http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/ en Copyright 2010 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:43:50 +0700 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.21-ja http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss IKTT伝統の森 蚕まつり2008 The Silkworm Festival at Wisdom from Forest [DVD]

]]> http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2010/02/launching-dvd-silkworm-festiva.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2010/02/launching-dvd-silkworm-festiva.html media Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:43:50 +0700 When I expected to spend a quiet holidays because half of PWF villagers went back to their hometowns during Cambodian New Year holidays, I received a visit of my well-known friend at PWF. As a result of it, I have been involved in talking with my friend for whole 3 days. We had similar experience in talking for whole 3 days when Asian Kasuri road festival was held at Haebaru-cho of Okinawa prefecture in November 2000. Since then, we have met once a year and spent talking together. When I was a trainee of hand-made Yuzen dyeing at Kyoto, I liked to browse artistic books at the bookstore "Kyoto Shoin" at the center of Kyoto downtown. At that time, the extra binding book in the box was too expensive for me because my salary was only equal to pocket money. There was one Japanese magazine named "Senshoku to Seikatsu" which means dyeing and weaving with life, on the expensive dyeing and weaving books shelf. I still remember I found one article of the first issue of the Japanese magazine. It was by his article introducing the dyeing and weaving of Timor of Indonesia. It was in early 1970's. Still I keep this magazine at my PWF house book shelf. And there was curious coincidence, when I visited to one professor at National Museum of Ethnology at Senri Expo Park of Osaka prefecture, I happened to meet him. At that time, he was busy to prepare to go researching at Indonesia. At that time, I myself started the project related to villager's textiles work in Thailand in 1980's. In the middle of 1990's, I set up the small project of growing silkworms at Kampot village following the start of Cambodia UNESCO investigation, I have spent days and nights to revive the textile's technique of old days together with Takeo province elderly women weavers. At that time perhaps he was visiting for the textiles various fields of all over the world. His journey has been continuing even now to find out the textiles histories and skills of fascinating such mysterious textiles world. This time we talked about the tools of making mat that were found at Jomon period remains and those fibers and colors on the historical side, and the conversation expands geographically wide on the other side about Mediterranean Sea and South America, and Southeast Asia that could be said as the textile roots from Indonesia, and clothes of East Asian like China and Japan, additionally West Asia, Central Asia and Africa. Our talking went endless. I have opportunities to meet several world's researchers and collectors related to dyeing and weaving as my job. But I have never met such person like him who did researches and studies visiting the places of all over the world himself. In many cases the researches and studies are usually limited to particular places and textiles. In case of me, I am interested in the mysterious story of yellow raw silk of Cambodia as material relating to Cambodian textiles, additionally to try to find the mystery of derivation of the unique Cambodian textile, a silk ikat in a 2/1 twill. And I get really involved in the wonderful world imagination through such textiles. This time when I talked with him, looking at the very heavy but fine figured black color cloth dyed by persimmon ebony makleua (Diospyros mollis) that one elderly woman wore who I met during my research in 1995. While we were talking about her family and detail of wearing tools of this cloth, I felt sure her family came from Cambodian ethnic minority Kuay. That feeling was backed up by his past experiences. I had looked for the Kuay weavers around 1996. The Kuay people have been called Forest People in Cambodia since Angkor periods and they were also very famous as the elephant trainer. Such people have their own traditional textile world. The tradition has been barely inherited at northeast of Thailand. In Cambodia the Kuay people's villages has been almost disappeared under the local war, but their handloom and tools have characteristic feature. While I talked with him about Kuay village in Thailand, checking again the black crest figured cloth, I found Cambodian Kuay weaver's world in the textile. There is an unique big Niddy-Noddy to make skein. I saw the tool at this elderly woman's house. I had something on my chest the tool was the same as Thai Kuay people's tool. That was different from Khmer and Lao people's one. I checked it again by photo with him and we had no doubt about it. The woman died several years ago. Her family gave me the cloth she always wore as remembrance. Glowing silkworms and reeling raw silks, further the technique was unique that reeling high quality raw silks on her barefoot knees, it was such her remembrance. We had a sigh in front of such wonderful textile. The other day one of the Cambodian Royal Princess visited to PWF. We showed her several old textiles. This textile was included among other textiles. Princess took it and said she remembered it. She said her mother also wore the same touch black cloth. The old weaver who created such wonderful textiles is not alive now. I want to produce this textile at PWF. It is so difficult though I want to create some day. It is one of my highest hurdles. The talking on this textile might be the biggest achievement during 3 days New Year holidays this year. It is my assurance and it could be said a discover. Our conversation developed to changing of looms' figure and those varieties. He suggests the possibilities that the looms of the minority people of Yunnan province in China might be the origin of Cambodian loom. And our conversation continued to go down Mekong River, South China Sea and even Palembang of Sumatra. And continue to another famous Cambodian weavers Cham people. http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2010/02/a-piece-of-black-cloth.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2010/02/a-piece-of-black-cloth.html textiles Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:40:05 +0700 The article "Morimoto Kikuo: Resurrecting a Cultural Ecology" introduced on the English magazine "Kyoto Journal No.73" that is published in Kyoto. Actually I was invited to make a speech session at the event "IMAGINE PEACE" held at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies two years ago. After the session I took part in the long interview by Kyoto Journal. They wrote the article by the interview, additionally reading my book "Bayon Moon". I would like to offer my appreciation. ▼Kyoto Journal http://www.kyotojournal.org/ In Japan you can purchase the Kyoto Journal at 1200 yen. In case of purchasing from oversea, it is U.S 12 dollars ( plus shipping fee 3 dollars). Please check the details at the Kyoto Journal web-site. http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2010/02/introduced-on-kyoto-journal-no.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2010/02/introduced-on-kyoto-journal-no.html media Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:37:31 +0700 Cambodian raw silk is really beautiful yellow color. When the raw silk gets sunshine, it shines golden so that we could say as the Golden Silk. But regrettably the beautiful yellow color will fade after refining. The color fades to creamy color after refining that is of course also wonderful color. I have been specialized in dyeing and I think the dyeing color is wonderful but such natural color is the best. I like this natural. ]]> http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/07/the-golden-silk.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/07/the-golden-silk.html textiles Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:56:44 +0700 The 2008 fashion show might be recieved well, We recieved some questions of the schedule of this year's fashion show. This year's is going to be held 6 September (Sun) and the eve festival is 5 (Sat). http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/06/the-2009-silkworm-festival-and.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/06/the-2009-silkworm-festival-and.html event Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:32:43 +0700 About 20 people visited to IKTT from the villages of Siem Reap province and Banteay Meanchey province. Recently in Cambodia the activities of creating the special local products of each province or village are coming out introduced from the Trade Department of Cambodia like Japanese one local product from one village activity. The visitors are the leaders of such activities. The visitors are the group of observers including village heads and women. They all listened carefully to the lecture of natural dyestuffs. And their curiosity was for the textile's prices and of course the beautiful natural colors. http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/04/the-real-textiles.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/04/the-real-textiles.html project of [Wisdom from Forest] in Siem Reap Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:53:20 +0700 I like cooking. But it might be a little misleading. Actually what I mean is that I like to eat delicious foods. It has passed about 10 years since I live in Siem Reap. At first the cooking ingredients were limited. When I was over 50 years old, I became to want having Miso soup again at almost everyday meal. But at that time I could not get Miso at Siem Reap. http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/04/relax.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/04/relax.html from siemreap Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:38:24 +0700 The buffalos that were pastured around the Project site of "Wisdom from the Forest"(PWF) by their owner came into PWF field and ate all the leaves of mulberry trees and corns last year. The owner knew about it and pastured around the buffalos. The mulberry leaves were not planted for buffalos. Of course they were for cocoons. The futile cat-and-mouse chase against the buffalos was not to be ended. The buffalos came in dark night and the village men bounced out and sometimes caught them. http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/04/about-buffalo-again.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/04/about-buffalo-again.html project of [Wisdom from Forest] in Siem Reap Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:42:22 +0700 The TV program "Le cri de la soie" ]]> http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/04/invitation-to-the-on-demand-pa.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/04/invitation-to-the-on-demand-pa.html media Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:47:43 +0700 In the morning, the people living in PWF come first to each workplace, and then women living in near villages come to PWF by bicycle. Recently, the numbers of mothers with their children are really increasing. Thus the morning work in PWF starts. http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/04/starting-of-working-hours-at-i.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/04/starting-of-working-hours-at-i.html project of [Wisdom from Forest] in Siem Reap Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:09:53 +0700 The Cambodian New Year is coming. The New Year holidays are from 14th to 16th April. We finished this yearend payment of salary before New Year's Day is coming same as every year. I always try to pay them before New Year is coming as much as I can, although it is always a little delay in normal month. But this yearend payment became more difficult because of unusual decrease of sales, especially for the people coming from distant Takeo province and Kampot province. http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/04/new-year.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/04/new-year.html project of [Wisdom from Forest] in Siem Reap Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:50:26 +0700 The natural silkworms existed in Cambodian forests 5000 years ago together with the mulberry trees. This silkworm's spinning raw silk was wonderful and it was brought out together with the mulberry trees from the forests, and sericulture history started at Yangtze River of China. http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/03/new-history-after-5000-years.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/03/new-history-after-5000-years.html growing of silkworms Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:28:40 +0700 Amazon.com ]]> http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/03/pictorial-cambodian-textiles-w.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/03/pictorial-cambodian-textiles-w.html media Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:05:23 +0700 It is dry-season in December. Moon light is bright at late evening maybe because it was full moon a few days ago. One German lady who read my English book "Bayon Moon" wanted to see the Bayon temple shined by such bright moon and she left her hotel with guide at late evening. But recent Angkor Thom is closed completely at night. Even local people can not go through after eight pm, so there are no chances to see the beautiful Bayon temple under moon light. http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/03/a-meeting-only-once-in-a-lifet.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/03/a-meeting-only-once-in-a-lifet.html from siemreap Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:02:29 +0700 Today 25th January is Chinese New Year's day. It is also in Vietnam. We celebrate the New Year at IKTT by setting up flowers and fruits. At IKTT main weavers from Takeo province are originated to Chinese. So some members go back to their home town on the Chinese holiday. http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/01/four-times-of-new-years-days-i.html http://iktt.esprit-libre.org/en/2009/01/four-times-of-new-years-days-i.html from siemreap Sun, 25 Jan 2009 08:55:57 +0700