This year the spring has arrived early with cherries and plums blooming in March. And across seas and lands, in distant Japan, sakura trees are in blossom... I look at these blossoming flowers and think - how many generations have admired this miracle, how many poets and artists have been inspired by these fragile flowers with their unmistakable aroma, what masterpieces were created only out of man's desire to preserve the beauty forever, to capture this moment in time.
Since long ago I have been passionate about the culture of Japan, its modern literature, poetry, the art of Japanese engraving from the XIIV-XIX centuries. I especially admire the art of making traditional kimono clothes and the craft of "Ningyo" dolls.
"Ningyo" translated from Japanese means "doll" and is written in two hieroglyphs 人形, which have the meaning of "man" 人 and "shape" 形.
On 3 March each year in Japan, the Day of Girls "Hinamatsuri" is celebrated. Parents usually prepare gifts for their daughters - traditional Ningyo dolls depicting children or characters from the imperial court, fairy tales and gods. Many families in Japan thus make collections of ningyo dolls that have a special multi-tiered plarform stand, covered with red cloth, where the dolls are exposed.
Some time ago, also in March, I visited a fabulous exhibition of Japanese dolls celebrating Hinamatsuri, organized by the Embassy of Japan in Chisinau. There was no way I could leave the National Museum of Art, I simply could not take my eyes off these masterpieces, made with such mastery and refinement. The kimonos the dolls wore left me speechless. What a fine workmanship and what grace, what a magnificent combination of colors and fabrics were in these garments! And at the same time, the kimono creates an image full of mystery, although being laconic in form.
Here are some interesting facts related to the dolls’ craft in Japan - the oldest dolls found following archaeological discoveries, are referred to the Dzemon period (13 000 - 300 years BC). Initially, the dolls had the role of an amulet or talisman/charm for protection and good luck.
Since 1936, the craft of doll making in Japan received the status of an officially recognized art. Every spring, since 1954, the best doll artisans can receive from the Japanese government the title of „Living National Treasure of Japan”.
I truly admire the caring attitude of the Japanese towards nature and natural resources. It is also expressed in the cuture of national clothing. Did you know that a traditional kimono was sewn from rectangular pieces of fabric to save cloth and achieve maximum use of resources? Or, a traditional kimono was and continues to be sewed by hand using fine floss, so that the fabric is not damaged and it would be easy to unwrap and reuse the cloth for crafting another kimono? For sewing a traditional women's kimono, fabric (usually natural silk, but also other cheaper fabric) with a width of 36 cm and a length of up to 12 meters is used. Usually, the fabric for kimono is hand-painted by traditional craftsmen before being cut and sewn.
Since then, when I saw the Japanese dolls closely, I was carrying this grain in my soul – the desire to create with my own hands a traditional Japanese doll wearing a traditional kimono. I have studied many sources of information about japanese dolls "ningyo", the national cloths for women in Japan, the history of kimono, the cut, and just as a real komono is worn.
The inspiration from a cherry blossom overwhelmed me too. There is nothing more beautiful than the natural combination of these colors. I made my first attempt to create a kimono, initially for a textile doll, handmade by me. From my collection of precious fabrics, immediately the beige-colored shajan silk and the pink peach moire silk were immediately brought out into the daylight, which were perfectly matched with a cherry-brown velvet with small white flowers for crafting a mini-kimono and the traditional "obi" belt. I also chose silk thread for embroidering the "sode" sleeves of the dolls’ kimono.
I am currently working on sketches to draw the face of my Japanese doll, and developing a technology for creating a traditional hairstyle from curls of natural Angora wool. I'm in the process of working... it is an exciting state of "immersion" in the Beautiful.
