To commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Serizawa Keisuke, a Living National Treasure of stencil dyeing, a commemorative exhibition titled "Stencils: A Promise for Beautiful Dyeing" is currently being held at the Shizuoka City Serizawa Keisuke Museum of Art. The exhibition will run until Sunday, December 7th.
After encountering his lifelong mentor, Yanagi Muneyoshi, and the Okinawan dyeing technique of bingata, Serizawa Keisuke embarked on the path of dyeing, producing numerous masterpieces with his unique sense of color and design.
(Left) "Kimono with a swimming sea bream design" (1964) (Right) Pattern for "Kimono with a swimming sea bream design" (Collection of the Serizawa Keisuke Art and Craft Museum, Tohoku Fukushi University)
(Left) "Iroha character obi fabric" (1958) (Right) "Iroha character obi fabric" pattern(Collection of the Serizawa Keisuke Art and Craft Museum, Tohoku Fukushi University)
Stencil dyeing is an indirect dyeing technique that uses stencils carved out of tannin-based paper and dye-resistant paste, and Serizawa was highly praised not only for his works themselves but also for the beauty of the stencils he carved. This exhibition focuses on stencils from the collection of the Tohoku Fukushi University Serizawa Keisuke Art and Craft Museum, and introduces a collection of works that embody his words, "Good stencils promise beautiful dyed fabrics. And they are beautiful in themselves."
Serizawa Keisuke's House (interior)
The Serizawa Keisuke Museum of Art, a rare museum dedicated to a dye artist in Japan, houses approximately 1,300 works by Serizawa Keisuke as well as 4,500 pieces from Serizawa's collection as a collector of crafts.The adjacent "Serizawa Keisuke House" (open only on Sundays and public holidays) also displays crafts from around the world, creating a space where you can experience Serizawa's lifestyle and aesthetic sense.
Pattern for "Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter Two-Panel Folding Screen with Cloth Letters" (1965)
Stencils have a different beauty to the finished stencil dyed products. Why not experience the charm of these stencils, which continue to shine quietly as the origin of beauty even after the passage of time?
Keisuke Serizawa 130th Anniversary Exhibition "Stencils: The Promise of Beautiful Dyeing"
[Period] Currently being held - Sunday, May 2025, 12
[Venue] Shizuoka City Serizawa Keisuke Museum of Art (5-10-5 Toro, Suruga Ward, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture)
[Admission fee] Adults 420 yen, High school and university students 260 yen, Elementary and junior high school students 100 yen
* Free for preschoolers
[Closed] Every Monday (open on November 3rd and 24th), November 4th, and 25th
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