The famous Tsumami-zaiku artist will talk about their thoughts about Tsumami-zaiku.
Ms. Masako Hattori (hitohira), the artist we introduced before, has completed her three-dimensional work of tsumami zaiku dragon, which was selected at a public exhibition.
We would like to introduce this wonderful work, along with the story behind its creation.
【Intention for this work ~from Ms Hattori～】
In the Western countries, dragons have the image of monsters, but in Japan (Asia), dragons are worshipped as the messengers of gods at shrines.
My image of dragons is also a god of water, gently and gracefully guarding and guiding people.
Ever since I started making tsumami zaiku, I have always wanted to make dragons with it.
June 2019: The dragon making process began with making the framework with aluminum wire.
Next, I prepared the cloth by dyeing it with plants and trees using natural materials such as indigo, cherry, onion, and coffee.
October 2019: I finally got to work on making tsumami.
I changed the size and color of the mane in detail to express the way it flutters in the wind. For the scales of the dragon’s body, I used a total of ten colors (one yellowish green, one light purple, and eight various shades of blue) to avoid using a monotonous color scheme using double layered maru tsumami. The tips of the feet are made of 2 mm small maru tsumami. It was too small to pinch, and it was a tedious work, taking hours to make a centimeter of progress on the feet.
The dragon was finally completed in May 2021.
Furthermore, I made a base to put the dragon on.
The cloth used to make the earth was donated by the textile dyer Suirenka.
The unique colors are created by “Suirenka” using the combination of the antique silk cloth that has been untied from a kimono.
I was able to express the earth as I envisioned it with this cloth.
By creating a gentle dragon watching over the earth from the sky, I wanted to express my great love for the human beings who are alive on this earth.
It took two and a half years to complete this project. I made the dragon just because I wanted to make it. To live honestly with yourself is to take care of yourself.
By honestly doing what you want to do now and enjoying what you want to create, you can be kind to others and be cheerful and happy.
I hope that the harmony connected by Tsumami zaiku will spread all over the world, and that the joy of “making” will bring many smiles to people’s faces.
Public Exhibition
The 75th Sakai City Exhibition [category] Sculpture, Crafts, etc.
Title: “Harmonious eternity (2021. Nov)
By living honestly, we can cherish ourselves, which in turn brings happiness to others.
This dragon and the artist, Ms. Hattori, must have impressed a lot of people at the exhibition. And I hope that everyone who reads this now will be touched as well.
