The Itchiku Kubota Art Museum

Today we went to the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum in Yamanashi.

http://www.itchiku-tsujigahana.co.jp

Website is in Japanese but be sure to check out the pictures.

Just me and Taka s parents went. They treat me like I am their extra kid - a slightly mentally challenged extra kid. We stopped at a service plaza for lunch and for some reason there was a man dressed as a giant green octopus, couldnt tell you what he was there for, he was gone when we came out. I really wanted a picture of him.

At the plaza, we went to a large vending looking machine with pictures of food on it. you choose the food you want, insert your money, and it spits a ticket out at you. You find a giant light up board and when your number comes up, BINGO! lunch is ready. They also have free tea and water machines that give you dixie cup size drinks. So you have to get about 50 of them just to make it through your lunch. Japan has a real problem with regular size drinks. There seems to be none to be had. Though more on that later. They had a
place called *American Snack* but there were no snacks there ive ever seen in America. they did have a sort of hotdog on a stick looking thing but i dont think it was a hotdog. After lunch, his parents took me to the convenience store and loaded me up with snacks like popcorn,chocolate cookies, coffee, water, etc...(see, i'm their extra kid) I got to sit in the back seat and kick my feet and eat popcorn.

The place we were going turned out to be right near Mount Fuji so I got to see it closer this time. It was a little foggy so not so clear a view as I would have liked.

At the museum, which was absolutely beautiful by the way, we had to take our shoes off so good thing I didnt wear holey socks. They had a video presentation about Mr Kubota and Mom asked them to change it to English so all the other museum patrons gave me a mean look and left in a huff. I saw a giant gorgeous moth flying against the window and it was freaking Mom out a little so I went over and caught it and brought it outside. Everyone kept telling me how "Kind" I am and Mom was impressed by my kindness. Didn't seem like a big deal to me. The grounds of the museum was amazing. I wish it had been a nicer day to walk around more. The Kimono were so incredible. Kimono really are an art form. I am crazy about them. There are alot of things about traditional Japan that are just so steeped in beauty it's almost hard to comprehend. The simplicity and clean lines are something I just love. I have a kimono collection now and even though I don't wear them, I love to just look at them. Kubota's kimono were breath taking. I would stand in front of one for minutes at a time wanting to touch it and marveling in the details. He did a series called "Symphony of Light" that are beyond spectacular.

Since Kuboto could see Mount Fuji from his home, many of the kimono had Fuji on them. Mom bought me a fancy fan designed by Kubota with a matching case. I'll have to take a picture of it. We were there maybe 2 hours, turned out Dad spent the whole time sitting in the car!

The drive home was wonderful as well. Seeing the fog rising in the twilight, driving through the mountains thick with greenery was very surreal and ghostly. If we had driven back in time, I wouldn't have been surprised.

About Ichiku Kubota:

Born in 1917, Itchiku Kubota started learning the art of dyeing at the age of 14. At the age of 20, he had his first encounter with the art of Tsujigahana. He decided to revive this long forgotten tradition and experimented with his own technique of tye-dyeing and painting, mastering a unique form that has made him internationally famous. He had a show at the Smithsonian Museum.

After years of relentlessly investigating small fragments that had survived the years, Kubota began creating modern Itchiku Tsujigahana in 1951; not a mere copy of medieval models, but his own original creation, using 20th century dyes and material. In 1977 he finally produced a product that suited him and put it on display in Tokyo. Before his death at the age of 86, with the help of a team of 60 apprentices, Master Kubota completed a series of Kimonos entitled Symphony of Light as well as defining a new style of kimono adapted to Japanese contemporary life.

Mr. Kubota preserved the utterly sober and refined aura that is the hallmark of centuries-old textiles and applies it to the contemporary kimono. More than having experimented with all types of dyeing techniques, he has developed an authentic expression of light. By using modern dyes that produce a wide range of colours and nuances, he has been able to produce a new artform and therefore is recognized not only as an artisan but as a creator in the true sense of the word.

(Main information from the Canadian Museum of Civilization)