Good JAPAN Innovation [9]【Amami Oshima】The Figure Skating Queen in Oshima Tsumugi.
Tomoko Miyahara
Junryu Maesato
Nankai Nichi Nichi Shimbun
Minami Yūwa
Yumeori no Sato Co., Ltd.
Mamoru Ichino
Dentsu Inc.
"Good JAPAN Innovation" is a project where Japan's finest craftsmanship, centered on the theme "Traditional Crafts × Design," collaborates with Dentsu Inc. art directors to create works and communicate new value to the world. The ninth installment features a "queen" collaboration: Oshima Tsumugi, a textile from Amami Oshima in Kagoshima Prefecture—often called the Queen of Kimonos and counted among the world's three great textiles—and figure skater Satoko Miyahara, who just won her first Four Continents Championship on February 20th, is the reigning two-time All Japan champion, and is also a World Championships representative.
Ugamin shōra (Hello)! This month, Mamoru Ichino will be your guide. This time, we focus on the traditional craft of Amami Oshima Tsumugi, passed down on Amami Oshima. While it remains an eternal aspiration among kimono wearers, its production volume has reportedly dropped to less than one-tenth of its peak during the Showa 50s (1975-1984). Considering this decline occurred almost within my own lifetime, the speed of its reduction is truly striking. Compared to when I was a child, have that many fewer people started wearing kimono...? It's such a shame that this uniquely beautiful silk fabric, unparalleled in the world, is fading away like this. I planned this feature hoping that by sharing its charm, I might be able to help in some small way.
The Spirit of Amami Residing in the Details
True to its name, Oshima Tsumugi is produced on Amami Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture. With the cooperation of Mr. Sumitaka Maezato of the Nankai Nichinichi Shimbun, we were introduced to many people involved in tsumugi and visited the production site.
What struck me most deeply upon seeing the actual production of Oshima Tsumugi was the sheer magnitude of the painstakingly detailed processes involved. While still in thread form, areas not to be dyed according to the design are masked off by binding them with cotton. The process of repeating tachi-ki (wheel plum) dyeing and mud dyeing over 80 times to create a deep, rich blackish-brown color impossible to achieve with chemical dyes. Then, arranging the dyed silk threads precisely according to the pattern, and weaving them so the warp and weft threads align perfectly to make the design emerge. Although I had researched beforehand, the amount of effort put into each step far exceeded my imagination.
I was also deeply impressed by the design blueprints shown to me by Mr. Minami Yūwa, president of "Yumeori no Sato" and also a pattern designer for Ōshima tsumugi. How to create beautiful patterns under the constraint that the threads must be dyed first and the designs must continue symmetrically. Starting from hand-drawn sketches, they use computers to create dot-matrix design blueprints, which then determine the color allocation for each individual thread.
While simply printing might yield fabric with identical patterns at first glance, this technique deliberately deconstructs the design back to the thread level before reconstructing it into a beautiful, intricate pattern. It resonated with something I often feel in my work as an art director—the charm found in the details, like a photograph that looks effortless but was actually captured in a single take, or graphics meticulously laid out down to the finest, often unnoticed elements. Oshima Tsumugi itself is, in its entirety, detail.
The Queen of Kimono and the Queen of Figure Skating.
The motif that came to mind to convey the charm of this Oshima Tsumugi was the figure skating costumes, which reach their season's climax around this very time. Oshima Tsumugi, dyed with mud unique to Amami Oshima, is surprisingly thin and soft. Moreover, because the silk incorporates the mud's components, it has a tightly woven texture that is warm and resistant to wrinkles. It might be surprisingly well-suited for figure skating costumes, which require light layers on the cold rink and involve a lot of movement.
When it came to introducing the queen of kimono fabrics, Oshima Tsumugi, to the world, I wanted nothing more than for the All-Japan Champion to wear it... Knowing it was a big ask, I personally reached out to Miyahara, a skater I greatly admire. Despite her busy season, she agreed! This led to the realization of an incredibly luxurious dream collaboration.
Amami's Tatsugo pattern, ready for the ice.
On the day of the shoot, at Kansai University's ice arena where we received cooperation, Miyahara was already diligently practicing from early morning. Even her coach reportedly gets teary-eyed seeing her stoic dedication to training (!).
Though she was never considered a natural prodigy, Miyahara steadily honed her skills through relentless practice to become a World Championship medalist. It feels no coincidence that the Oshima Tsumugi costume, crafted through countless meticulous processes, suited her so perfectly. Combined with her beautiful spiral position, the deep black-brown of the Oshima Tsumugi stood out stunningly against the white ice.
As this project progressed, I became increasingly invested in it myself, and the scale grew far larger than originally planned. However, thanks to the tremendous cooperation of many people, including skater Miyahara, Maezato-san, Minami-san, and others, we were able to bring it to a wonderful conclusion. Hoping for the further global success of Oshima Tsumugi and skater Miyahara... Truly, thank you so much!!
Making-of Movie
Photography: Yohei Shimada Costumes: Masao Asano (GENESIS)
Hair Ornaments: Mebukikou Hair & Makeup: Yumi Kuroki
Movie + Filming Support: Takeshi Kinugawa, Tomoko Ando, Tomonori Izumiya (Kouei Kikaku) Title Calligraphy Support: Yuuwa Minami (Yume Ori no Sato) Music: Riku Matsumoto, Mako Kai
Planning Cooperation: Junryu Maesato (Nankai Nichinichi Shimbun) / Amami City Office, Kagoshima Prefecture, Commerce, Industry, and Tourism Department, Tsumugi Tourism Section / Honba Amami Oshima Tsumugi Sales Cooperative / Yumeori no Sato / Oshima Tsumugi Village / Kansai University Public Relations Office / Yasuhito Sugita (Boom Sports) / Kazuki Ishihara, Taira Ishikawa (Dentsu Inc. Kansai Branch)
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Tomoko Miyahara
A world-class figure skater who became the All-Japan champion for two consecutive years, combining her naturally serious personality and steady technique honed through diligent practice with rapidly improving expressiveness. She placed second at the 2015 World Championships, won the 2016 Four Continents Championships, claimed the All-Japan title in both 2014 and 2015, and finished second at the 2015 Grand Prix Final.
Junryu Maesato
Nankai Nichi Nichi Shimbun
Born in 1988, I returned to my home island of Amami Ōshima and joined the Nankai Nichi Nichi Shimbun. I have been primarily involved in advertising, planning, and business development to the present day. Furthermore, I view the approximately 400 Amami hometown associations nationwide (another Amami) and the local area as "one cosmology," exploring ways to discover the islands through the Amami sphere concept. "The 'Am' in Amami is pronounced 'En' (meaning 'connection')," he says. "Let's share the beauty of this island of connections with the world!"
Minami Yūwa
Yumeori no Sato Co., Ltd.
1946 Born on Amami Ōshima (Sani, Kasari Town) 1969 Graduated from Aichi Institute of Technology, Department of Electronic Engineering 1973 Began manufacturing Ōshima Tsumugi silk fabric as a family business 1995 Received the Traditional Culture Merit Award from the National Costume Culture Promotion Association 2001 Certified as a Japan Traditional Craftsman (Design Category) 2008 Appointed Chairman of the Honba Amami Oshima Tsumugi Traditional Craftsmen's Association (2008–2010) 2010 Appointed Chairman of the Amami Island Silk Promotion Council (current position) Currently, he engages in sericulture, design, and dyeing, focusing on developing unprecedented Amami Oshima Tsumugi under the motto "Tradition is always the accumulation of new challenges," utilizing techniques like aurora dyeing and coral dyeing. He approaches the production of each and every thread of Amami Oshima Tsumugi with the affection one would have for a child.
Mamoru Ichino
Dentsu Inc.
"I'm working hard with ideas + design + English." Joined Dentsu Inc. in 2005. Created works including the Kaiyukan Aquarium "Shark World" hanging ad, Natsume Mito's "I Cut My Bangs Too Short" album cover, and Monster Hunter's "Let's Go Hunting." Awarded Cannes Lions Gold Lion, Spikes Asia, Times Asia, Young Guns, Asahi Advertising Award, and Transportation Advertising Grand Prix.