WABI SABI exhibit

Distributed over the 840 sqm of the WABI SABI area, the exhibit dedicated to Japanese arts and crafts makes another stopover at Japan Expo. Following on from the previous years, it unveils a variety of works and artistic techniques. Some are also presented by the artists during demonstrations on the demonstrations’ stage.

Hina dolls made of ancient fabric
Hina dolls’ main characteristic are the kimono they wear. The distinguished feature of those which are presented at the festival is the fact that they were made of precious fabrics from the 19th century, fine silk of much better quality than what is made nowadays. Those kimono were woven by great artisans and the embroideries and dyes of that time are almost impossible to duplicate nowadays.

Yuzen dyeing craft 
The yuzen dyeing craft is characterized by a technique called itome, which consists of drawing the shapes’ outline in white. Once the outlines are finished, we dye the inside of the pattern with the help of different types of glue, thus allowing to adjust the intensity of the colors. At the end, the fabric is washed and steamed with boiling water, for the dyes to adhere.

Arita ceramic painting
The production of arita yaki porcelain goes back to the 17th century, to the city of Arita. It also goes under the name of imari, which is the name of the port from which it was later exported. The arita porcelain is recognizable by its colors: cobalt-blue, iron-red, and the white base of porcelain, with its final signature, gold. This porcelain is mostly decorated of flowers and sometimes of animal figures too.

Patchwork
The art of Japanese patchwork is a technique of fabric assemblage that goes back to the Edo period. This art was very popular among the housewives of that time. It consists in cutting and then assembling fabric pieces, in order to represent people, flowers and also birds.

Oshibana, the art of pressed flowers
The art of pressed flowers consists in pressing flowers, dry and assemble them to create an image. There are many flowers in Japan, and they vary over the seasons. Pressed flowers are also used as bookmarks, or to accompany a letter. This art is becoming more and more popular in Japan.

Bead flowers
The works presented are made of more than 40,000 beads and what they depict are primarily flowers. Bead flowers are not exactly a typically Japanese art, but Japanese artists took ownership over it some years ago, and since then, they create works that perfectly embody their Japanese traditions.

The art of Japanese lacquer
The art of lacquer consists of applying several layers of lacquer on a wooden object or on an object made of paper, until the final form desired is achieved. The making process is very complex, depending on very specific techniques in Japan, in China and in Korea. Researchers have discovered, thanks to the Carbon-14 dating, that the lacquers of the Fukui department were the oldest in the world, dating back to more than 12,600 years ago.

Crêpe of the Edo Period
The Edo Period crêpe is a Japanese technique, from the early 17th century. It was used particularly for the making of the most sophisticated silk kimono. It is very rare to find a kimono of that time still in good condition, and nowadays, they have a significantly high value. In the Edo period, everyone with a high-ranking position had to possess one.

Japanese ink wash painting
Indian ink painting is an art that mixes indian ink and oil paintings. It is a clever blend between the paper white and water, between the oil painting colors and the deep black markdowns of Indian ink. The brush mark must be clean and brisk, the beauty that derives from that mark represents the artist’s emotions on a specific instant.