Remembering Rumiko..

It is with much sadness I pass along the news that Rumiko Hirata has passed away nine months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Rumiko san, wife of Hirata san, mother of Shio and her brother, a sister, a grandmother, a long time member of her church, and a beloved friend to many, will be lovingly remembered for her kind and generous spirit.
Rumiko was always a great supporter and helper to Hirata san in the many, many years of the Silk Study Tour to Japan. Always ready to be a gracious host to those who traveled with us, she welcomed our group into her home every year, even to this last visit in May when it was difficult to do so. I was fortunate to also spend time with the Hiratas in their home after the tours and take trips around their beloved Kamakura for shopping, sightseeing, and dining. We even took a car trip on an off tour year -just the four of us, Rumi, Hirata, Maggie Backman, and myself to suss out new tour visit locations and hot spring hotels. It was a sad farewell this last visit as we said our goodbyes, knowing it would be the last.
Shio was able to temporarily move back to Japan as she aided her father in caretaking Rumi and spend these last precious months with her mother. I am so glad this was able to happen. During this time, Shio provided those of us who knew her and her mother with regular updates on their daily life and moments with Rumiko as her passage became imminent. In this reflective time, I send them peace and love as I sit here remembering all the wonderful memories Rumiko made possible.
Those of us who were there most recently in May of this year, visited their home and gathered in the common room where Rumi had so thoughtfully placed her collection of fabrics for everyone to take as an omiyage. She also made us all small pincushions as a memento of our visit with her. It sits on my working table.

A few memories in no particular order… so many to choose from but I chose these that remind me of Rumi and Hirata’s kind and generous hospitality. She was often present when many photos were taken, preferring not to be the subject of the photograph. But I remember her there, like a silent presence giving strength and energy to the moment.

the usual scene at the Hirata home during a tour

Rumi showing me her new rooftop laundry drying space with a wonderful view of Kamakura-all the way from the mountains to the sea.

Megumi prepares us tea after a shopping excursion.

Breakfast with the Hirata’s

The 2023 tour waves a fond farewell to Rumiko and Hirata as our bus leaves Kamakura

silk shibori scraps from Rumi and her hand made pincushion

shopping and walking the back streets of Kamakura with Rumi and Megumi

spending time in Kamakura

came back for a visit after a tour with Phil and Trevor

Her garden was her passion and her flowers both in the yard and the ones she chose to cut and display inside were exquisite. Her grandchildren, her joy. Kamakura will always contain memories of Rumiko for me.
どもありがとう ルみ！安らかに眠ってください.

heliotrope for Rumi
The heliotrope turns its “face” to follow the path of the sun, just as Clytie in greek mythology, once did. To the Victorians, the heliotrope was thus a sign of devotion and eternal love.

Kyoto!

(A Silk Study Tour to Japan post)

We always include Kyoto in our itinerary since everyone wants to visit here but also because it is the center of many textile traditions.

We did take one day away from Kyoto on the day we traveled to Osaka for the shibori exhibit but that still left plenty of time to explore Kyoto. After three years of no foreign tourists in Japan, Kyoto-ites had mixed feelings about their return. Of course, tourism is a financial lifeblood in Kyoto and Japanese are their own best tourists. They had returned to some degree after restrictions internally were lifted but foreign tourism dollars were sorely missed. Kyoto residents reported enjoying life in their beloved city without all the tourists. I can completely understand their feelings.
One of the things I do for our participants of the tour is prepare them to be good and respectful visitors. Small things go a long way and understanding the cultural expectations is very appreciated in Japan. It’s also a lot more fun!

Highlights of Kyoto included the shopping spree at the Toji temple sale early on a Saturday morning. Most treasured were the textiles, but other small treasures were also found. It was a hot day and three hours there was more than enough!

Another lovely location was the Fushimi Inari Shrine. We hadn’t been here on the tour before and it was a lovely visit. Tori means “gateway” in Japanese and there is said to be over 10,000 tori leading to the famed Fushimi Inari Shrine at the top of the mountain. Time restricted us from getting to the very top but the higher one went, the more the crowd thinned out. My roommate Rachael and I stopped for some ramen at a very quaint and simple stand on the way down. It was very reminiscent of small mountain trail eateries from the 60’s that I remember as a child. My dad loved those little places. Very mid Showa to my mind. Keeping the tori and the kanji well painted is a job itself and we observed a man well employed.
The vermillion red of the tori are said to ward off evil as well as encourage bountiful harvests in honor of Inari Okami, the goddess of foxes, fertility, rice, tea, agriculture, and industry and of general prosperity and worldly success.
The pigment used for vermilion red buildings like this is made from mercury and red earth. This mixture has been used to preserve wood since ancient times. The color is striking and makes for many a photographers delights! The base of this shrine walk was very crowded when we visited on this quite warm day. I hear the best time to visit is at daybreak-both for cool breezes and small crowds.

TORI GATES – FUSHIMI INARI SHRINE

Another visit was to the small over 200 year old needle shop (est. 1819!). Again, another place I had yet to visit. Hidden away in a back area of a shopping street and accessible by google maps is still hard to find. Thanks to Cheryl for texting us the key photo of where to turn off in the shopping arcade- we arrived! Japan is noted for having the highest number of businesses that have been in operation for over 100 years and the needle shop, Misuyabari is one of them. Try to imagine a 200 year old needle shop surviving almost anywhere else in the world! Mitsubayari has survived in part because hand sewing has been a part of Japanese culture for so very long and a quality needle is key to that. Remember, kimono continue to be hand sewn to this day. This shop has needles for every type of sewing!

We all bought a few packs of needles and when we were done we went outside to wait for others to complete their purchases. Libbie had waited outside as she did not need any needles and struck up a conversation with a gal in the courtyard named Miyo. Turned out she was raising silkworms herself and had been given eggs of the koshimaru strain from a sericulture farmer that appreciated her passion and perseverance. Koshimaru is the strain raised in the Imperial Household by the Empress. It is smaller and more hourglass shaped than many of the more favorite breeds like Gunma 200- bred for more commercial purposes. She was excited to talk with us and we connected with her later on FB. She was raising money for mulberry leaf to feed her silkworms as her local sources had dried up due to an incompatibility between hatching time and the budding out of mulberry leaf in her area. To be a true sericulturist requires that you either own or lease/rent your own mulberry fields in order to be efficient and financially sound. I was able to connect her with the Gunma prefectural silk ministry that provides information and support for those wanting to enter the practice. She was also taking her silkworms out for public events where children and families could experience seeing live silkworms.

Nishiki food market, shopping arcade, Nishijin Textile Center, the weavers tool shop, the sashiko thread shop and Nijo Jo Castle were also visited.

A visit to the Kyoto Shibori Museum is always real treat. During Covid restrictions, the Shibori Museum made good use of its time and produced many great YouTube shibori technique videos (linked varously on the blog in past posts) but perhaps the greatest thing was the opportunity to see the finished Great Wave and Fujisan shibori pieces they produced. Some of the process was documented on YouTube but to see it in person was spectacular. Each time we have visited this museum they have new and amazing pieces on exhibit. The museum director has such a passion for keeping shibori alive. I love his enthusiasm!

It’s taken me long enough to complete this post. It has been in my draft folder for way too long! Moving on now…

Monsha

I am compelled to do a quick post here based on some communication I had from the last blog post. I don’t want to forget this topic and get distracted by all the other things that I’m doing-so here goes…

Nakabayashi san who is a kimono expert (and accompanied us on the tour from Tokyo to Kyoto), sent me a message regarding the last blog post. She also sent me a photo of herself wearing a lovely kimono with a very, very special obi. She knows her textiles and comes across special pieces where others pass them by. I’m not sure if she got this directly from the weaver or came across it in a gallery or shop and recognized the weavers work. She has told me several stories like this.

Nakabayashi san wears an obi woven by National Living Treasure, weaver Yoshinori Tsuchiya

The obi she is wearing is woven by National Living Treasure Yoshinori Tsuchiya. He uses kusakizome (plant dyed) to dye the silk warp. You can see some of his work here. He weaves a silk gauze like fabric called monsha and is from Gifu Prefecture. He is currently 69.

Perhaps this post is really just for me to reference later, it’s too good to keep just for myself.

That is all this evening. Working on orders, didn’t get too far today because my outdoor burner for discharging went down and had to replace it. All back together now and tomorrow is another day.

Serendipity in Osaka!

It was another wonderful day on the Silk Study Tour 2023!

While we were in Tokyo, the lovely Nakabayashi san saw a poster promoting a shibori exhibit in Osaka and wondered if it might fit into our itinerary while in Kyoto. She was accompanying us to Kyoto and while on the bus heading toward Kyoto we explored the possibility. Deciding that we could accommodate this for those who wanted to go, we planned our bus trip for the next day as it was supposed to rain and walking around Kyoto would be better the following day which was supposed to have clear weather.

Those who wanted to see the 2023 Spring Special Exhibition: “The World of Tie-dye – the works and collection of Hiroko Ando” took the one hour and fifteen minute drive and suddenly we were in Osaka! The Osaka Mingei Craft and Folk Museum is located on the grounds of the Expo ’70 grounds. As we got off the bus and headed to the entrance I started to get the feeling that I had been there before…and I had! In 1970 we attended the Expo ’70 World Fair and the iconic sculpture that was right at the entrance was still there! Took me right back! I couldn’t believe it!

As we entered the museum, there was a beautiful rose garden which the pouring rain did not dissuade us from enjoying!

But first the exhibit…
Turned out that Ando san was in Osaka a day early as she was to give a lecture the following day. She was visiting the gallery with a few friends and was pleased to see our group there. We visited with her a bit and learned that the exhibit was a collection of her own work, some of her own collection as well as the collection of the Mingei, Chikuzen Some To Ori No Bijutsukan, and a variety of private collections. Divided into four galleries, there were over 170 shibori pieces in the exhibit. What a treat and an unexpected visit! Thank you to Nakabayashi san for bringing it to our attention. We were fortunate to be there when Ando san was too! Some had her autograph their books for them which she kindly accommodated.
You may be familiar with Hiroko Ando’s books on shibori.

We ended up our conversation and took a group photo. This past week I received a lovely note from the group along with a print photo of our chance meeting.

It was a great opportunity to see this collection and we left in the rain to have a quick lunch set of pizza and salad next door. I did pick up the exhibit catalog which pictured the entire exhibit…

After lunch, some walked back to the bus but a couple of us walked to the iconic Expo ’70 sculpture, Tower of the Sun. This sculpture was a common meeting place during the 1970 World expo there and I had so many nostalgic feelings seeing it again. I had no idea that the Mingei museum was at this location and it was such a fun surprise. Shio, Libby and I took several photos in the light rain. When I got back home I found a medallion on a chain my 12 year old self had purchased at Expo ’70… I had forgotten all about it!

And it was another wonderful day in Japan!

many more moons

Some last minute doings in preparation for the Silk Study tour has kept me busy. There are several pieces I am finishing to take along with me. Usually, I like to take something I have made as omiyage but this time, so much has been going on I haven’t been able to do that desire justice. As time nears I shed many of those small things and accept it all for how it is-it’s just fine.

I have been considering how and where I want to blog while I am gone and I’ve pretty much decided to abandon using my free WP tour blog I started many years ago. I was looking it over and I just can’t stand the ads on the free blog so will just use this place (my main place anyway) as a place to record the tour. It already costs plenty to keep this site active, ad free, and juiced up with enough memory storage for all the visual content so no need to add to this. I was surprised to see the old tour site had all the youtube vids removed as I guess the free sites no longer play nice with youtube without a bounty. So much has changed with blogging over time I sometimes struggle to keep up with it all!

Here are a few views of a moon scarf I’ve been working on. Made it an “idea sample” for those in the moon circle subscription group. The base is recycled kimono lining silk habutai I indigo dyed. I didn’t photograph the back side (I think I did in a previous post) but I stitched it flat before folding it over(so the edges meet in the center back). I hate to cut any selvedges off! I used silk thread to stitch the center back through to the front invisibly. If you have been receiving moons, you will recognize many of them here.

Speaking of the moon circle subscription, April moons all went out with a note advising that May moons will ship with June moons due to the silk study tour so I hope that is ok with everyone. Just a reminder…

I also finished this piece which again is all indigo dyed. The cloth is all silk tsumugi-although all panels (4) are different. This time I tried out putting in some darts to get a nicer fit and after giving it a test run wearing it to a get together, I like it. This is the third one of these I’ve made. Quite simple and easy to wear-great for warm summer days in Japan and very comfortable.

It was artichoke day again today- the second picking of my very prolific stand of artichoke plants. Never had to water them at all this year due to all our rain. Very delicious! I need to spread the plants out after I cut them back the end of this season.

I’m wondering how the garden will be when I get back? It’s already a jungle out there and no time to really tame it before I leave!

I’m excited to get recharged and inspired as we travel through Japan and explore not just the textile stops, but also to absorb the familiar sights, sounds, and feelings I have whenever I am in Japan. The challenges of this trip have already opened up new future possibilities as challenges will do when you work through them and discover solutions. It’s a good reminder. Life is like that. In fact, that’s how this whole tour began… with a willingness to jump in, take a risk and act on the unknown opportunity placed in my path. So many great things start this way. I’m very grateful.
Take the chance. Sometimes you have to recognize an opportunity even when they aren’t always obvious! The Art of Noticing applies here.

many moons

Re-charging!

It’s been over a month since a new post popped into your inbox and I’m thankful to say -I’m back!
I caught some crazy virus -not covid, not the flu, not an UTI or anything testable that could come up positive. But a fever and headaches kept me seriously down for over a week and at least another week just becoming human again. Today I am finally starting to feel myself and regain some energy and desire to actually do things.
And there are many things to do!
To begin with, the Silk Study Tour to Japan leaves May 11-not that far off! There have been many challenges this time which equates to more behind the scenes work, but all is well and we look forward to another fabulous and fine adventure. For those who have been on the tour before and know my Japan side partner, Hirata san, you will be glad to know that he is recovering well from a pacemaker implantation that took everyone by surprise. He will not be with us in person but will be directing from Stage Right, virtually. In his place, his daughter Shio will accompany us and with her skills as a translator Walt Disney Attractions for over 15 years as well as a certificate as a Japanese National Tourist Guide all is very, very good! We will of course see Hirata san in Kamakura but beyond that, we carry on without him. His wife Rumiko and her good friend and kimono expert Megumi will join us for the Kyoto segment. Rumiko herself has recently completed some cancer treatments and is feeling well. We welcome her and Megumi on our adventure! I will send a private email to those who have been on past tours with their new address so if you want to drop them a card, I know it would be appreciated.

As usual, I will be blogging a bit along the way as time permits so stay tuned for that.

Old print of a woman tending silkworms.

A friend (Lanie Lipson of Slow Cloth fame) recently brought a quote to my attention that really resonated with me. The quote is from Milton Glaser whom I was not familiar with until I looked him up and realized that we all know his work.

“You feel differently towards the world when you make things” ~ Milton Glaser

I’ll just leave it here for now- back again and much sooner!

timekeeper, pathfinder, wonderer

A little wander…

I recently completed another life season of full moons-12 to be exact. (2023 will be a year with 13 full moons- we get a bonus moon in August this year.) I was wondering…

That is a total of 804 lunar cycles in my now 65 years! This number made me wonder about the moons I make. Last year (2022) I estimate that I made and sent out about 1400 indigo moons. I imagine that this year may be similar. I like seeing and thinking about the numbers this way. It gives me a certain perspective of time. When I’m gone from here, some of those moons will remain in the pieces that included them. Some of those makers will be gone but the pieces they made will be cherished by those who received them. Maybe some of these pieces will be rediscovered by someone who has no idea where they came from, but someone noticed, ran their hand across the cloth, saw a moon, and wondered. Some will turn to dust.

Since I started making shibori, dying silk and cloth with indigo and other dyes, I have made moons. This started in 2006- seventeen years ago now. I started with two simple pennies, a clothespin, and a square of recycled silk. It was a simple way to teach kids about dyeing cloth. Of course it has evolved, but it really still can be, just that simple.

I love the moon. Over the years, I’ve used it as a touchstone, as something I can go back to over and over again. We all look up at the same moon, we all live and die under the same moon-we are all not so different when viewed this way. The moon’s calm beauty can be counted on to exist, even when obscured by cloudy days or nights. Our circumstances of birth may vary greatly, but we can all look up at the same beautiful moon with wonder and hope.

Sixty-five is a good place to be. A good place to stop and reflect. It’s a good place to cherish past memories, family and friends, and also a good place to appreciate the “now” moments. Right now is where it is at!

Right now it is still cold and rainy-plus snow in low elevations not seen around here in decades! If you aren’t tired of snow photos from SoCal yet…here’s one I took yesterday morning. The snow is deep and more is coming.

Right now the garden is enjoying the rain. The cold is slowing the season here. I saw today that snow has blanketed the Antelope Poppy Reserve! Not a bit of green to be seen! But under the snow the poppies persist! Looking like a superbloom is in the works.

The butterfly amaryllis is starting to bloom, the orange orchid is setting blooms, the avocado is flower laden. And there was a double rainbow!

It’s just been too cold, wet, and windy to work in the outside studio. Not to mention that the wind and rain tore apart the outdoor covered space. Once all this weather is past I will have to replace it. One thing at a time!
In the meantime, I’m working on indoor things-like putting together the listing for fabric packs I will collect in Japan during the Silk Study Tour and send out upon my return. I’ve developed a keen eye for what I look for and over the many years have educated myself to hunt down and pick out the best. It’s been a real education! I ‘ve put together many collections over the years but this time I’m going to do it a little differently…check out the listing below.

Sign up for the 2023 Foraged Fabrics Collection here.

Sign up for the Moon Circle here.

silk jacquard with silver thread running through, like stars in the midnight sky…march moons

SIgn up for the Silk Study Tour to Japan here (2 spots still open)

antique silk thread twisting machine

Finishing out this post, the wind is actually whistling through this 100 year old California bungalow, drum practice beats in the background and three black cats have the zoomies out my window here!
Later!

Getting in touch with reality

Some days are a real mix of duties.

Today, I:

-filed and paid my state sales tax return

-returned many emails

-attended to the Tour banking

-made indigo moons!! Yay!⬅️

-shipped some orders

-vacuumed and cleaned house

-videoed for phil

-pulled some weeds and trimmed the apricot tree

-made dinner

-attended to my social media

-posted this!

I had to make this list because at one point I actually felt I didn’t get anything done today.

I needed to remind myself.

Moons for komebukuro.

new moons and a shop update

A while back I hosted a zoom workshop where participants and I refashioned a kimono into a more easily wearable garment by shortening and removing sleeves.This project leaves you with some fabric to use later. One of the pieces I reworked was a wonderful hemp unlined summer kimono that was kasuri woven with a wonderful 40’s or 50’s design like meisen. This very bold and colorful piece is now wearable as a lightweight over-jacket. The leftover cloth was set aside until now. I did a little test to see if I liked it to start out the January moon circle. I LOVED IT! wow…what fun. Laying out the cloth for the moons, each one is uniquely fun! Being a bit of an open weave I wondered if the indigo would leak a bit into the moon-it didn’t. And the cloth took the dye beautifully without completely overwhelming the design. Each of course is a bit different.

The other smaller moon this month is indigo dyed onto some beautiful silk jacquard I had been stingily hoarding since I was at the end of the bolt. It has a delicate chrysanthemum (kiku) pattern on a slightly off white (natural) silk. The weight is light- like for a nagajuban (silk under kimono).

While you can join the moon circle anytime, if you want the January moons featured here you need to sign up prior to Jan 30. Thanks to everyone who is currently subscribed and especially to those who joined for a second time!

I also added some items back into the shop- Neko chan kit, indigo treasure packs, and indigo yardage in 3 shades.

lots of inspiration!

The madder I dug is still drying since it’s been so wet here lately. Maybe it will figure in February or March moons. It’s still cold here (for us!) we’re lucky if it gets to 60 and the nights are in the low 40’s. The garagio is still cold and wet! Looking forward to the forecast of ten sunny dry days ahead! Hopefully we will continue to get some rain in the next couple of months. I hope to get at some of the weeds outside. There is a forest of cassia seeds sprouting! Yikes!

On another note, I got up at 2 AM on Tuesday to hear Nobue Higashi’s sericulture lecture on Zoom. It was very interesting! I saw a mulberry field machine that helps pick the mulberry. It claims to be able to do the work of 10 people in collecting mulberry for feeding the silkworms. She also mentioned and showed some images of a machine that is kind of like a ferris wheel for silkworms. As the bins of worms circulate, feeding is easily done to many worms in a smaller space. I understand that the reason these are not in wide use these days is that the parts are not available to repair them when they break down. Hirata san and I once visited a sericulture farm about ten years ago that used this method. It was interesting and I have since wondered why it’s not used more.
She also had a nice section on the commercial hatching and raising of the young silkworms (before they are distributed to the farmers). I knew about this but had never seen the inside of these facilities. If you are interested in this lecture series, you can still sign up (see last post for details).

I’m really looking forward to meeting up with Nobue and all the artisans along our way on the Silk Study Tour to Japan in May. Join us?

Sericulture in Japan Today and Colors by Ken Nordine!

Just a quick update with some fun stuff.

First, last Sunday at Phil’s rehearsal the sound guy Kevin was playing Ken Nordine through the system during setup. I was fascinated! Never knew anything about him nor had I heard his albuns. But I did know that voice- and you probably do too. So I went down the rabbit hole to learn more.
Phil bought us a turntable over the holidays so we could enjoy the hundreds of vinyls we have. It has been so much fun! We not only enjoy the music, the memories invoked, but the album covers and inserts! Took me back to my HS bedroom and the basements of friends on a Friday or Saturday night.
So now I am on the search for Ken Nordine’s album “Colors” which is what Kevin was playing. Some of you may know it but it was new to me and ever so fun! Among other things, Ken Nordine is known for his “word jazz” recordings. His voice is like silk and so communicative! CDs can be found but albums at an affordable price less so. But I am patient… we will see. Until then, I have downloaded the record. Also found the accompanying book for a few bucks. Maybe the grandson will learn colors ala Ken Nordine! One of the people in the audience that day was Carol who by a very weird set of circumstances was a PE and dance instructor at Burbank High when ny SIL (who lives in NZ) and was her PE teacher! Carol and I got to talking and she had this album (Colors) and used it for improv with her dancers back then. She could even recite some of the words all these years later. Great conversation. She’s somewhere in her 80’s now.
Colors…

OK- the next wonderful thing is going to take a bit of explaining and some links for you to check out. If you don’t know of Nobue Higashi, she is the sericulturist we have been visiting since 2015 on the Silk Study Tour. Previous to that, we had been visiting Koyata san’s home where he kept a small cocoonery (I now think he is over 100!). Nobue san’s enterprise has grown and her and her husband may be the youngest serious sericulture farmers in Japan now! They are keeping tradition alive while at the same time creating a very niche market for her customizable and hand reeled silk from the cocoons they raise. It’s a HUGE endeavor that has taken her 20 years to get to this place. Her history is fascinating!
She is giving an online zoom series of 7 lectures on sericulture that begin January 17th. Her lecture series will cover domestic sericulture, it’s history in Japan- mainly focusing on Gunma Prefecture and the connections to Yokohama as it relates to silk exports, silk cocoons and the variety of strains, the history of silk reeling, silk technologies and how they changed and expanded silk in the industrialization of Japan, hand reeling (her specialty) from the Edo period to now, and the cultural aspects of all of the aforementioned! I’m sure I left out something!
Of course the lectures are on JST so for me here they are at 2:30 AM PST- but you will be able to access them for three weeks afterwards. The series cost is ¥14,000 which is about $103 USD. If you are interested in the series, you can sign up here. I had to actually send an email so they could prepare a payment request as the website seems to only allow signups inside Japan. Email is seraph(at)tokai.or.jp

The series is in Japanese but they may try to get some notes done in English afterwards to accompany the lectures. In any case, I am signed up!

If you want a little encouragement, they have shared this hour long bio on Nobue and how she came to do this miraculous thing… then visit the vimeo link. The password is “silkworm” and it does have English subtitles. They have allowed me to share this with you in hopes of spreading this important knowledge.
The series is being hosted by these folks who order custom reeled silk from Nobue which they use as warp for their beautiful woven kudzu cloth. All of this is a labor of love!

Here are some photos of our visits with Nobue and her husband over the years…

We can’t wait to see her again in May on the Silk Study Tour to Japan! We will have a workshop with her at Ton-cara where everyone gets to reel some silk and make silk mawata.