HOUSUIDOU COLLECTION 　　　　　　　　　　　             

1. Background

　It is the collection by Yoshiyuki MIZUNO(1924-2004).

Housuido is the name of his ancestor’s dyer’s shop. In 1890, his great-grandfather, Shunji Mizuno（1852-1938） managed the Indigo dye shop by using spring water. In the middle of Meiji era, however, cheaper and easier synthetic dyes came in from Germany in 1898 and soon it spread out all over the country. Naturally, the dyer’s business in the villages became unprofitable and the shops disappeared one after another. Housuido was not the exception and had to close the shop after just one-generation duration. Yoshiyuki Mizuno has left his hometown in 1956. He, however, felt nostalgic and very sorry that the farming culture was lost rapidly. So he started to collect the outdated tools of agriculture. He devoted in collecting especially the old indigo dye clothes remembering an ancestor’s dyer’s, with strong attachment and careful selection over 30 years. This was the start of the HOUSUIDO COLLECTION.

2. Main collection

Old indigo textiles (resist 300, ikat & stencil 100, rag 100).old glasses, clay dolls, signboards, old crafts, farm tools of the 19^th century, etc.

 Old indigo dye textile: All cloths of collection were used in people’s daily lives. Natural indigo used all over the world from ancient　times. It has various attraction and ancestor’s wisdom. The indigo blue is one of the representative Japanese colors. This color is expressed with many beautiful Japanese words. Japanese indigo grass is strong and easy to plant. It is fermented with ash of broad-leaved forest. It is the sustainable culture with nature in the country of Japan.

(1)   TSUTSUGAKI:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard-drawn paste-resist dyeing, takes its Japanese name from the tube device used, in the manner of a cake-icing-tool, to place resist paste made from rice. Many auspicious omen motives are drawn at will. There are local features in the design.

There is a cloth in which a typical men’s name of the latter Edo era was written.

 

 

MAGOZOROE is a gift for the grandchild (diaper, bath towel, and sling).

 

 

 

 

We can feel spirits of many people, who ordered the textile, who made it, and who used it. The various natural dyes and pigments are also interesting.

 

(2)   Ikat･stencil:

 

　

 

 Cloths commonly used in daily life. They have various devices and designs.

 

（３）RANRU:

 

 

Rags used with care by putting patches on one after another till it got worn out completely. Faded colors and touch are marvelous. They teaches us that a cloth was a treasure until the automaticloom spreads, and give a deep impression. Every pieces talks is the history of Japanese cloth and a sample of handwork to be handed to posterity.

（4）EXHIBITIONＳ

ＫＵＭＡＭＯＴＯ　ＩＮＴＥＲＮＡＴＩＯＮＡＬ　ＦＯＬＫ ＣＲＡＦＴ　ＭＵＳＥＵＭ　

http://www11.ocn.ne.jp/~kumingei/

Ｊａｎｕａｒｙ 3　2009-Ｆｅｂｕｒａｒｙ 8　2009

 

 

　　　　　　

ＯＤＡＷＡＲＡ　ＣＡＳTＬＥ　ＭＵＳＥＥＳ

http://www.mapple.net/spots/G01401125401.htm

Ｍａｒｃｈ　1-31　2007

　　　　　

 

                                                             

 

（５）ＣＯＮＴＡＣＴ

Ｍｕｓｅｅ de Ｈｏｕｓｕｉｄｏｕ

e-ｍａｉｌ：ｍｕｓｅｅｈｐ*ｍｉｚｕｎｏ−ｋ.ｊｐ
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