伝統の技　日本刺繍　紅会

Sharing Growth and Creativity in the Workshop at the Headquarters

The workshop is the place where the tradition of Japanese embroidery is passed on and the creative process is both broadened and deepened. At the same time, young people who seek to become professionals are trained here. The apprentices, who live in the dormitory, develop both their technical expertise and sensitivity towards nature. One route to this learning experience is working in the vegetable garden every morning. By studying nature and absorbing its lessons, the apprentices discover and learn to appreciate the creative spirit of lwao Saito, the founder of Kurenai-Kai.

Every autumn, an exhibition is held that includes all the embroideries produced by the professionals affiliated with the workshop here. Just as there is always a grand opening for a potter's kiln, this exhibit is an opportunity for guests to see the new designs in person and to buy new pieces that have just come off the frame. In addition to the exhibition at Kurenai-Kai, the pieces are shown in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Orders for embroideries can also be placed at the exhibit.

In Japan, the headquarters offers an opportunity for practical experience to acquaint young people with the great possibilities in Japanese embroidery. Just as in the United States, there are many people who wish to study side-by-side with their children.

From 1986 to 1990 four small books on Japanese embroidery were published by Kurenai-Kai. The older books are nearly sold out. Some copies of the fourth book, which served as the catalog of an exhibition held at Woodlawn Plantation near Washington. DC, are still available. Prior to this book, Kurenai-Kai had produced hardback books, other soft-cover books, and a series of portfolios of life-size photographs of embroideries, Now both Kurenai-Kai in Japan and the Japanese Embroidery Center in Atlanta publish a small quarterly journal with articles, book reviews, practice designs, and helpful hints. A textbook for English-speaking students was produced in 1983 and a new version was published in 2000.

The fundamental work of Kurenai-Kai is the passing on of the heart and techniques of Japanese embroidery. Regular classes are held twice a month, each lasting for four hours, in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, and at the headquarters at Kurenai-Kai. There is a limit of twenty students in each class, with several classes at each location. The curriculum is based on basic work in the first year, intermediate work in the second year, continuing intermediate work in the third year, and advanced (or graduate) work in the fourth year and thereafter. Each person studies the same traditional techniques as the professionals and is able to wear kimono and obi that she has made herself or decorate a room with her embroidered pictures. There are about five hundred members who share this joy. Of these, there are more than a hundred members who have continued to embroider for more than ten years. Everyone is invited to begin the study of Japanese embroidery, which so many have found to be so fulfilling!

Each year in the Spring members hold exhibitions of their work. The embroideries include the work of intermediate and advanced students--kimono, obi, and pieces for interior design. These exhibitions are open to the public with no admission fee, so that as many people as possible can see what can be done after one year's training. Each branch (Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka) has its own exhibition.

The year 1991 saw the establishment of the Japanese Embroidery Center; Kurenai-Kai, Ltd., a nonprofit, educational organization, in Atlanta, Georgia.