As a student studying for the entrance exams for university, this artist wanted to become a world-class fashion designer. Attracted by western culture, they imagined the quickest route to the fashion world was to work with European fashions.

However, there was also a large part of their identity which stated, “But I’m Japanese.” Without that part of themself they felt they wouldn’t be able to be recognized by the world, and thus they decided to focus on Japanese fashion in school.

This exhibit is a fabric which also displays this “Japanese Identity.”

The artist has used the theme of crows on and off since college. In Japan, crows are a symbol of good luck and were messengers for the Gods. The artist chose to use the motif of crows because–while studying about prostitutes during college–they happened across an old color photo from the Meiji Era of a prostitute in a crow-patterned kimono.

This traditional craft of fabric making has been passed down between craftsmen for over 300 years in the Nishijin District of Kyoto and should be a point of pride for the Japanese people.

In the world of crafts, the art of adapting Japanese traditional culture to modern lifestyles ties to the longstanding Japanese thought process of finding beauty in the everyday. In this piece by a designer who dreamt of Europe but chose to look in at their identity as Japanese may lead us to rethink the beauty of Japanese culture for ourselves as well.