I recently had the joy of visiting Japan House in London: part shop, part gallery, part restaurant. Full of exquisite beautifully presented things. It had the peaceful rarefied atmosphere of a gallery and I was transported to Japan.
I desired this beautiful LinNe Chibi meditation bell because it had the most pure sound, but was very much out of my price range. I bought a tiny ceramic bird incense holder, still a thing of beauty.
Kumihimo Exhibition
Downstairs in their gallery, they had an exhibition of Kumihimo.
Kumihimo is a traditional Japanese artform of making braids and cords. Literally meaning "gathered threads", they are made by interlacing reels of yarn, commonly silk, with the use of traditional, specialised looms – such as a marudai (‘round stand')
There are a number of different styles of kumihimo weaving, which variously create a braided cord ranging from very flat to almost entirely rounded. Kumihimo cords are used as obijime, cords worn belted around the front of some obi when wearing kimono.
This exhibition brings the story of Japanese braiding to life with floor-to-ceiling installations, absorbing video, creative displays of equipment and tools and more than 50 different examples of the braids themselves, imaginatively presented throughout the gallery. The braids take over a year to produce and all the materials are hand dyed. It is an homage to patience and precision.
The exhibition is divided into three sections:
The History of Kumihimo, which explores its 1300-year past from the Silk Roads to samurai and kimono
The Structure of Kumihimo, which allows guests to get up close to the processes and fine details of the individual braids
The Future of Kumihimo, which encourages guests to join in the discussions on future kumihimo possibilities in fashion, fine art and science
The exhibition is produced by Yusoku Kumihimo Domyo (Domyo), a company located in the old shopping and entertainment district of Ueno in central Tokyo, which has been making braided silk cords by hand since 1652.
Japan House London is part of a global initiative led by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
Presenting the very best of Japanese art, design, gastronomy, innovation and technology, Japan House London provides an authentic encounter with Japan.
They do offer diverse programme of events, workshops, and seminars – celebrating Japan’s most innovative and creative craftspeople, artists, designers, performers and other experts.
The Library hosts a permanent collection of hard-to-find Japanese books as well as dynamic displays covering a wide range of themes.
As well as The Shop on the Ground Floor, which I’ve mentioned, where can learn about Japanese makers and producers while browsing a carefully curated selection of products, there is also the Travel Zone - I gathered many, many brochures and leaflets!
The AKIRA Restaurant on the first floor was closed by the time I got there. But I’ve heard it offers outstanding cuisine, beautifully presented - it’s always tricky for me though as I am vegan and Japanese food doesn’t always readily lend itself to us plant lovers.
And lastly, but definitely not least, is the fact that Japan House of course have Japanese toilets: heated seats, many functions of spray and dry. I confess to not being brave enough to truly explore all the functionality but revelled in a warm seat.
Gratitude
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This is so lovely to know about - I am beginning to learn more about wabi sabi as a concept and part of my day to day life - I am also seriously contemplating going to Japan this year or next - I have a day trip to London planned this month so will go - gathering threads is exactly my focus for this month personally and professionally so appreciate this post