years since I graduated from school. It
was just after the Second World War ended.
I struggled very hard just to make ends meet,
as the industry was nowhere near as big as
it is today. In those days the number of yuzen
craftsmen totaled only about 40, whereas we
have over 280 of them today. The growth of
the industry has been in tandem with that
of the Japanese national economy." |
|
| Q:
How did you study the design? |
|
| "I
traveled to Kyoto by train in order to study
the design of yuzen. It took me eight hours
to get there in those days. As cameras and
photocopiers were not available, I had to
learn the design by heart at various exhibitions.
I improvised my own design based on what I
had seen there. There was no such thing as
Kaga-yuzen as I was just trying to follow
the trend of Kyoto. Later, Uzan Kimura, a
prominent artist, came to Kanazawa, leading
to the birth of a study group that I sponsored,
and enabling me to work closely with him." |
|
| Q:
How did you get to encouter yuzen? |
|
| I
have engaged in the Yuzen industry for about
40 years since I graduated from school. It
was just after the Second World War ended.
I struggled very hard just to make ends meet,
so the industry was nowhere near as big as
it is today. In those days the number of yuzen
craftsmen totaled only about 40, whereas we
have over 280 of them today. The growth of
the industry has been in tandem with that
of the Japanese national economy." |
|
| Q:
How did you father help you establish yourself? |
|
| "When
I graduated from university, my father's studio
had featured all the tools and necessary materials
for the yuzen production. I was lucky enough
to take advantage of all the know-how that
he had accumulated. I thought it would be
much easier for me to follow his footsteps
rather than to start a new business. There
was no college course that specialized in
silk-dyeing, so I specialized in Japanese
paintings instead. As you know, in paintings
students learn to make a sketch of an object
as it is. I believe acquiring this skill at
the art college has proved to be very useful
for me in designing yuzen." |
|
| Q:
What are your sources of inspiration? |
|
| "Before
employing a particular type of flower as a
motif, it is important for me to acquire as
much knowledge as possible about it. When
does the flower bloom? Where does it bloom?
What do the pistil and stamen look like? What
is the shape of the petal? It is impossible
to draw a certain flower accurately without
having a deep understanding of its structures,
just as we need to learn about the human skeleton
if we want to draw the human body. After I
graduated from school, I took a great many
photographs whenever I came across an impressive
landscape without thinking about whether or
not I could use them as a motif in the future.
When my customers place an order, I still
look for a hint in my huge collection of pictures.
I strongly believe that artists acquire so
many hints from nature, other artists and
their works. This is true of prominent painters
including Picasso, Gogh and Cezanne, who are
believed to have bought works of other painters
in order to improve their own paintings." |
|
| Q:
Could you tell me about any hardship you faced? |
|
| "During
the period of the spectacularly rapid growth
of the Japanese economy, my father took on
an increasing number of apprentices. The more
pupils he accepted, the more problems he had
to deal with just as there are good and bad
students at school. Some listened to my father's
advice, but others were simply too opinionated.
In such a stressful environment, he collapsed.
I had been dependent on him financially, but
realized that it was time for me to be independent
and work more diligently. I think all my hard
work since then has been rewarded, and made
me a full-fledged artist." |
|
| Q:
In what ways does your studio differ from
others in Japan? |
|
| "In
the traditional craft industry the division
of labor has become the norm throughout Japan;
each studio is in charge of only one stage
of the production process. However, I am proud
of the fact that my studio is responsible
for all the stages of the process, which is
quite unique nowadays in Japan. My father
was a firm believer of this continuous operation
since it was the only way possible to express
the feelings of an individual artist. In Kyoto
and Tokyo, where the division of labor has
been established firmly, the name of a particular
artist does not play a significant role, but
it does in Kaga-yuzen silk dyeing. Every one
of our yuzen works features the artist name
as it is truly his or her work." |
|
| Q:
Why do you object to the introduction of the
division of labor? |
|
| "Purple
has thousand of subtle varieties and so does
red since everyone has a different sense of
color. There is a proverb, "Different
strokes for different folks." When ten
people make a sketch of a particular type
of flower, no sketch is identical. That is
to say we can't rely on other craftsmen to
express the exact color that we really want
because their sense of color naturally differs
from ours. Some people in the same trade sometimes
accuse me of having a policy that does not
seem economically feasible and realistic.
Of course, I fully understand that the division
of labor would provide us with more efficiency
and financial reward. I have never wanted
to make a compromise in the consistently high
quality of our works. I will never change
my mind." |
|
| Q:
What are the challenges that you are facing
today? |
|
| "Unfortunately
there has been a tangible decline in the number
of opportunities to wear a kimono in Japan.
However, this does not mean that people are
not interested in wearing it. There are few
occasions or opportunities to wear it. As
well as endeavoring to make quality kimonos,
we regularly organize an event where all the
participants have to wear a kimono. We feel
it rewarding to see them happily dressing
up in it at the event. We regard it as our
mission to encourage more and more people
to experience this joy." |
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| Kenji
MAIDA |
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| Graduating
from Kanazawa College of Art and studying
Japanese painting there, the renowned Kaga-yuzen
artist Kenji Maida worked as an assistant
professor. He has been active in exhibiting
his works abroad in cities including Singapore,
Paris and Berlin. He was given the honor of
preparing furnishings when the emperor and
empress visited Ishikawa Prefecture. |
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| He
is transferring the handwritten sketch onto
the cloth. This is a meticulous process requiring
great care. |
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| The
skill of dyeing requires great care and attention
to details as the color differs between when
the cloth is dyed and when it gets dry. Drying
the work over and over and checking how the
colors turn out, he continues the time consuming
dyeing process. |
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| These
brushes are made of hair taken from deer.
Just as a good camera is necessary for a quality
photograph, a good brush plays an important
role in dyeing. |
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| A
completed kimono. The silhouette of the kimono
is designed so that a sheet of cloth can be
used without any wasted material. Whenever
a silhouette is introduced, a sketch is transferred
onto a cloth with the silhouette tacked. Then
while the tacked silhouette is gradually removed,
he dyes on the cloth. |
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| As
an "incubation office" of Kaga-yuzen,
Maida's studio, which he inherited from his
father, trains Kaga-yuzen artists of the next
generation. Many apprentices become full-fledged
artist. |
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