Paper short abstract:

This presentation looks into the innovation and revitalisation of meisen kimono in Chichibu, focusing on the design activities of the weaving studio Arakei Orimono, taking up visual analysis, combined with a narrative analysis and oral history approach conducted from the framework of storytelling.

Paper long abstract:

Japan’s kimono has seen a gradual revitalisation since the 2000s. Within this so-called kimono boom, especially the renewed interest in antique kimono, and meisen kimono in particular, has been of major importance. Responding to this, kimono creators in Chichibu, one of Japan’s main meisen production areas, have actively participated in further developing and promoting the textile, allowing the meisen and kimono boom to remain consistent until the present day.

Existing research has focused on activities undertaken by key institutions and creators in the area, with Ibuka (2005) focusing on the early 2000s, and Nozawa (2021) focusing on more recent activities undertaken mainly by the Chichibu Meisen museum. However, research focusing on the activities and storytelling by Chichibu’s weavers and craftsmen in revitalising meisen has not been conducted thoroughly yet. Therefore, this research looks into the development and revitalisation of meisen in Chichibu, focusing on the weaving studio Arakei Orimono in particular, who have been a key actor in helping develop and sustain the popularity of meisen in the area through new and original design approaches that allow meisen design to be developed from new perspectives.

The research questions behind this case study are as follows: How do Arakei Orimono’s design approaches contribute to the promotion, preservation and innovation of meisen in Chichibu? What are the narratives and stories that support Arakei Orimono’s design activities in the promotion and reevaluation of kimono and its culture? To answer these questions, this research takes up a visual analysis of Arakei Orimono's kimono designs, combined with a narrative analysis and oral history approach, making use of material gathered through interviews, websites, blogs, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, conducted from the framework of storytelling. Through these analyses, it will aim to clarify what successful stories and design approaches developed by Arakei Orimono can be useful as a reference of design innovation and revitalisation for other kimono creators.

Paper short abstract:

This paper argues how the vision of view from the Enryaku-ji at Mt. Hiei was created, succeeded, and changed over time, by analyzing the waka poems for screen paintings depicting the region. It was canonized by Jien who connected the capital and the region as the patron monk of Emperor Go-Toba.

Paper long abstract:

Since ancient times, landscapes or sansui have been visualized as screen painting such as shōji (fusuma) and byōbu that decorate interior spaces. It is unfortunate that few such screen paintings dating back to the Heian period have survived, but it is possible to infer what kind of landscapes were painted on screens from the numerous waka poems that were composed for these screens. The view from the Enryaku-ji Temple at Mt. Hiei that was the base of the Tendai sect of Buddhism, was repeatedly depicted as the subject of paintings for the screens for the Daijō-e Festival held when the emperor was replaced by another emperor.

This paper, therefore, will explore how the visions of this land was created, succeeded, and how it has been changed over time. First, I will analyze how the land has been represented by both waka poems (words) and screens (pictures). Then, I will clarify what kind of vision the land expressed in the space of the building where the screen paintings depicting such sansui were appreciated.

The above discussion indicates that the view from the Enryaku-ji Temple at Mt. Hiei became famous in the capital, and that the vision of the land was shared by a person who connected the capital and the region, namely, Jien (1155-1225), who was a powerful figure in the capital and also practiced asceticism at Mt. Hiei. In fact, Jien, a member of the Fujiwara family, rose to the head priest of the Tendai sect, and became the patron monk of Emperor Go-Toba, who not only left behind many waka poems depicting the scenery of the region, but was also involved in the creation of screen paintings for the Saishō Shitennō-in temple commissioned by the emperor. It is speculated that while the view from Mt. Hiei was canonized by Jien as a sacred place, it could be overlapped with the gaze of the retired Emperor Go-Toba who envisioned the control over the Kamakura Shogunate.

Paper short abstract:

This paper examines a specific layer of relationality in artworks, which were used as manifestations of calculated artist branding defying reality and time by consciously creating fictive relationships through style and signatures on examples of Maruyama School painting.

Paper long abstract:

Building on research about emulation and creative adaptation in modern Japanese painting, this paper examines another layer of relationality: instances, in which artworks were used as manifestations of calculated artist branding defying reality and time. Using a palimpsestic approach to unravel layers of meaning contained in reinvented or borrowed iconographies and motifs enables us to look beyond binary structures such as original and imitation. Rather, it acknowledges the complex interrelations behind genealogies, reverence and economic success that support especially those painters, who root themselves within a particular stylistic or ideological lineage.

As the consciousness for art and art history changed in the mid- to late nineteenth century, and new academic structures superseded the workshop-based system, many painters felt the need to position themselves yet again. Particularly in Tokyo, they struggled to link old and new concepts, demands for a modernization of styles and to keep up with their client’s wishes.

One case study for this paper is a set of screens showing pines in snow by painter and art school professor Kawabata Gyokushō (1842-1913), who referred in his signature to the Maruyama School’s founder, Maruyama Ōkyo (1733-1795), as his teacher. Ōkyo had lived a hundred years before him, and this was a conscious move of artist branding to strengthen the association between the image Gyokushō wanted to strengthen and this famous painter.

Signatures on Japanese paintings can be curious and utterly helpful at the same time. A few words can refer to much bigger issues, casting doors about historical relationships wide open. Keeping acts of visual borrowing in motifs and compositions in mind, this paper will also focus on signatures and the(ir) significance of fictive master disciple relationships for Meiji art production.