The 11th International Shibori Symposium (11 ISS) spans three regions of Japan, connecting traditional shibori and design centers in Nagoya, the contemporary art and fashion hub of Tōkyō, and rural folk traditions in Yonezawa and Yamagata. The symposium explores their shared legacies of craft and local industry: 紅花・藍・絞 – Safflower, Indigo, Shibori.
Exhibitions・Sessions・Gatherings・Workshops・Demonstrations・Excursions
EXHIBITIONS
Visit ten exhibitions specially organized by and for the International Shibori Symposium, plus excursions to museums in all three regions to view craft traditions and contemporary art, including: Japanese shibori, sashiko, and bast fiber weaving.
SESSIONS
Plenary sessions focus on how global and regional trade influences craft, from the spread of resist-dyeing techniques over the Silk Road to sashiko’s origin in the rag trade of the Japanese archipelago.
WORKSHOPS & DEMONSTRATIONS
Enter the fields of Yamagata for early morning safflower gathering and process your harvest into beni-mochi dye cakes. Take focused half-day workshops with artisans in Arimatsu and Yonezawa in their family studios.
REGIONS
Nagoya
Located along the old Tōkaidō route, Nagoya is home to Arimatsu-Narumi, a neighborhood with over 400 years of history practicing shibori and indigo dyeing. Enjoy workshops and demonstrations on traditional techniques, visit modern boutiques reinventing shibori, and view exhibitions of rare textiles including millenia-old shibori fragments.
Tōkyō
The modern capital of Japan, Tōkyō’s dense cosmopolitan metropolis fosters technological innovation and hosts some of the country’s top fashion designers and contemporary museums. View a dynamic ISS International Contemporary Art of Shibori exhibition and connect with artists, designers, educators, and scholars through fast-paced pechakucha presentations.
Yonezawa & Yamagata
Situated in the northeastern Tōhoku region famed for its natural beauty, Yonezawa and Yamagata boast fields of beni-bana safflower ready for a summer harvest. Explore enduring folk traditions including sashiko, boro, bast fiber and silk tsumugi weaving through workshops at family studios around the region.
11th International Shibori Symposium
