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Kyoto Temple Embroidery
Late 19th c

The colours are beautiful with probably 15-20 different shades with the different stitch techniques produce interesting textures. The main stitch used was called hira-nui or flat stitch (satin stitch) which when used untiwsted silk, gave a very rich sheen. Long and short stitches were used for shading and gradation of colours, and layers of stitches were often built up to create depth. This temple would have been known to Victorians through the work of Felice Beato, one of the first European photographers to work in Japan, who took a series of pictures between 1862-1868. A collection of his photos were published in Europe in 1868 and achieved wider publication  through engravings based on the photos which were used by Aimé Humbert in his Japan Illustré of 1870.

Description

of Kinkakuji or the golden pavillion in Kyoto, a finely embroidered hanging of a large three storey lakeside house with a landing stage, a smaller house in the distance, the foreground with a small building, all in wooded landscapes in autumnal colours including terracotta, soft ochres, shades of subdued green and brown, ivory, slate blue grey, using thick floss silks,some couching, lined with neutral cotton, 66 x 46 in; 1.68 x 1.17 m

Condition

Excellent

Comments

The tree trunks and the window frames on the house are couched. Often this type of Japanese hanging has dull colouring and looks flat and dead. The lovely colours in this one gleam and shine. My thanks to a Japanese viewer who informed me of the name of the pavillion which is one of the main tourist attractions.

• McDermott, Hiroko T & Pollard, Clare Threads of Silk and Gold. Ornamental Textiles from Meiji Japan p 141 "There was a long tradition in Japanese art of depicting famous places, known as meisho-e (pictures of famous places).With the opening up  of Japan in the 1850's there was growing demand from foreigners to visit these places. Kyoto was regarded as a fairyland, but it was not until 1872 that foreigners were allowed to visit anywhere other than Tokyo.  Embroidery was the most desirable of the Japanese textile arts for foreign buyers.  Most of the embroiders were men and on p 85 there is an account of a visit by Artist Mortimer Menpes visiting a workshop.