“The Rebirth of Kokura Ori: The Beauty and Essence of Stripes – The Revival of Kokura Ori That Stemmed From a Single Piece of Fabric,” a special exhibition organized by the Japan Design Committee, will be held at Design Gallery 1953 at Matsuya Ginza from December 27, 2022 to February 20, 2023.

Kokura-ori is a historical cotton textile that has been in production mainly in Buzen Kokura since the Edo period. The city is better known today as Kitakyushu-city in Fukuoka Prefecture. Kokura-ori, being durable and thick, was used to make the hakama and obi for samurai warriors as a local specialty of the Buzen Kokura clan and was said to have been favored by Ieyasu Tokugawa. During the Meiji period, it became a popular fabric used for tailoring school uniforms. However, due to the influence of industrial changes, production in Kokura ceased in the early Showa period. In 1984, Noriko Tsuiki, a textile artist who was fascinated by Noh costumes and pursued the path of dyeing and weaving, succeeded in reviving Kokura-ori as a hand-woven craft using natural plant dyes. Today, Kokura-ori is highly regarded as a traditional craft textile that represents Kitakyushu-city.

Besides the installation of various hand-woven Kokura-ori by Noriko, the exhibition will also introduce the different types of plant dyes that are essential for Noriko’s Kokura-ori creations, alongside a commentary by her. Reiko Sudo, a textile designer and a member of the Japan Design Committee, will be in charge of planning and managing the exhibition. Design Gallery 1953 is a gallery that was established in 1964 by the Japan Design Committee dedicated to design, located at Matsuya Ginza. The gallery holds a wide range of exhibitions regularly.

During the exhibition, there will be a talk event with Noriko, and Kokura-ori related products will be available for purchase. Come and enjoy the beautiful world of Kokura-ori stripes that will ring in the new years with its amazing array of colors.

■ Exhibition outline
The 781st Exhibition by Design Gallery 1953 “The Rebirth of Kokura Ori: The Beauty and Essence of Stripes – The Revival of Kokura Ori That Stemmed From a Single Piece of Fabric”

Dates: December 27, 2022 to February 20, 2023, 10:00 am to 8:00 pm (Last day closes at 5:00 pm), Free admission
Venue: Matsuya Ginza 7th floor, Design Gallery 1953 (3-6-1, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
Organizer: Japan Design Committee
Support: Kitakyushu-city
Cooperation: Noriko Tsuiki, Kokura Stripes Japan Association, Kokura Shima Shima Inc.
Exhibition manager: Reiko Sudo (A member of Japan Design Committee, Textile designer)
Website: https://designcommittee.jp/

*Please refer to the Matsuya Ginza website for the opening dates and hours.
https://www.matsuya.com/ginza/

■ Design salon talk
A talk event with Noriko Tsuiki will be held.
*Pre-registration is required from the website. Applications will be started from December 19, 2022, 10:00 am.

Date: January 13, 2023, 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Venue: Matsuya Ginza 7th floor, Special room
Guest: Noriko Tsuiki (Textile artist)
Host: Mariko Tsuchida (Executive director of Japan Design Committee)
Capacity: 20 people
Admission free
Website: https://designcommittee.jp/event/2022/12/dst80.html

■ Workshop
A workshop of folding and knotting with Kokura Shima Shima fabrics will be held.
*Pre-registration is required from the website. Applications will be started from December 19, 2022, 10:00 am.

Date: January 17, 2023, at 2:00 pm   *About 2 hours
Venue: Matsuya Ginza 7th floor, Special room
Instructor: Miyuki Sekine, the president of YUU (Researcher of musubi, Japanese knotting)
Capacity: 15 people
Participation fee: JPY6,000 (Including tax)   *Including material cost (fabric, string, incense, document)
Website: https://designcommittee.jp/event/2022/12/dg781ws.html

■ Sales of related products
Hand-woven Kokura-ori products: December 27, 2022 to January 24, 2023   *Last day closes at 5:00 pm
Kokura Shima Shima products: January 11 to 24, 2023   *Last day closes at 5:00 pm
Venue: Matsuya Ginza 7th floor, Design Collection