Atelier Shimura 9th Anniversary "Celebration of Color - Because of the Source of Purple"
Atelier Shimura was founded in November 2016, and thanks to everyone's support, we will be celebrating our 9th anniversary this year (2025). We are also opening a new store in Setagaya, Tokyo. Gallery & The school has opened and we have begun our activities in a new location.
The theme of this year's event is "A Celebration of Color - Because of the Source of Purple." Purple gets its color from the root of the purple plant, safflower. It is said that purple plants once grew wild in Musashino. The following poem, found in the Kokin Wakashu, shows the connection to this area.
"Because of a single purple grass, I look at the grasses of Musashino with deep affection."
Atelier Shimura Tokyo Setagaya is also located in the former Musashino area. We have planned this exhibition with the ties that exist in this area in mind.
Based on an ancient method passed down from the Nara period, camellia lye is used as a mordant for purple root dyeing. This wisdom is also shown in the following poem from the Manyoshu:
"Purple dye is made using camellia lye. Who could it be that I met at a busy crossroads in Umi-sekizakura City , a city named after Camellia?
Purple safflower is a perennial plant that blooms with small white flowers in the summer, but in recent years, due to the effects of global warming and other factors, it has become difficult for it to grow naturally and has been designated an endangered species. Currently, much of the purple safflower we have is imported from Mongolia and China. As the vegetation changes dramatically, we create our products using plant dyeing and handlooms, with a deep reverence for nature.
Next year, Atelier Shimura will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Based on traditional Japanese dyeing and weaving techniques, we will continue to work even more diligently to convey to society the beauty of the colorful world nurtured by plants. We look forward to seeing you there.
▪️Event Overview
Dates: Friday, October 31st - Tuesday, November 18th, 12:00-17:30, closed Wednesdays and Thursdays
Venue: Atelier Shimura Gallery & School, Setagaya, Tokyo
6-17-7 Soshigaya, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
Representative Shoji Shimura Date and time: November 1st (Saturday), 2nd (Sunday), 3rd (Monday/Holiday) 14:00-17:00 each day
Items on display and for sale: New eboshi kimono, new Mina obi "tanpopo", new colored obijime and obiage, 9th anniversary special edition "Shiki no Ka - Murasaki", plant-dyed brooch "Tsudsumigusa", etc.
For inquiries, please call 03-6411-1215 or email us at: gallery@ateliershimura.co.jp
<Exhibition and sales products>
▪️New kimono "Starry Night"
In keeping with the 9th anniversary theme, "Because of a Single Purple," this work was inspired by the world of Van Gogh's masterpiece, "The Starry Night." Just as Van Gogh's original painting depicts an impressive scene through the complementary color relationship between the deep "blue" of the night sky and the shining "yellow" of the moon and stars, this work takes "purple," the theme color of the 9th anniversary, and presents it as a color contrast with the "yellow" of the stars and moon. The repeated stripes seen on the kimono represent the sight of the stars beginning to shine in the sky as night falls.
▪️Mina belt "Tanpopo"
This marks the fifth launch of the "Shimura Kimono Mina Obi" collaboration project with minä perhonen. This time, the Mina obi features the "tanpopo" pattern. To match the kimono's "purple" theme of the 9th anniversary, the navy and brown silk mini houndstooth pattern is embroidered with "tanpopo," making it the perfect obi for autumn outfits. The Futaba bag and Shingen bag are also available in the same fabric, so you can enjoy matching them with your kimono when you go out.
About the textile "tanpopo"
Designer Akira Minagawa came across a landscape of dandelions in the small Finnish village of Fiskars, and created this painting. The sight of innocent, free-flowing dandelions and their spherical fluff, the seeds of new life, swaying in the breeze as if waiting for the moment to take flight, is sure to be a scene that occupies many memories of ours. These flowers, which bloom on the way to school, on trips to Northern Europe, or in the corners of small, unnoticed alleys and parks, are actually very beautiful and full of fantasy.
▪️9th Anniversary Special Edition "Shiki no Ka - Murasaki"
"Shiki no Ka," a collaboration with Japanese confectionery designer YUKI FUJIWARA, who expresses the changing scenery and beautiful words of the four seasons through Japanese sweets, is a sweet called "Shiki no Ka," which is an amber sugar that expresses the seasonal colors of plants.
Purple is the color of the approaching evening, when light and darkness blend together. We hope that the color reflecting the changing evening sky and the mellow flavor of wild grapes will evoke the deepening autumn scenery. This product will be available in stores and online. The online sales page will be announced at a later date.
▪️Plant-dyed brooch "Tsuzumigusa"
Atelier Shimura hand-dyed fabric with plants, and then Atelier Someka delicately handcrafted it into a three-dimensional shape, resulting in a brooch that was the result of a collaboration between the two ateliers.
We have paid particular attention to the intricate design so that it can be used as is with Western clothing and as an obi clip with Japanese clothing. The title "Tsudumigusa" comes from the old name for the dandelion. We hope you will enjoy the two charms of the plant: its colorful appearance and its beautiful shape.
<Special exhibition related events>
▪️Talk event
We will be hosting a talk event with Manabu Nishimura, chairman of the Mitaka Purple Grass Restoration Project (Mitaka City), which is working to revive purple grass that once grew wild in Musashino, and Masashi Shimura, the project's representative. The talk will cover a wide range of topics, from the history of purple grass, the relationship between purple and Musashino, to cultivation methods, all of which are based on practical experience. There will be time for questions and answers, so we look forward to your participation.
Date and time: Sunday, November 2nd, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Venue: Atelier Shimura Gallery & School, Setagaya, Tokyo
Participation fee: 2,200 yen (tax included)
Number of applicants: 15 people
For details and to apply, click here
*We will give you a bookmark made from small purple cloth as a gift.
*Part of the content of the talk event will be streamed on YouTube at a later date.
Manabu Nishimura
"Tracing the memories of life that reside in purple grass and interacting with the culture of Musashino"
I want to revive the "Murasaki" plant that once flourished in the Musashino region.
With this wish in mind, he is the second chairman of the Mitaka Murasaki Revival Project, which is working to revive Murasaki and pass on the culture of Murasaki root dyeing in Mitaka.
Cultivation is by no means easy, and through repeated failures and discoveries, they are making progress step by step towards establishing a method for cultivating the endangered purple grass, a feat their predecessors had tried to establish.
Currently, the group is cultivating, researching, and conducting hands-on activities with purple grass, based in old houses and public seminars in Mitaka City.
Based on his belief that "I want to show my children how to take on challenges rather than succeed," he has attracted many people into the Murasaki circle with his passionate personality and decisive action.
<Mitaka Purple Grass Revival Project>
The group is active mainly in Mitaka City with the aim of reviving purple grass, which is designated as an endangered species on the Red List.
▪️Special Workshop "Shikon Dyeing and Thread Making Workshop"
When you massage the roots of the purple safflower (Phalaenopsis sacchariflorus) into hot water, you will be able to enjoy a soft, elegant color along with a unique fragrance. After dyeing, you will join us in making the "connecting thread" that is also used in Fukumi Shimura's early masterpiece, "Autumn Haze," and in Atelier Shimura items. Experience the purple color that has captivated people since ancient times and the spirit of handicrafts linked to folk art.
・Half-day course of purple root dyeing and thread making
For details and to apply, click here
・One-day course of purple root dyeing, thread making and weaving
