Whatever your current interest level in traditional Japanese art may be, a visit to the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum will heighten your enthusiasm. The museum is devoted to the work of Kubota Itchiku, the artist who resurrected the lost art of tsujigahana silk dyeing. This labor-intensive tie-dyeing practice was used to adorn kimonos throughout the Muromachi period (from the 1300s to 1500s) with patterns of blooming flowers. The technique disappeared mysteriously, to be brought back to life by Itchiku centuries later. Appreciate it now, as it is celebrated in one of the world’s most remarkable textile museums.
Before you enter the museum, view the collection of fascinating buildings and gardens, including structures built from Okinawan coral,limestone and local wood. Look for artwork from Asia and Africa on the museum grounds, beautiful gardens designed by Itchiku, a waterfall, an outdoor stage and a tearoom where you can have a cup of matcha.
Inside, enjoy exhibits including several of Itchiku’s kimono creations, which are based on nature, the cosmos and the seasons. One of the most impressive exhibits is the Symphony of Light, which was planned to bring together a series of 80 kimonos that would collectively represent the grandness of nature. Though unfinished, the exhibit showcases 36 works that were developed for Symphony of Light, reflecting Itchiku’s version of the changing seasons, frombrilliant fall foliage to crystalline winter snow.
Look up for close-up views of someof the tsujigahana-dyed kimonos displayed hanging from the ceiling. Each kimono measures almost 7 feet (2 meters) high and is staggeringly intricate in its detailing, embroidery and dyeing. The museum owns more than 100 kimonos, with one-quarter of these exhibited at any time.
Travel to the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum from Tokyo by train or expressway bus, followed by local bus. You may also take the Omni Bus Red Line from the Kawaguchiko Station to the Kubota Itchiku Bijutsukan bus stop. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
