Tokyo is still home to many traditional crafts and techniques that have been handed down through generations of artisans. 41 arts have been officially recognized as traditional crafts, including Edo Kiriko glass, Edokomon patterns and woodblock printing. A new generation has inherited these techniques but is updating them for the modern age. Join us on a hunt to explore these stylish, playful designs of historical Tokyo.
I love the downtown so called "shitamachi" atmosphere of this Tokyo neighborhood. Look at this. It's beautiful.
Even back in the 1700s when it was named Edo, the city was said to have approximately a million residents.
And everyday life for that many people also needed a big population of artists and craftspeople.
Join us on a design hunt in Tokyo, formerly known as Edo.
Traditional crafts that showcase impressive skill.
Reviving chic designs on the verge of extinction.
A new generation is creating fresh, refined colors and forms.
Andy and I are on a design hunt for the playful arts and crafts of historic Edo!
My first stop is Tokyo's Taito ward.
This community dates back 400 years, and has a long history of crafts and manufacturing.
The "ukiyo-e" prints of Hokusai are one famous piece of Edo culture.
Their bold composition and bright colors are popular today.
I'm visiting a workshop that's still making them.
Hello.
Oh, how beautiful.
- Nagao Yuji-san?
- Yes.
- A pleasure, I'm Andy.
- Nice to meet you.
My father loved "ukiyo-e" prints.
They were everywhere growing up.
They date back to Edo times.
How were these prints used back then?
They were like posters or PR photos.
- Movie star photos!
- They cost maybe US$2.
Easy to buy.
- Printing was cheap.
- So they used it.
The artist gets top billing.
- We know their names.
- Yes.
- But not the carvers and printers.
- True.
Our family focused on printing
for three generations.
Professional printers.
Today my brother does the carving.
"Ukiyo-e" are multi-colored woodblock prints.
They require an artist, a carver, and a printer.
This workshop used to specialize in printing.
A lack of successors led Nagao Jiro to take up the work of carving a few years ago.
Now the brothers work on images together...
...reproducing well-known works from the Edo period...
...depicting famous Japanese landscapes, and seasonal images.
What are you working on now?
"Kajikazawa in Kai Province, "
part of a series by Hokusai.
- You're carving it?
- Yes.
So much detail!
The original prints and woodblocks
are long gone, of course.
The blocks weren't important then.
I see.
After a batch they erased them
and carved a new image.
- Really?
- Few blocks remain.
So this is the base?
Yes, first I carve the outlines.
Then I make blocks for each color.
Totally new blocks?
- For each color.
- That's so much work!
So the more colors used,
the more work for you!
Sometimes Jiro has to carve up to ten blocks for a single "ukiyo-e" print.
I've never seen this before.
- Pressure adjustment must be key.
- Definitely.
Lovely.
The colors are added next?
Yes, as many as needed.
The colors are added in turn, from palest to darkest.
But the printer's skills are put to the test with a technique called "bokashi."
A white heron by the water's edge.
Look at the blues of the water.
It's extremely hard to create this depth.
This gradation must be added with a single block.
Paint is applied, then carefully thinned using a water-soaked brush.
The printer can rely on nothing but their own experience for this delicate work.
Gorgeous! How beautiful.
- It's a little darker.
- Yes.
The last step is "karazuri."
- What's that?
- A print with no paint.
The goal of "karazuri" is simply to add texture.
It requires a constant, careful adjustment of pressure.
Oh! What a difference.
The uncolored parts are
indented even more.
This gives it texture.
It breathes life into the bird.
"Karazuri" was adopted by printers because it adds real impact to prints that only use a few colors.
Look at this slight tint on this person's cheek.
"Ukiyo-e" prints are packed with Edo's trademark playful stylishness.
May I ask about these prints?
- They're called "senshafuda."
- "Senshafuda?"
Historical replicas?
No, we make and design those
for our clients.
PR for their work,
or as part of a festival.
Small "ukiyo-e" prints with new motifs.
"Senshafuda" are now becoming popular as trading cards.
The brothers adapt original designs from clients to fit their traditional "ukiyo-e" techniques.
"Senshafuda" began as simple items that only featured names.
Visitors would paste them on beams and pillars in temples and shrines for good luck.
By the Edo period, people started adding colors and pictures, using them in place of name cards.
There were even "senshafuda" events!
Are they still popular
in shitamachi areas?
Oh yes.
An exchange meetup will
draw around 100 people.
- Maybe more popular with young people?
- I'd say so, yes.
They come up with their own ideas.
Their own designs? Wow.
The brothers have also produced senshafuda for a souvenir brand.
The pop aesthetic mixed with "ukiyo-e" printing is popular with young consumers.
Do you have any thoughts on
successors or a new generation?
We'd need a new "ukiyo-e" style.
- New artists?
- We don't have an artist.
You need a star!
I'd love to see a modern take on "ukiyo-e."
The brothers use historic, Edo-period techniques to bring "ukiyo-e" into modern times.
A classic approach to keeping traditions alive...
...and an important step in updating "ukiyo-e" for the future.
I'm on a hunt to track down a traditional Tokyo craft!
This is a gallery for Japanese craftwork.
- Hello!
- Welcome.
- How gorgeous!
- Thank you.
This is Edo Kiriko?
- Please, pick it up.
- Thank you.
Purple seems very unusual.
It's very rare in Edo Kiriko.
These are by Misawa Sena.
It's cute! Pastel colors.
The complex patterns and bright colors of Edo Kiriko sparkle under sunlight.
It began with artisans carving glass in imitation of British cut glass items.
Refined by Japanese culture and aesthetics, today it stands as its own unique craft.
I've come to meet one of the artisans exploring new horizons for traditional Edo Kiriko.
- Hello.
- Hello!
Excuse me. Hi, I'm Shaula.
I'm Misawa, hello.
- A pleasure.
- Likewise.
- This is where you work?
- Yes.
I can see people hard at work.
We're all working hard.
A prolific producer of Edo Kiriko...
...Misawa Sena launched her brand at a young age, featuring her own designs.
She's now leading a new generation.
I don't know much about Edo Kiriko.
But I feel like it uses
a lot of blue and red.
Yes, there are actually no rules.
Edo Kiriko is anything made by hand
by pressing against a rotating tool.
That's the definition.
And it has to be made near Tokyo.
- Pretty straightforward!
- It is.
So it's very open to
different colors and designs.
I had no idea!
At first, all Edo Kiriko wares
were transparent glass.
But new techniques developed.
Color was added, and
the patterns became more complex.
Does this pattern have
a particular significance?
This is called a "shippo" pattern.
It's so lovely!
We use a triangular tool
to cut diamond shapes.
Those are linked to create circles.
The circles expand into all directions,
signifying auspicious growth.
Black was considered extremely modern.
I'm sure.
The cut is simple but inside....
It's like a kaleidoscope!
Exactly! We named the pattern after one.
Oh really?
So how is an Edo Kiriko piece created?
Misawa first uses a pen to draw a guide.
This is a first pass.
We use a coarse grind
to make a basic outline.
You don't cut all the lines?
No, just here, and here.
In between.
I see.
It's all done by eye.
You move so smoothly but
are there tricky areas?
We look from the inside as we work.
Oh, not the outside?
We need to see the light through it.
That helps ensure that
we've got the right angle.
Opaque materials are difficult.
Dark colors can be hard too.
Interesting!
It's just a rough draft.
But you can see the pattern.
Definitely.
She swaps out the blade for a finer grind, then smoothly cuts into the glass to complete the pattern.
I really see the difference
from the inside.
You can see it?
The transparency and clarity
of light is very different.
It's really fun to see
how it changes as I work.
It's only we artisans
who get to see that happen.
- It's cute, right?
- Absolutely!
It's beautifully balanced.
Yet you do it all by hand.
I saw you do it and
I'm still a little astonished.
Each glass is made by hand, so
that results in tiny differences.
Little variations.
We make adjustments ourselves
as we work on the material.
It can't be automated.
The glass is polished to a shine, and the piece is complete.
Misawa's name adorns this new series of Kiriko ware.
The matte texture and pale colors are a new departure for Edo Kiriko.
The idea is to use softer tones
for everyday spaces.
Bright, glitzy Kiriko is beautiful
as well, of course.
But it won't suit every home.
This is more casual.
The paler, more opaque tones
appealed to me.
Our latest design uses
the "shippo" pattern we saw earlier.
I've adapted it by separating
the diamonds and circles.
That's lovely.
It's a modern addition to
the historic tradition of Edo Kiriko.
What first drew you to this work?
I saw something made by
the workshop director, Horiguchi-san.
It was an Edo Kiriko container
for a cosmetic cream.
It had a gorgeous, delicate pattern
in this sparkling blue.
I loved it!
I realized Edo Kiriko
had broader potential.
I loved the idea that this historic
tradition had everyday uses.
I asked to be his apprentice.
- You approached him?
- Yes.
What do you think is its appeal?
- The freedom of it.
- Freedom.
It's always evolving and
open to new adaptations.
I hope to keep creating
new forms and contributing to that.
My last stop is in Hachioji, in Tokyo's west.
The area has a long history of silkworm farming, and the textile industry thrived here.
This dyeing workshop has been in business since 1890.
Hello, I'm Andy.
- Ishizuka-san?
- I'm Ishizuka Kumiko.
- A pleasure.
- Nice to meet you.
- Your workshop?
- Yes.
We do "Edo Komon" dyeing here.
Mainly for yukata and kimono.
Gorgeous!
Wow, it's so detailed!
If you look closely
there are all kinds of images.
- A face, or a fish.
- Oh yes!
Fish and flower petals
in various configurations.
I see them.
How many tiny designs can one wear?
This question was what led to "Edo Komon" samurai chic.
During the Edo period, the government forbade ostentatious fashions.
Seemingly plain colors with no discernable patterns were permitted.
So artisans began dying countless fine patterns and images into fabric.
Fifth-generation director Ishizuka...
...has honed her traditional skills while also pushing the boundaries of "Edo Komon"'s potential.
Take this fabric.
A close look reveals tiny leaves.
Amazing.
This is hard to make out.
This too?
The yellow hides it.
I do see a pattern.
But it disappears at this distance.
Exactly.
It looks like plain fabric.
In some ways, it was a kind of rebellion
against the government's decree.
Ostentation is out.
So let's create tiny,
playful patterns instead.
A vital tool in "Edo Komon" dyeing is "Ise" stencils, made from washi paper.
A stencil artisan carves out each one of these tiny patterns by hand.
Oh wow!
We have countless stencils
of various patterns.
- These are rabbits.
- Oh yes!
Very cute, rolling around.
It's popular with female clients.
All rabbits.
Stencil artisans are getting older.
The few who can make such
complex patterns are so valuable.
I want to know how the patterns are transferred to fabric - the most difficult part of "Edo Komon."
This is how I transfer the pattern.
The grey starch is resistant to dyes.
After the dyeing, this will
wash off, staying white.
Even application is key.
Otherwise, the dye gets patchy.
The edges must not stand out.
Where it joins.
This is very difficult with "Edo Komon."
Wow, I don't see any lines.
Perfectly smooth, no breaks.
See the little dots here?
Yes.
They help with placement.
I line up the stencil with them.
See the little grey dots?
You have to look from above.
Otherwise, you can't tell.
The stencils dry out and shrink over the course of the work...
...which leads to problems with mismatched patterns.
So, after a few uses, the starch must be washed, and the stencil dampened and stretched out again.
Completing each bolt is a lengthy process.
It requires speed and accuracy, and a skilled touch.
Ishizuka began training as an apprentice under her father, Yukio, 12 years ago.
She works tirelessly to try and reach his level of expertise.
So what's happening here?
A break in the stencil.
An issue with the stencil?
Well, I think that's a pass.
Good!
It's a tricky pattern, after all.
Some stencils are trickier?
The stencil makers are the ones who
really have to get it right first try.
A perfect stencil is extremely rare.
There's always a little unevenness
in a complex pattern.
- It's inevitable?
- It is, yes.
How do you feel about this kind of
inheritance between parent and child?
It all comes down to feel.
It's not something you can teach.
You have to develop your own sense.
At the end of the day that
responsibility lies with her.
Learning to do all of this
myself would be too much.
It comes down to experience
and hard work, I think.
Once the pattern has been transferred, the dye is applied along with a starch made from rice bran and sticky rice.
After that, the fabric is steamed to fix the color.
Then the starch and any excess dye is washed off.
The final step is unique to "Edo Komon" - "adjustments" to the pattern.
With such fine patterns, stencil edges and uneven colors are inevitable, which must be carefully blended with a brush.
- Such tiny adjustments!
- Millimeters.
Every last detail is carefully perfected.
Each bolt of cloth reflects astonishing skills that have been honed over generations.
Kumiko previously studied Japanese art.
She's now using "Edo Komon" techniques to create original designs.
A collaboration with designers from another industry, these bags connect "Edo Komon" to modern fashion.
From traditional gray to bright, pop colors.
The combination of hand-dyed fabric and leather works for both casual fashion and kimonos.
The designers looked at
my father's designs in this kimono.
It shows how Edo chic is best
showcased through simplicity.
So all the bags use very
traditional designs.
All very geometric.
It's a more modern stylishness
but still feels very Tokyo chic.
Modern Tokyo chic. Is that a theme?
There's no pleasure in making
something I wouldn't want to use.
New people have discovered
Ise stencils through these bags.
They learn that workshops make them
by hand, and they learn about us.
I hope they'll see me as someone
who takes up new challenges.
Everyone we've met today has a deep love for tradition...
...but they also maintain a youthful, playful approach to updating that tradition.