Feel the infinite expanse of light through sacred geometry, Flower of life stitch weaving.
Made with organic cotton yarn. A folk design where past and present meet. Colors are piece dyed. Rose and Earth soil by mud dyeing of Amami Oshima. Reactive dye are Light lily, Violet ash, Earthenware, Ancient soot and Black.
Clothes that extend into space. Spiritual vessels for bright days.
We are pleased to present Shigeo Tanaka’s works, “Hisui no Kashihate-Ryugu Saiki”, at the Center for COSMIC WONDER commencing on August 21.
He lives in a 280-year-old house in Asuka village, Nara Prefecture, and works in a seasonal mountain valley using an anagama kiln; the Likei and an inverted-flame kiln. His works resemble classical Korean ritual vessels, but with a uniquely Japanese wabi coloration. His spiritual pursuits influence his work and link his pieces with the immaterial world.
For this time he has created many of the vessels that we use every day at Ryugu*.
*COSMIC WONDER’s production base in a mountain village near Kyoto.
We are pleased to present the main collection “Days of light”for Autumn and Winter from August 21 at Center for COSMIC WONDER.
There will be Linen canvas garments with a beautiful textured look, Cotton broad wool garments with a soft feel, Organic cotton sashiko-stitch garments with the sacred geometry of the Flower of life, and accessory shirts that look like a large scarf wrapped in soft and comfortable Cotton silk chiffon, etc. Autumn and winter’s colors are the elegant and deep impression of Ancient soot, the quaint and beautiful colors of Amami Oshima’s mud-dyed Rose soil and Earth soil.
We are pleased to present the Organic cotton collection “Days of light”for Autumn and Winter from July 31th at Center for COSMIC WONDER.
The collection combines a variety of organic cotton fabrics, including broad cloth with a quiet luster, twill cloth with a supple texture, a soft roan, and satin that is soft and comfortable. The beautiful colors with texture are made by piece dyed. Mud-dyed Rose soil and Earth soil, etc., from the nature-rich Amami Oshima Island.
We are composed of light
So too this clothing is light crystal
It arches back, weightless,
To the birth of the universe
LOOKBOOK
We are pleased to present Takashi Ichikawa’s exhibition, “Rethinking of the Plants”, at the Center for COSMIC WONDER. For this exhibition, he will share his unique perspective on tea, wild grasses and medicinal herbs, and how they can bring our lives into harmony with nature. Interacting with water, plants, and fire is an essential joy that reconnects us with the elements of nature. This exhibition envisions a lifestyle flush with wildflowers, as well as distillers, roasters, and utensils for boiling tea. A workshop and a tea ceremony will be held with two members of yasousora who have been integrating wildflowers into their daily lives and exploring their mysterious powers. Learning about and touching wildflowers liberates the body and mind and brings a sublime enrichment to our days.
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Now is the time to rethink the things in our own immediate surroundings.
It was five years ago that I came across a tea tree so large that I had to look up. The difference between the image of a tea tree and the image of a tea plant became an attraction, and a switch was flipped for me to rethink my idea of the plant. The experience of looking around and picking things up that interest me, such as tea and cooking, moves me to appreciate the wisdom of our ancestors and gives me a sense of gratitude for nature. And then I think. Tools and technology have disappeared with the changing times, and some of our senses have dulled as our lives have become too convenient. Now that the world is changing, there is a way to fortify our immune systems with the help of nature and plants. Plants work hard to protect their seeds. The power of plants is amazing. I would like to increase my sensitivity to plants by learning about their power from experts. Flowers, leaves, stems and roots. Beans, powder, and leaves. Let’s enjoy the power of plants. Attractive things are close at hand. If we turn on the switch, we can see them.
I want to make a tool that will turn on the desire to rethink our relationship to plants.
Takashi Ichikawa
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Exhibition period:
June 26 – July 4, 2021
The artist will be present on June 26 and 27.
Location:
Center for COSMIC WONDER
5-18-10 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
T. +81 (0)3 5774 6866
Open noon – 6pm
Opening Event:
1. Workshop sora’s wild grass tea Demonstration of how to make wild grass tea.
The possibilities are endless for making tea from the wildflowers that grow all around us.
You can enjoy some wild grass tea with Ichikawa’s tea utensils.
Saturday, June 26
noon − 2pm
3pm − 5pm
Fee: 8,800 JPY (with wild grass tea)
Reservation required / Number of seats: 4
*All the seats are booked.
2. Tea Ceremony “sora”
“Medicine” of the fields.
Medicinal herbs from Mount Ibuki, Wild grass tea collected and blended in sora’s field.
You can enjoy some wild grass tea with Ichikawa’s tea utensils.
Sunday, June 27
noon − 1pm
2pm − 3pm
4pm − 5pm
Fee: 6,600 JPY (with wild grass tea)
Reservation required / Number of seats: 5
*All the seats are booked.
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yasousora / Gendou Sawamura Hina Sawamura
Wild grasses connect us to ancient times, and to the universe itself.
It is our hope to educate others about the benefits of the wildflowers and wild grasses that surround us.
We are based in Fukuoka Prefecture.
We are pleased to present repaired the clothes collection of Cosmic Wonder with Kaoru Yokoo “The Awakening Universe”. From the Cosmic Wonder 2021collection “Days of light”, Yokoo will present the world of repairs with beautiful and harmonious humor.
Cosmic Wonder’s clothing which has dyed natural materials occasionally some things that can not be sold due to color spots and fabric cracks. Kaoru Yokoo will perform art handwork such as embroidery and knitting to breathe new breath to them.
Center for COSMIC WONDER will be available from June 26. It will end as soon as it is sold out.
On the same day, the exhibition “Rethinking of the Plants” by Takashi Ichikawa will also be held.
Kaoru Yokoo
1979 Born in Tokyo.
Started from 2005, Active mainly on rectification by handwork such as embroidery or the crochet.
We are pleased to present a series of Usuhanasome garments that are made where heaven and earth meet.
COSMIC WONDER “Days of light” garments in hemp, silk, and organic cotton are dyed with light mud and light indigo. The mud dyeing is done by Kanai Kogei in Amami Oshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, and the indigo dyeing is done by Konya Jin in Mie Prefecture. The colors produced by this wonderful technique first appeared in ancient times and appear again today.
Light-mud dyeing is done with mud and dyestuffs boiled from the Fukugi tree, a tall evergreen tree native to Amami and points south. By contrast, the typical mud dyeing process uses dye from the wheel plum tree. The light mud is found in the iron-rich mud fields in the ancient strata of Amami Oshima Island that date back 1.5 million years. The dyeing process is done in cycles: Fukugi tree dyeing, mud dyeing in the mud field, rinsing in the river upstream, again Fukugi dyeing, again mud dyeing in the mud field, and water bleaching… Depending on the condition of the cloth to be dyed, the process is adjusted or the number of cycles is changed. Mud dyeing requires the blessings of Amami Oshima’s natural habitat. These sensitive techniques have been cultivated over many generations.
Light-indigo dyeing is done in a vessel with a diluted indigo dye and repeated over and again. The process is more delicate than ordinary indigo dyeing as it requires much bleaching and dyeing. The work of Konya Jin, a light-indigo dyer in Mie Prefecture, starts with making sukumo, the indigo dye. After growing the indigo naturally, making the sukumo and making preparations throughout the year, the indigo dye is finally ready. Konya Jin uses the Shou-ai dyeing technique.
Please take a look at the beautiful and subtly colored Usuhanasome garments that reflect both the blessings of nature and the work of human hands.
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Center for COSMIC WONDER
Exhibition period:
June 5 − June 20, 2021
Open 12pm – 6pm
5-18-10 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
T. +81 (0)3 5774 6866
Short sleeve dress and sleeveless wrapped dress made from organic cotton broad.
Circular t-shirt and t-shirt dress, T-shirt and t-shirt dress of organic cotton jersey with excellent texture.
T-shirt dress made from 3 types organic cotton: broad, twill and jersey.
Clothes that extend into space.
Spiritual vessels for bright days.
Made from beautiful lustrous and soft texture of silk cotton.
Combine with broad and loan.
Beautiful colors are piece dyeing.
Clothes that extend into space.
Spiritual vessels for bright days.
The mysterious earthen colors are created with the soot of burned pine trees mixed with water.
The colors produced by kala-ai* indigo-dyeing reflect the indigo of the Ryukyu mountains, where the sea converges with the twilight sky.
In days of old, every household in Ryukyu would dye their everyday clothes and fabrics with kala-ai and to-ai* dyes right on on the earthen floor.
They would first dye the cloth with sumi or safflower and then layer it with indigo.
We will present a garment made of sumi and Yambaru-ai*, which resonates with a shining spiritual presence. COSMIC WONDER “Days of light” garments made of hemp, silk, and organically-grown cotton are dyed many times over with pine smoke and Yanbaru indigo (Ryukyu indigo). They are made by Mr. Keiichi Yoshikawa, who has been dyeing indigo for more than forty years in Kameoka, Kyoto, alongside the crystal clear Hozu River. Please touch the garment saturated with beautiful sumi and Yambaru indigo, a color that has mesmerized people since ancient times.
*Types of Ryukyu Indigo
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Center for COSMIC WONDER
Exhibition period:
April 3 − April 11, 2021
Open 12pm – 6pm
Temporary Closed: April 2
5-18-10 Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
T. +81 (0)3 5774 6866
STARDUST
Exhibition period:
April 17 − April 25, 2021
Open 11am − 6pm
41 Shimodakedono-cho, Shichiku Kita-ku, Kyoto
T. +81 (0075 286 7296
We were pleasure to hold the Special Exhibition COSMIC WONDER with Kogei Punks Sha “NONO a native spirit of Kami and Cloth” at Iwami Art Museum.
This exhibition has been realized with the hope of finding future connections between man and nature. We examine the practices of people who live in harmony with their environment, their views on nature and spirituality, as well as the resurgence of interest in natural fabrics in various parts of Japan. We proudly invite “Cosmic Wonder with Kogei Punks Sha”, who continue to explore different materials and handmade washi paper, which has ancient roots in Japanese culture, to present natural fabrics chosen from their unique perspective, spinning devices such as the spinning wheel and loom, and potsherds of Jomon-era earthernware, which retain marks of fabric textures, alongside performances using handmade Japanese washi and new video and photography work. In the past, people spun fibers from plants taken from their immediate surroundings, making fabrics, and then constructing clothing and tools to sustain their lives.These natural fabrics can be made from fuji (wisteria), kuzu (arrowroot), kozo (paper mulberry), hemp, ramie, shinanoki (Japanese linden), basho (Japanese banana plant), and ohyo (Manchurian elm), to name a few. They deeply reflect the culture unique to each area and the practices that have nurtured them. Making natural fabrics by hand starts with producing the fiber, which requires much perseverance. One cannot imagine how much work it would take if it were done today. Such precious fabrics have been highly regarded and cherished in their home regions. In Shimane, where there is a tradition of fuji-ori weaving, the worn boro fabric was battered back to pulp. When it is used to the end, nothing goes to waste.
Today, we have come to a stage where we need to reevaluate the relationship we have between nature and man. In exchange for our convenient lifestyles, we have contaminated the planet and altered our environment perhaps to the point of no return. On the other hand, the way our lives pass along, with the energy provided by this earth, will not change no matter what period we live in. What do they show us now, these fabrics that exist from the times we were nurtured by the nature around us and cherished what we had? In present times, where there is an abundance of information, the future options we can choose from may be reflected in the very presence of these natural fabrics and handmade papers.
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Exhibition period: March 20 – May 16, 2021
Venue: Iwami Art Museum
Opening Hours: 9:30-18:00 *Last admission 30 minutes before closing.
Closed: Tuesdays *Open on May 4 (Tue.)
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Related Program
Special Talk “Reading NONO“
We will invite Shinichiro Yoshida, the contemporary artist and director of the Research Center for Early-modern Hemp, who collects and researches natural textiles with a focus on hemp cloth, and Yasushi Inomoto, who has moved to Kamiseya in Miyazu, Kyoto,
the hometown of fuji cloth, in order to preserve its tradition, to hear about their work and research.
Photo:
(top) “Winter landscape of Oidani” 1971 / Photography: Shozo Sumita
Oidani Valley in Kaneshiro, a mountainous area in Hamada City, Shimane Prefecture, where paper was made in winter and paper cloth was made.
(bottom) “The bedspread of Kamikobu” Fuji, private collection, early Showa period / Photography: Ai Nakagawa.
In Kamikobu, deep in the mountains of Kashima-cho in Matsue, Shimane, the local custom of fuji-ori (weaving wisteria vines) has been passed on for generations.
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