XEN Shimozato

XEN Shimozato

"With every sway, the light shimmers
Colors shift like a rainbow
The radiance of silk spun from threads of light"

Silk was introduced to Japan from China in the 3rd century BC. In the 9th century, Kentōshi* brought back techniques for sericulture, silk reeling, dyeing, and weaving, leading to the production of luxurious silk fabrics known as Kara-Ori in Kyoto.
The radiance of silk is displayed in two areas: “Yin” monochrome and “Yang” color. In Yin-Yang philosophy**, Yin and Yang are not opposites. As seen in the “Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram,” they exist in mutual dependence and balance; there is no pure Yin or pure Yang. Nothingness and existence, softness and hardness, shadow and light alternate. By presenting the radiance of silk through the combination of Yin and Yang, we express the eternal beauty of silk in a new light.

* Kentōshi were state-sponsored Japanese missions to Tang China that transmitted Chinese political, religious, technological, and artistic knowledge to Japan, profoundly shaping early Japanese civilization.

* *Yin and Yang describe the dynamic interplay of complementary forces that generate balance, transformation, and harmony throughout nature and human life.