noriko kakudate

角舘　徳子　noriko kakudate

 

         　　新潟県佐渡市生まれ

             　岩手県沿岸にて育つ

2009　　こぎん刺しと出会う　

2012　　独立

　　　　 草木での染織を始める

2013　　青森県を中心に展示会やフェアなどに多数出展

2014　　渋谷ヒカリエにて津軽若手工芸家メンバーと展示会を行う

 

 

こぎん刺しとの出会い　Encounter with kogin

モドコ（基本模様）の組み合わせや展開次第で無限に模様ができるおもしろさ、そしてストイックな幾何学模様に魅了されました。

独自の制作を志すようになり、独立。工房を構える。
伝統の美しい技術、こぎん刺しを身近で感じられるようなものづくり、草木染めの色合いや美しさや環境への優しさを伝えていけたらと思います。

 

こぎん刺しとは・・　What is kogin?
青森県津軽地方の伝統的な刺し子技法、こぎん刺し。その昔、麻の着物しか着ることを許されなかった農民が、津軽の冬の寒さをしのぐために綿の糸で布目をうめて、着物の保温性を高めたのが始まりと伝えられています。
 

 

草木染めについて　About dyeing with vegetable dyes

環境にも、持つ方にも、そして自らにもやさしいこぎん刺しを刺したい。

その思いが高じて、こぎん刺しに使う布や糸は、角舘が収穫した草木で自ら染めています。

 

 

主に使っている植物　The plant which I use for dyeing mainly

茜（あかね）：アカネ科　つる性多年草

山野に原生する茜は、古来から貴重な赤黄色が染まる材料として有名です。

「赤根」の名の通り根を掘り出し、それを煮だします。

 

コブナ草：イネ科一年草　

田のあぜ道や野原自生する野草。秋〜晩秋にかけて採取する。「黄八丈」の黄染めに用いられる。

 

よもぎ：キク科

身近な野草。春採取したものは黄味がかり、秋採取したものは茶色味が強くなる。

 

桜：バラ科落葉高木

咲く直前のつぼみがついた枝を使うと桜色に染まる。夏から秋にかけては葉でよく染まる。樹を守るためにも枝や葉を使いたい。

 

タマネギ

キッチンで大活躍のタマネギは皮の部分を染め材として使用。

 

 

<Noriko Kakudate’s Profile>

 

1987 Born in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture

1988〜 Grew up near Iwate Prefecture coastline

2006 Moved to Aomori Prefecture for school

2009 Encountered with Koginzashi

2012 Started own business of natural dyeing and weaving with plants

2013 Exhibited at exhibitions and fairs mainly in Aomori Prefecture

2014 Exhibited with the members of young Tsugaru artists at Shibuya Hikarie

　　　Participated in Craft Fair in Matsumoto 2014, and ‘Kobo karano Kaze-craft in action’ in Chiba

 

 

<Encounter with Koginzashi>

 

I was fascinated by the interesting characteristics of Koginzashi, which are its unlimited designs with the combinations and developments of ‘Modoko’ (the basic patterns of Koginzashi) and its rigid geometric patterns. After working for a studio of Koginzashi in Hirosaki city, I started own atelier in Inakadate in Aomori to pursuit my originality in the expression and production. I wish to take part of the making of Koginzashi to make its beautiful technique more familiar to our daily lives, and communicate the beauty of its color and its eco-friendly nature.

 

 

<What is Koginzashi? >

 

Koginzashi was born in the Edo Era as a technique used for farmer clothes in Tsugaru region, where rice production was its main agriculture. It is one of the Japanese traditional embroidery: ‘Sashiko’, and forms a geometric pattern by stitching odd number of 1,3,5 vertical threads on hemp cloth. People in that days were allowed to wear only hemp clothes dyed in indigo blue by law, and they stitched the clothes with hemp yarn to thicken the clothes and keep warm during frigid winter. Later, cotton started to appear on the market and replaced the hemp yarn. As time passes, the stitching became not just reinforcement but decorative patterns, and the women in Tsugaru competed on stitching and developed the beautiful complex patterns. With its reinforcing and heat-retaining functions, Koginzashi is a very fine and rare form of Sashiko even in the world.

 

 

<Natural Dyeing with Plants>

 

For me, Koginzashi starts with dyeing cotton yarn and hemp cloth with plants. The reasons　I choose cotton yarn and hemp cloth are that they have been used together since the old days and that I want to reproduce the old wisdom of farmers. And　above all, I am attached to the texture of hemp and the tenderness of cotton material. I harvest vegetables and leaves in Aomori by myself, and extract dyes by boiling them. I choose to use the traditional method of natural dyeing to reproduce Koginzashi as close as possible to those of old times, and to make full use of beautiful nature of Aomori throughout the four seasons. The beauty of natural dyes fascinates me and each meeting with the colors always creates fresh feeling inside me.

 

 

<Plants Used for Dyes>

 

Madder:

They grow naturally in fields and mountains, and have been known as a source of red and yellow dye since a long time ago. It is called ‘Akane’ in Japanese, which means red roots. As its name suggests, beautiful red dye is extracted from madder roots by boiling them.

 

Jointhead arthraxon:

Wild grass that grows on the ridge between rice fields, and harvested in autumn. They are source of yellow dye for ‘Kihachijo’, traditional silk cloth in Hachijyo Island.

 

Yomogi (Japanese mugwort):

Wild herb that has been very familiar to Japanese　since a long time ago. They are used for medicine, food and dyes. Using yomogi harvested in spring makes yellowish dye, while yomogi harvested in autumn results in more brownish color.

 

Sakura (Cherry Tree):

The branches of Sakura with buds just before the blossoms bloom are the source of warm peach color. Sakura leaves can be used for dyes in summer and autumn. I prefer using branches and leaves to trunks of Sakura to protect and avoid stress to the trees. Without using dye mordant, more Sakura-like pale pink color can be extracted.

 

Onion:

Onions we usually use for cooking can be a source of dyes too. Dyes extracted from onionskin are easy to use, and commonly used for dyeing cloth.

 

Daisy fleabane:

They grow from spring to autumn. They are graceful flowers and make dyes of gentle yellow color.

 

Evening primrose:

They grow from summer to late autumn. They make warm gray color and can be used as both cold colors and warm colors.

 

Goldenrod:

Introduced species from America. They have strong vitality and grow gregariously.　Their color of yellow is like that of onions.