KIRIYO ORI
Kiriyo Ori is a contemporary form of Japanese weaving that employs unique materials and color schemes. It is based on a traditional Japanese weaving style called Saganishiki, which was developed around 1800 by the wife of a feudal lord of Saga on the southern island of Kyushu, Japan. During the Edo era, Saganishiki techniques were practiced only within the Saga Clan. In post-Edo Japan, it spread among aristocratic and other prominent women. Originally, twisted paper was the only material used for this style of weaving.
However, Saganishiki evolved to employ Japanese paper coated with gold, silver and lacquer. This paper, thinly cut, serves as the warp and silk threads as the weft. Although Nishiki Ori, most popularly represented by the Nishijin Ori, traditionally uses lacquer coated Japanese paper as the weft, what distinguishes Saganishiki is the use of this lacquer coated paper as the warp.
Kiriyo Kuchina transformed Saganishiki into a richer and more unique form of weaving that is now called Kiriyo Ori. Kiriyo Ori uses gold, platinum and various colors of lacquer threads for the weft, interweaving these between lengthwise strips of Japanese paper coated with various colors of lacquer speckled with platinum and gold foil. Materials for Kiriyo Ori, especially the lacquer threads, are becoming increasingly hard to find as the artisans who craft these materials are aging without successors.
The designs and colors used in Kiriyo Ori are a leap from traditional Saganishiki as well. Looking at Kiriyo Ori works, one will detect inspirations from a wide range of cultures and artistic sources such as Art Deco, Islamic motifs, medieval European motifs, and Japanese rock gardens to name a few. While traditional Saganishiki weaving is typified by soft and old-fashioned nuances, Kiriyo Ori features more contemporary designs and metallic textures.
The loom used for Kiriyo Ori is simple and unevolved. It measures about 50 x 40 centimeters (20 x 16 inches) and sits on a desk or table. Given the elementary nature and small size of the loom, Kiriyo Ori demands greater concentration, a more refined technique and increased precision of the weaver. One full day of weaving yields only two to three centimeters of woven product.
Kiriyo Ori has received acclaim at exhibitions within and outside of Japan and has been described as a jewel-like woven textile for its exquisiteness and ornateness. These woven artworks sparkle in various ways and change their expressions as light shines upon them from different angles. Despite its uncompromising glow and stately aura, Kiriyo Ori is never gaudy or flashy and is truly an art of threads. One can find Kiriyo Ori works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in its permanent collection and at the artist's private gallery in Kamakura, Japan.
Most of the works, however, are retained by the artist as she is very attached to them and has difficulty parting with them given the time, effort and rare materials used to create finished pieces. The artist has yet to find a successor and regrettably may be the first and last weaver of this exquisite art form.