Japanese sewing techniques, which began in the 3rd Century with the Kantoi (simple clothing consisting of a piece of cloth with an opening for the head) and Kesa-style garments (shoulder-worn robe used by Buddhist priests), progressed through exchange with China and Korea from the 4th and 5th Centuries, and under the influence of the Sui and Tang dynasties of China in the 7th and 8th Centuries. The Shosoin Repository has a collection of finely tailored inner garments, pillows and costumes. In the Edo period, common people began to enjoy fashion and dressing up, and the culture of clothing design blossomed and technology developed.

In the Meiji period, the transition from Japanese to Western clothing, along with “Bunmei kaika (civilisation and enlightenment)”, began following the adoption of military uniforms at the end of the Edo period. The term “sewing”, which had previously been used to describe the sewing of Kimono, was divided into “Japanese sewing” and “Western sewing” to create a distinction from the tailoring of Western-style clothes. After the Second World War, Western-style clothing became more popular and there were fewer opportunities to sew at home, and mass-produced clothes became the norm. Yet, on the other hand, there is a renewed interest in making tailored clothes using carefully selected materials. We spoke to PAK Sae, who has worked in sericulture, hand-weaving and hand-sewing, and now lives in Kyoto, where she tailors items in everyday life.

“The difference between Japanese and Western sewing is not only in the design, but also in the way the fabric is handled. In Japanese sewing, most of the time we cut the fabric into four‐sided figures, so we don’t need a pattern, and the main thing is to avoid wasting fabric. If the hem is worn out, it can be untied and sewn down, if the upper front gets dirty, it can be changed to the lower front, and the length can be adjusted with the hemline. There is a whole range of wisdom and ingenuity on how to use items for a long time. Even the stitching techniques, such as Ito-jirushi (where the thread marks the seams) and Kuke-nui (stitching where the thread of the seam is not visible from the front), are well thought out to keep a Kimono beautiful: the thread can be easily untied without damaging the fabric, and the Kimono can be washed and re-tailored,” says Sae. The tools used are simple: a sewing needle, thread, scissors, ruler, and a Kuke stand and Kuke needle for nipping the cloth and sewing straight through it.

The beauty of hand-sewn garments and Shifuku (silk pouch with drawstring for holding tea ceremony items) is the combination of refinement and warmth, with each stitch finished with a fine needle, down to the corners and curves. Sae, who has experience in both Japanese and Western sewing, says that one of the reasons she continues to make hand-sewn items while taking a break from her sewing machine is that she is concerned about the constant drive to “make things quickly” and “produce in large quantities”. “I feel sad and contradictory about the way things are made, where we skip even the most important things around us and are not able to spend enough time on them. I came to Kyoto to work on vestments for Buddhist priests, but now I tailor things for each order, not just Kimono. The people, the occasions, the materials and the experience and skills I have at the time, and what I can create with them. Thinking about these things is most fun to me.”

Another major influence on Sae’s current work is the experience she gained at a workshop in Nagano Prefecture, where she learned about the whole process of making cloth, from preparing the soil, growing mulberry trees and raising silkworms, to spinning and weaving the thread. “Through the experience of making cloth, I learnt how the fibre comes from nature and how it is related to human life, which has deepened the range of imagination I have when I hold a piece of cloth in my hands. I would like to continue to tailor everyday items with beautiful materials that are carefully produced. I hope that my work will help people to live their lives in their own way.”

– photo explanation –

［Ⅰ］As the Chinese character for “sew” suggests, I sew with care, stitch by stitch, as if the thread meets thread.
［Ⅱ］Kuke-nui – stitching method to finish with the minimum of visible stitches and to make the most of the beauty of the fabric. The fabric is silk organdy dyed with plum moss by Sae’s friend, artist Tomoko Hayashi.
［Ⅲ］The artist uses a variety of needles. When there is a catching feeling in the fabric while sewing, the artist uses marking pins.
［Ⅳ］A workbench with a custom-made iron leg built by a friend. It is important that the height of the legs suits the body of the artist when they sit down.
［Ⅴ］Mending a Noren curtain that was tailored about 4 years ago. In this shop, the centre of the curtain is often worn out, so when tailoring one, the three folds at both ends are made wider so that it can be used for a long time by being repaired over time.

Photography by Tomoko Hayashi
Text by Tomomi Takezoe
Translation :Naoko Mabon (WAGON)