Natural fabric dyeing artist
Born in 1942, Nishijin, Kyoto. Graduated from Doshisha University in1965. I first came in contact with the Nishijin industry and coming across the question of “What is fabric made for” I established a research center and with a total of 25 years, along with 1000 research staff, we research the history of braiding, knitting, weaving, intertwining, producing thread, thread spinning and dyeing. Since then, as a summary of the research, from 1994, I established “the morals of fabric dyeing” and through textiles, I am active in the activities of the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. I have won numerous prizes in exhibitions at home and abroad.
Izukura Akihiko and natural textiles
The aims of scientific inventions are often to control and change the law of nature. Due to this, we tend to forget that we are also a part of nature and that we should coexist in harmony with it.
Izukura Akihiko’s passion for textiles is not only from the traditional Japanese family business of work like kimonos and obis, but from the writer’s own strong feeling of wanting to live with nature and harmony. From the natural fibers, the material mainly used is silk and from one thread of silk, things like hand woven cloth, braided fabric and knitted fabric are made.
The origin is the balance of the environment (equilibrium)
The base of creating the process is the concept of effectively using the extremely precious things of nature like grass, trees and insects. Due to the work of changing the form of natural life energy, we try not to have any remaining material by using a “textile zero” approach. Using (Tomezome) liquid dye is not thrown away until the last drop, the brew for the dyeing material is taken by using the method of (Tsukaisabi) that is used for glaze from beautiful pottery and handmade Japanese paper etc, and we stick to the idea of “zero waste” by not having any waste and the “aesthetic sense of consideration.”
The works that are based on the textile technique of “First there was the rule of nature and then there was the rule of human,” the clothes, scarf, tapestry etc that are knitted / woven by the textile that has begun to have life and furthermore, today, the very few people who have mastered the ancient weaving / knitting method, Karakumi (braid from Tang)and the Laori (silk is weaved thinly)kimonos, dresses and some other clothes.
In this way, we ask the question of whether “the nature seen by nature,” and “the nature seen by humans” can look the same.