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Local Sentō, a Surviving Tradition
Original essay published in the catalogue for Steam Dreams: The Japanese Public Bath. By Eloise Rapp and Simonne Goran Our visit to the local bathhouse begins in a residential neighbourhood of a Japanese city. It is a winter’s evening and you’re surrounded by the gentle buzz of commuters making their way home. As you weave…
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![Chiharu Ohgomori of Takarajima Senkou working in her indigo dye studio in Fukuoka, Japan.]()
Intuitive Thread: The Beauty of Process in Japanese Textiles
This essay was originally published in Garland Magazine’s 13th issue, titled 生きている工芸 / Ikiteiru Kougei (Living Craft), on December 2. Read the article here. In February last year, I moved to Kyoto. I wasn’t sure exactly how long I’d be here, but I intended to spend as much time as I could immersing myself in…
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![Rinsing cotton thread that has been dyed in madder]()
Ohara Koubou and Kusakizome Methodology.
I’ve been exploring the Japanese plant dye process kusakizome (草木染め) over the last few months, challenging myself with loosening a lot of the dyeing methodology I’ve become familiar with over the years and embracing the sometimes complex Japanese method. The abundance of available natural dyestuffs in Japan is staggering, and the different process used to extract colour…
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Heritage textiles and shaping a sustainable cloth future.
As a former professor at Kyoto City University of Arts, Nobuko Hiroi’s personal collection of world textiles spans decades of travel and research devoted to handcrafted materials and the tools that made them. It’s wonderful when collections like these are open to the public, as this one was earlier in the year as part of her…
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Aqueous Appreciation: Thoughts on the Japanese Bath
The closest I’ve come to meditation has been whilst bathing. At least it was a feeling I guessed was meditative, something I can’t yet say I’m familiar with despite my various and feeble attempts at meditation over the years. Sitting in a well worn cypress tub at Funaoka Onsen, Kyoto’s most famous bath house and…
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![Genkan with old grinding stone at Karigane machiya guest house in Murasakino, Kita-ku.]()
Karigane: The Art Of Sensitive Renovation
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Rika and Shimo, the owners of a beautiful and thoughtfully converted machiya guest house called Karigane. The neighbourhood which I also call home, Murasakino, has been revealing its character to me in great swathes. Much of the beauty of this historic district, dotted with myriad temples, food producers and bathhouses, lies…
