Lecture 4: Tapestries Used for the Kyoto Gion Festival and their Preservation

Transcription

1 Lecture 4: Tapestries Used for the Kyoto Gion Festival and their Preservation FUJII Kenzo Adviser, Nishijin Textile Industrial Association 16 July 2009 Outline 1. Ornamental tapestries decorating the floats of the Kyoto Gion Festival 1-1. Type of tapestries 1-2. History of the tapestries 1-3. Production of the tapestries 1-4. Culture of the tapestries 2. Preservation and storage of the tapestries 3. Change of the tapestries to new ones 4. Repair of the tapestries 5. Restoration of the tapestries 6. Conclusion 1. Ornamental tapestries decorating the floats of Kyoto Gion Festival 1-1 Type of tapestries The ornamental tapestries displayed in the Kyoto Gion Festival consist of ones decorating the float called Hoko and ones decorating the float called Yama, and those tapestries include ones called Maekake-maku (Maekake tapestry), Doukake-maku (Doukake tapestry), Ushirogake-maku (Ushirogake tapestry), Mizuhiki-maku (Mizuhiki tapestry), and Miokuri-maku (Miokuri tapestry). A boy called Chigo or a Chigo doll is placed on Hoko floats, and an enshrined figure is placed on Yama floats, both of which wear decorative kimono. Both Hoko and Yama floats have a cubic base with a stage on top, built only by structural material. In particular, the Hoko float has a roof, and props to support the roof are set on the stage mounted on the tall base. On the roof, a larger hoko (long pole) symbolizing a halberd stands upright. With large wheels on the front and rear of the base, many people pull the Hoko float using thick ropes. The base of the Hoko float is decorated with tapestries; the front of the base is decorated with Maekake-maku, both the left and right sides with Hidari-Doukake-maku (left Dogake tapestry) and Migi-Doukake-maku (right Dogake tapestry), and the rear with Ushirogake-maku. On the stage mounted on the base is either a boy called Chigo or a figure of Chigo dressed beautifully. Beneath Ranbuchi (decoration rails) fixed around the stage, Mizuhiki-maku is drawn around the float. Under the roof, short Ten-Mizuhiki-maku hangs down from beneath the roof in the shape of the stage. And the rear-over tapestry Miokuri-maku hangs down over the rear of the Hoko float from beneath the roof. The base of the hoko pole on the roof is covered with Amikakushi-maku wrapped around it. As for Mizuhiki-maku, sometimes two or three tapestries hang down from Ranbuchi in layers, each of which is called Ichiban-Mizuhiki-maku (the first Mizuhiki tapestry), Niban-Mizuhiki-maku (the second Mizuhiki tapestry), and the fourth from the top, respectively. On the other hand, Hiki-Yama, which refers to the lower base of Yama floats, also has a stage on it. It usually doesn t have a roof, but a small hill is placed on the stage, and a pine tree as an enshrined object is carried on it. On the stage on Hiki-Yama, furnishings called tsukurimono showing deities, saints, and stories are made. Hiki-Yama originally moves by being carried; however, it has small wheels now so that it can be pulled. Similar to the Hoko float, Hiki-Yama is also decorated with - 1 -

2 Maekake-maku on the front of the base, Doukake-maku on both sides, Ushirogake-maku over the rear, and Mizuhiki-maku drawn around the float from beneath the Ranbuchi fixed around the stage. The enshrined figure on the stage is dressed beautifully, and Miokuri-maku hangs down over the rear of Hiki-Yama from high above the stage. Among the Hiki-Yama in Kyoto Gion Festival, two have the same structure as the Hoko floats, with a roof and wheels; however, the hoko is not placed on the roof, but instead a pine tree takes its place. Tapestries are decorated in the same manner as the Hoko floats. Thus, Hoko and Yama are generally decorated with gorgeous colorful tapestries. 1-2 History of the tapestries It is said that the building-up and parade of Hiki-Yama and Hoko in Kyoto Gion Festival began in the Heian period (around the 9th century), and in the Muromachi period (around the 15th century), they began to parade in the streets, dressed with beautiful tapestries like today. At first, the tapestries were called Jikakushi-maku or Shita-maku, which were made by seaming across the width several pieces of long decorative cloth, drawn around the square base of the Hiki-Yama or Hoko. For rather tall Hoko floats, however, pieces of decorative cloth were seamed lengthwise for hanging down, and thus a separate tapestry came to be used for each side of the float. Then the Yama floats followed the Hoko floats. As for Yama floats, Doukake-maku stored for Taishi-Yama (one of Yama floats) is an old style tapestry currently not in use now, which is a very long piece of cloth to wrap around the square base of the float. As for Hoko floats, Doukake-maku of Naginata-Hoko and Kanko-Boko are old style tapestries that are made by seaming three pieces of cloth lengthwise for decoration. There are some pictures on fusuma partitions drawing scenes of old-time Kyoto Gion Festival, in which Miokuri-maku made of tiger skin and a scapular worn by Buddhist priests over the sacerdotal robe used as Amikakushi-maku on the roof as it is can be seen. In Kuronushi-Yama, a piece of gold brocade that seems to have been the scapular used as the tapestry is handed down now. 1-3 Production of the tapestries How and where were such tapestries made? Their pictures, patterns, and/or coloring are usually created by the factures of embroidery, tapestry weave, figured satin weave, gold brocade, Chinese-style brocade called Karaori in Japanese, patterned silk gauze called Kenmonsha in Japanese, Yuzen dyeing, and painting. As for embroidery, there are two styles of tapestries: one embroidered directly and one appliquéd with embroidered pieces of cloth, called Kiritsukeshu. The former style seems to be adopted into ones made in the old times, and the latter in rather recent times. Kiritsukeshu was apparently developed for producing ornamental tapestries used for the festival. As for the fabric, tapestry weave, brocades, such as gold brocade, and Karaori brocade, figured satin weave, and damask or twill with ground patterns are used. In addition, fabric by carpet weaving or a carpet itself is also used as the ornamental tapestries in the Kyoto Gion Festival. In particular, many brocade tapestries used in the festival are made of fabrics from China in ancient times. In the late Edo period, many Japanese-made tapestries modeled on Chinese brocade appeared; however, many of the fabrics used for the tapestries, such as gold brocade, Karaori brocade, figured satin weave, damask, and twill are actually Chinese-made while Japanese fabrics are not used very much. As for carpet weaving, luxurious foreign-made rugs are mainly adopted as the tapestries because of their beauty and elegance, in spite of the difficulty in use as ornamental tapestries for the festival. Other than as stated above, tapestries colored by calico printing in foreign countries, Japanese Yuzen dyeing/calico printing, or paint dyeing can be seen in some cases; however, tapestries made of dyed fabric are generally inferior in light and weather fastness and tensile strength, and thus they don t seem to have been produced very much

3 The towns in Kyoto that own Hoko or Hiki-Yama have many and varied kinds of ornamental tapestries, such as ones for Junko (the grand parade), ones for Yoiyama (the eve), ones for Yoiyoiyama (the eve of the eve), ones for rainy days, old ones, and ones for reserve. It seems difficult to categorize them because they really have a wide variety of styles, including newly produced ones, ones converted from old ones, and reuses old ones. In some towns, which tapestry is to be used for what is not defined except for the ones for Junko and Yoiyama. When a new tapestry is produced, we understand that an old one, which is no longer used, was sometimes handed over to other Matsuri festivals in Kyoto or other cities. 1-4 Culture of the tapestries As said before, many of the ornamental tapestries used for the Kyoto Gion Festival are made of foreign fabrics. This is because sophistication is especially important in the tapestries. Precious and beautiful foreign materials met the level of sophistication at that time, such as kabuku meaning to be out of the ordinary, suki meaning to be tasteful, and igyou meaning to be different, and thus they were used for decorating floats for the festival as ornamental materials. Between the Muramachi period and the Momoyama period, when trade with foreign countries drastically increased, such dyed and/or woven fabrics from overseas came to be widely used in the festivals held by ordinary people. Especially, materials from the Korean Peninsula, where the rule changed from the Goryeo to the Rhee dynasty at the end of the 14th century; products made in Ming China where decorative craftwork reached full maturity in the 16th century and artwork that changed style following the change of power from Ming to Qing China in the mid-17th century; and foreign materials in the Age of Discovery around the 16th century, when the European powers were extending into the East rushed into Japan one after another. Reflecting the tastes of those times, the ornamental tapestries for the Kyoto Gion Festival shows the cultural aspect of the dyed/woven fabrics in those times. The beauty of the Kyoto Gion Festival, which cannot be seen in any other festivals, may be due to the existence of such splendid foreign fabrics. Thus most of the tapestries used for decorating Hoko and Yama floats for the Kyoto Gion Festival are now foreign-made from ancient times or Japanese ones that emerged during the Edo period inspired by the old ones of foreign make. Those foreign-made fabrics used for the tapestries were produced mostly in China, followed by the Middle and Near East, India, and Korea. Tapestries far from Europe can also be found. Thus, the tapestries for the Kyoto Gion Festival were imported from all over the world, and major ones were foreign-made rather than made in Japan. Brocade and tapestry weaves produced between the latter half of the Ming dynasty and the middle of the Qing dynasty were imported in the form of tapestries, table covers, and official robes, which were not sewn to produce the ornamental tapestries for the festival. Above all, the tapestry made of official robes, which are seamed in a complicated manner, are so wonderful that it would be difficult to find the original form. You can also find that most of those materials came into Japan from the neighboring countries on which China had conferred peerage, not from China itself by direct trade, together with Korean wool tapestries and dantsu rugs in the northern part of China via Korea, Ryukyu, and Tsushima. In addition, there are also many kinds of fabric for the tapestries imported from the Middle and Near East and India. Many are wool carpets; however, not only ones from the Middle and Near East but also rare ones from Eastern Europe or India can be found. There is even a carpet that Japan seems to ordered from India. Other than as described above, there are precious fabrics that cannot be found in any other countries, including old Indian calico printing, and especially one showing Japanese culture for Europe. And a wool Gobelin tapestry carpet made by Burmann Brussels in the 15th century is a special one that shows the exchange between Japan and Western Europe in the 16th century. The tapestry came to Japan in the early Edo period, and Hoko-machi (towns owing Hoko floats) obtained it in the late Edo period to make - 3 -

4 ornamental tapestries for the festival. Moreover, there are many other kinds of fabric of foreign make used for the ornamental tapestries of the Kyoto Gion Festival, such as European brocade, calico printing, and wool Gobelin tapestry, which entered Japan via the East India Company in the Edo period, from which you can see the original culture in the early years of modern Japanese times. When compared to those gorgeous ornamental tapestries made of foreign fabrics, the ones made of Japanese fabrics may be less impressive; however, there are many made-in-japan tapestries as fine as foreign ones. Undeniably, the made-in-japan tapestries look less attractive than the foreign ones, but the fabrics used for the tapestries of the Kyoto Gion Festival are not inferior to the foreign ones. In the Edo period, fabrics whose quality was as high as those of China were produced in Japan. After the middle of the Edo period, a great many ornamental tapestries made of Japanese fabrics were used. Many were made in Nishijin, Kyoto, and many kinds of fabrics were used for them, including figured brocade, figured satin, gold brocade, Karaori (Chinese-style) brocade, patterned silk gauze called kenmonsha, and tapestry weave. In the late Edo period, embroidered tapestries copying foreign ones came to be seen more than tapestries made of fabric. In the beginning, the designs of the tapestry weave and embroidery used for the ornamental tapestries of the Kyoto Gion Festival were a direct analogy to the Chinese works; however, many Japanese masterworks came to be produced and techniques specific to producing the tapestries of the Kyoto Gion Festival were established, and thus excellent tapestries were produced in Japan. Unfortunately, however, when you see the ornamental tapestries of the Kyoto Gion Festival now, you can hardly find ones made by Nishijin weaving and embroidering from the early Edo period. There are two reasons for this: one is that such tapestries were not produced very often, and the other is that those tapestries were disposed of or handed over because local people didn t have any idea that Japanese-made tapestries were precious. On the other hand, the tapestries made of foreign materials were carefully preserved because of their value and were sometimes used again even after halting their use when facing a shortage of tapestries. Nevertheless, replacement of the tapestries for the Kyoto Gion Festival, no matter how splendid they may be, is necessary because they wear out, which is inevitable. Naturally, many of the old tapestries were worn out, and thus they have not come down to us. In addition, some are still used, though it may be difficult to use them much longer. Therefore, it is important for us now to preserve the fine tapestries and produce new ones in spite of the circumstances. We will explain the details of the issue in the following sections. 2. Preservation and storage of the tapestries After Kyoto Gion Festival ends, Hoko and Hiki-Yama are taken apart in each town and carefully stored in a Japanese storehouse called kura in the meetinghouse of the town. The tapestries are put in a wooden box or something like that and also stored in the storehouse. The structure of kura has developed under the special climate conditions of Japan. You will find what an important role the Japanese kura has assumed storing crafts and artworks in the year-round moist climate of Kyoto and should understand that kura has long protected the tapestries from mildew and darkening caused by environmental changes in air temperature and humidity. In Japan, textiles are easily covered with many kinds of mildew due to the hot, moist climate, which may cause significant damage to silk products. Wool products are usually damaged by insects due to the climate as well. It is quite amazing that the Japanese kura has almost perfectly protected the ornamental tapestries of the Kyoto Gion Festival against the unfavorable conditions for a long time. It proves that the unique idea is reflected in the structure of the kura. Above all, the fact that those tapestries are used for the Kyoto Gion Festival, which is held during the hot, rainy season in Japan, and then stored without damage - 4 -

5 demonstrates the great advantage of the kura. In some towns owning Yama floats, the ornamental tapestries are stored in the communal repository built in Maruyama Koen (Maruyama Park), where temperature and humidity are controlled for storage under the best conditions. 3. Change of the tapestries to new ones As the ornamental tapestries used for the floats of Kyoto Gion Festival have been worn down over the course of time, they have to be changed with new ones at an appropriate time. However, a new tapestry is produced only when it is financially possible because a new one costs very much. Nevertheless, the tapestries seem to have been changed at regular time intervals. Though the detailed situations are different depending on each Hoko or Yama float, the tapestries seem to have been changed in around 100 years. Depending on the circumstances, however, some of the durable fabrics and precious tapestries have to be used again even after using for a long time or halting their use in some cases. Thus, you can see the old and a little damaged foreign-made tapestries used in the Kyoto Gion Festival to this date. In making a new tapestry for the festival, two measures seem to have been generally taken in the past. One was to make the best tapestry at the time using novel designs and techniques. The other was to make a new tapestry by purchasing from other sources fabrics that were old but still in good condition. When making a new tapestry for the Kyoto Gion Festival, those who were involved placed higher importance on how the tapestry would suit the festival, that is, how it would meet the spirit of sophistication, than how it was refreshed. To meet the spirit was the first priority in making a new tapestry for the festival as the meaning and spirit of the Kyoto Gion Festival was the most important. Therefore, the townspeople made an effort to bear the cost for a new one by themselves no matter how much it cost. Today, since the tapestries for the floats of the Kyoto Gion Festival are designated as cultural assets, their renewal is carried out with subsidies and support from both the national and municipal governments, but it is still expensive. Actually, the purchase of old fabrics to make a new tapestry for the Kyoto Gion Festival, instead of creating a completely a new one, is not generally carried out because the durability of the tapestries is more important. The timing of the purchase of a new tapestry to replace old ones with the new ones depends on various conditions including the level of damage; however, another aspect is additionally considered now: renewal of the tapestries of Kyoto Gion Festival should be promoted before they suffer irrecoverable damage in order to preserve the artistically valuable tapestries as cultural assets. By always considering various conditions, the renewal of the tapestries is planned. 4. Repair of the tapestries When considering the repair for conservation of the tapestries for the Kyoto Gion Festival, you should take one thing into account, the damage of the tapestries caused by wear, not by tearing or accidents, can never be repaired. Even if the tapestries maintain their conditions as they are by repairs, they will not be durable enough to use them for the Kyoto Gion Festival again. In some cases, however, there is no way but to repair the damaged tapestries instead of making new ones for economic reasons. In the repair of the tapestries for the Kyoto Gion Festival, it is required to minimize the repair, not to work on them more than necessary. Therefore, there is no way but to use embroidery for partial repairs at present. For repairs using embroidery, extremely high skills, human resources, time, and cost are necessary. In some cases where persons who were not an - 5 -

6 expert repaired the tapestries as an emergency measure, the tapestries became irreparable after that. However, repairs by experts cost as much as making new ones. As repairing or mending textile products is very delicate and professional work, it is necessary to secure professional embroiderers and to develop technical knowledge, special tools, and other techniques for repair, including techniques and knowledge about chemical dyes and natural plant dyeing, techniques and knowledge about adjusting yarn and cloth used for embroidery, knowledge of textile weaves and machines, techniques for chemical analysis of materials, knowledge of patterns, maintenance of artistic skills, and knowledge of foreign techniques and skills. It is difficult for small studios to maintain and/or develop the techniques and knowledge. Developing and establishing the profession of repairing or mending the tapestries for the Kyoto Gion Festival is an important issue for the future. 5. Restoration of the tapestries The concept of restoring the tapestries of the Kyoto Gion Festival should be another issue. Restoration cannot produce the exact same tapestry as the one used before in terms of materials and techniques. Actually, the new measures have been implemented; a new tapestry which is suited to the current taste is created with respecting the techniques in the past and considering the original state, i.e. renewing the tapestries by restoration, instead of keeping the old style. At present, this seems to be the best measure for restoring the tapestries for the Kyoto Gion Festival. In addition, there are major problems and questions with the restoration of the tapestries other than as described above, including the ability for restoration, expression of colors and shapes of today, and how the restored tapestries can meet the needs of durability. It should be necessary to consider whether past measures are appropriate for the present environment and whether the tapestries restored by past measures result in ones that are durable enough to use. It should be also necessary to plan the production of tapestries for the festival in line with the uses of today. As of now, restoration by making a new one is success and maintained owing to the selection of makers and the efforts of supervisory experts. As a result, the two measures are actually implemented in making new tapestries for the Kyoto Gion Festival: making a new tapestry for restoration and making a new one as a completely new creation. As for the examination and analysis necessary for making new tapestries for the Kyoto Gion Festival, they are carried out so as not to damage them, with consideration for their organic matters. A precise and detailed analysis of these tapestries, as such, is difficult because they are easily damaged, and thus they are generally analyzed using a spectrophotometer, three-dimensional spectrophotometer, fluorescence spectrophotometer, infrared spectrophotometer (IR), micro stereoscope, electron microscope, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), and carbon-14: mass spectrometry (MS). As artworks and precious textile goods in Japan are to be analyzed using a nondestructive test, those measures are applied under strict restrictions. For preparation before starting production of the tapestries, the trial is carried out by selected suppliers with expertise in each technique in order to adopt the best method. 6. Conclusion There are many festivals in Japan, and many of those festivals are led by local people who have handed them down up to now. For those festivals, Yama, Hoko, and Tsukurimono as a subject of faith have been produced, all of which are usually decorated beautifully, and many kinds of dyed/woven fabrics are used for the decoration. However, those ornamental fabrics are extremely worn or damaged due to long-term use through several centuries, most of which - 6 -

7 seem to be difficult to use now. The form of a society maintaining the tradition of festivals has also drastically changed. It is becoming difficult to maintain the festivals by the communities with a spiritually strong relationship as in the past. Moreover, it is feared that the techniques and skills of traditional artworks cannot be maintained because the profession of making such artwork is nearing extinction. The basis for the material aspects as well as the spiritual aspects that support the festivals is unsettled. Therefore, it is necessary to promote, in a practical manner, the preservation and maintenance of the tapestries for the festivals and all the other aspects, as well as pursue how the ornamental tapestries for the festivals should be handled, produced, and handed over to maximize the beauty of the festivals, in consideration of the historical relationship between people and materials or between festivals and materials for the preservation and future of our culture. How should we hand over tangible assets such as tools and artworks in the festivals as an intangible asset? How should we preserve and adapt the tangible tapestries for the festivals that are transforming with the times? The tapestries of the Kyoto Gion Festival represent a serious question for the future