Memories of Fabric: The genealogy of Japanese textile culture, embodied in the seasons and prayers
Memories of Fabric: A Genealogy of Japanese Fabric Culture, Embracing Seasons and Prayers
Prologue: The Day the Word "Fufu" Was Born
Fufu - that's a word that no one knows yet.
When I touched my grandmother's kimono, when I unfolded the furoshiki, when I was wrapped in my baby clothes.
The cloth was not just a material, but a vessel for memories.
The word "Nun-Nun" woven by WABISUKE is a memory that poetically expresses the emotions, seasons, prayers, and transience of human beings that reside in fabric.
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Chapter 1: The Linguistic Origins and Poetics of Fufu
"Funfu" is not in the dictionary.
However, the sound does have a definite meaning.
The archaic word "fufumu" (to include) describes a state like a bud that has not yet opened.
The sound "fufu" is soft, inclusive, and full of potential because of its immaturity.
In addition, in examining the name of the god "Fuha no Mojiku Nusunu no Kami" that appears in the Kojiki, there is a theory that "Fuha" is of the same root as the root of "Fufumu."
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Hmmm, the fabric is full of stories that have yet to be told.
By using this word, WABISUKE can pass on the story that resides in the fabric.
This marks the birth of Nunu and the inheritance of culture.
Chapter 2: The relationship between seasons and fabrics
Fabrics reflect the seasons.
And the seasons are reflected in the fabric.
Spring Fabric
Sakura Cloth: A pale pink dyed cloth. As ephemeral as a flower petal, it dances in the wind.
Kasumi-fu: Transparent silk. Light and airy, like being wrapped in spring mist.
Spring fabrics have a sense of new beginnings.
Wrapped in cherry blossom cloth, memories gently unravel.
Summer fabric
Indigo cloth: An indigo-dyed yukata, imbued with memories of sweat and wind.
Cooling fabric: Linen fabric. The cool fibers bring air to your skin.
Summer fabrics are a cross between heat and wind.
The indigo collar still retains the summer of his boyhood.
Autumn fabric
Red cloth: A sash the color of autumn leaves. A symbol of the changing seasons.
Tsuki-nu: The cloth used to wrap Tsukimi-dango. It exudes silence and emptiness.
Autumn fabric speaks in silence.
Hidden in the folds of the red cloth are words of farewell.
Winter fabric
Yukifu: White silk. Silence like snow.
Kotatsu futon: A warm memory.
Winter fabrics carry the omen of sleep and rebirth.
Beneath the snow blanket, life thrives, awaiting spring.
Chapter 3: Prayer and faith in fabric
The cloth wraps the prayer.
And the prayer soaks into the fabric.
Shrine cloth
The cloth used in religious ceremonies is a medium that connects gods and people.
White cloth symbolizes cleanliness, while red cloth symbolizes vitality.
The cloth embodies the presence of God and carries people's wishes.
Baby clothes cloth
The cloth that wraps the baby contains the family's wishes.
Prayers for safe childbirth, healthy growth, and good health - the cloth embodies prayers for the future.
The cloth of the swaddling clothes speaks to a life that does not yet have words.
Torn Cloth Conference
There is a folk belief that tearing cloth can ward off evil spirits.
The torn cloth is retied in a different form as a prayer.
Chapter 4: The genealogy of fabric color names and seasonal words
Fabrics are clothed in color and tell the story of the seasons.
And each color has a name and a memory.
In Japan, there are hundreds of color names that reflect the four seasons.
They are not colors, but the intersection of nature and emotion, and the key to the story that resides in the fabric.
Rusty Leaf Fabric: The Color of the End
The brown color of the withering leaves carries the omen of quiet farewell and rebirth .
Fabric dyed in this color gently envelops memories of seasons gone by.
My grandmother's obi, an old furoshiki, a tea room hanging - the color of decaying leaves speaks quietly.
When I touch the decayed leaf-colored fabric, indescribable emotions begin to unfold.
Light blue fabric: coolness in the breeze
Asagi-iro is a blue-green color that was popular during the Edo period.
It is known for being used on the haori coats worn by the Shinsengumi, and is remembered as a color that embodies wind and pride.
The light blue dyed linen cloth carries the summer breeze.
The patterns on yukata, tenugui towels, and fans - light blue symbolizes coolness and elegance.
As the light blue cloth sways, the Edo breeze passes through.
Red plum-colored fabric: softness that heralds the beginning of spring
Koubaiiro is a pale red color like plum blossoms.
As the color that heralds the beginning of spring, it is a symbol of hope and rebirth.
The plum-colored silk fabric dyed with crimson is often used as a wrapping for new life.
Baby clothes, decorative cloths for the first festival, spring gifts - the red plum color embodies prayers for the future.
Wrapped in plum-colored fabric, spring begins quietly.
By taking on color, fabric begins to tell the story of seasonal memories.
And that story lives on quietly in WABISUKE's products and articles.
References
・Textile Culture Research Institute "Origin and Techniques of Fallen Leaves Color"
・Seasonal word dictionary "Haiku and Seasonal Feelings of Fallen Leaves"
・Edo Culture Research Society "Light Blue Color and Manners"
・Seasonal color name dictionary "The origin of Beniume color"
・Folk beliefs and textile culture: "Wishes contained in baby clothes"
Chapter 5: Carrying on the memory of Fufu
Fabric is not just fabric.
It is a vessel that encases memories, carries on prayers, and wears the seasons.
And the culture lives on when someone inherits the fabric and passes on the stories.
The fabric philosophy behind WABISUKE products
WABISUKE's products are not conceptual.
It is an attempt to revive the memory of the fabric in the modern era.
woven
The rhythm sounds like the breathing of prayer.
The blank spaces in the form tell the story of the user.
As fabric is used, it updates its memory.
In the past, the color of decaying leaves was used not only to wrap up the end of autumn,
It wraps someone's gift, wraps a farewell message, and wraps the anticipation of a reunion.
The cloth will accompany the user through their life and pass on their memories.
The idea of "continuing the tradition"
"Continuing the tradition of cloth" means not continuing to use prohibited cloth.
It is about receiving the story that resides in the fabric and passing it on to the next generation.
A grandson remakes his grandmother's obi and uses it.
Old furoshiki cloths are repurposed into modern gift wrapping.
Ritual cloths are displayed as daily prayers.
It is certainly an act of continuing the memory of Fufu,
This is also the core of WABISUKE's goal of "cultural sustainability."
Fabrics transcend time and touch someone's heart.
The idea of preserving the memories of Fufu goes beyond product introductions and overlaps with the reader's own memories.
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Conclusion: Towards the future of fabric
No one knows the word "fufu" yet.
However, as WABISUKE continues to talk about it, it will become a culture.
Fabrics are clothed with the seasons, contain prayers, and carry on memories.
When people who come into contact with the cloth tell their own stories, the cloth becomes a living language.
Wabisuke's vision of the future
WABISUKE is not a unified brand.
It is a vessel for carrying on the memory of the fabric,
They are storytellers who pass on the seasons and prayers to the future.
The product compiles the story of the fabric.
The article weaves together the memories of Fufu.
Readers nurture the future of Fufu.
Cloth cloth holds the future in your hands.
Questions to readers
What memories does the fabric you have in your possession hold? Did you inherit it from someone?
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The memory of Nunobu lives quietly in your story.
And that story will shape the future of WABISUKE.
References
• Folk beliefs and textile culture: "Wishes embedded in baby clothes"
• Textile Culture Research Institute "Memories and Regeneration in Fabrics"
• Edo Culture Research Association, "The Inheritance of Fabrics and Prayers"
• Sustainable Design White Paper: "The Future and Sustainability of Fabric Culture"