Kakō Moriguchi Explained

was a Japanese textile artist who specialized in making kimono dyed using the Japanese: [[yūzen]] technique of resist dyeing. He also created the Japanese: makinori dyeing technique.

Biography

Japanese: Moriguchi|italic=no was born in Japanese: [[Moriyama, Shiga]]|italic=no Prefecture on December 10, 1909. His given birth name was Japanese: Heishichiro|italic=no.[1] He apprenticed with Japanese: yūzen dyer Japanese: Nakagawa Kason|italic=no when he was 15. Japanese: Moriguchi|italic=no took the artist name Japanese: "Kakō"|italic=no in 1934, when he was 25. He then opened his own studio in 1939, though his business struggled due to anti-luxury measures implemented during World War II, and had to re-establish his studio in 1948.[2]

Japanese: Moriguchi|italic=no first exhibited at the Japanese Traditional Craft Exhibition (Japanese: Nihon Dento Kogei Ten|italic=no) in 1955, where he won third place.[2] He was named a Living National Treasure in 1967. In 1971, he was awarded the Japanese Medal of Honor (purple ribbon), and was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun in 1982.[3]

Japanese: Moriguchi|italic=no died on February 20, 2008. His son, Japanese: [[Kunihiko Moriguchi]]|italic=no, continues his father's work as a Japanese: yūzen kimono artist.

Style

Though the Japanese: yūzen dyeing technique is typically used in the production of colourful designs and items, Japanese: Moriguchi|italic=no's use of the technique was a notable departure from this.[4] His designs, commonly taking inspiration from classical depictions of nature in traditional Japanese art, have a painterly feel to them.[5] Japanese: Moriguchi|italic=no was particularly well known for his common use and depiction of chrysanthemums.[2]

Japanese: Moriguchi|italic=no is best known for using the Japanese: makinori (sprinkled rice paste) method of dyeing. This method involves applying flakes of zinc-infused paste to fabric before resist dyeing it. When the paste is removed, it leaves a delicately spotted, mist-like pattern.[6] This technique, revived by Japanese: Moriguchi|italic=no, was commonly used in Edo period Japan, but had since been forgotten; Japanese: Moriguchi|italic=no decided to revive the technique after having seen a Japanese: [[kosode]] that utilised it in the Tokyo National Museum.[6] Having originally thought that he could learn the technique from a lacquer artist, due to the similarities between Japanese: makinori and the lacquerwork technique of Japanese: [[maki-e]], Japanese: Moriguchi|italic=no, unable to find a teacher, instead replicated the Japanese: makinori technique after much trial and error.[2]

Museums that hold Japanese: Moriguchi|italic=no's work include the Metropolitan Museum of Art,[7] and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art. International Society for Educational Information. 1981. Tazawa. Yutaka. Tokyo. 652.
  2. Book: Milhaupt, Terry Satsuki. Kimono: A Modern History. 2014-05-15. Reaktion Books. 9781780233178.
  3. Web site: 京友禅・森口華弘(もりぐちかこう) – 一本の糸から日本を輝かせる着物店【銀座もとじ】. www.motoji.co.jp. 2019-11-14.
  4. Web site: 森口華弘|NHK人物録. NHK. NHK人物録 NHKアーカイブス. ja. 2019-11-14.
  5. Book: Faulkner, Rupert. Japanese Studio Crafts: Tradition and the Avant-garde. 1995. University of Pennsylvania Press. 9780812233353.
  6. Book: Thurman, Judith. Cleopatra's Nose: 39 Varieties of Desire. 2008-10-28. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 9781429923002.
  7. Web site: Kimono Rakuhoku. www.metmuseum.org. 2019-11-14.
  8. Web site: Moriguchi Kakō LACMA Collections. collections.lacma.org. 2019-11-14.