Homage to Nature
Landscape Kimonos of Itchiku Kubota

About Itichiku 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.

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. Now aged 78 and surrounded by a team of 60 apprentices, Master Kubota still works at completing his series of Kimonos entitled Symphony of Light as well as defining a new style of kimono adapted to Japanese contemporary life.

Mr. Kubota preserves 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.