The variety and depth of the beautiful hues created through multiple dye baths of diverse colours suggest the complexity of the Itchiku tsujigahana technique. Gold threads woven into the fabric enhance the sense of water shimmering in the sun’s afterglow.

As we gaze across the open waters to the mountain slopes of distant islands, the sense of perspective and the carefully designed array of graduated hues make evident the incredible complexity of Itchiku Kubota’s designs. It took multiple dye baths to create the subtle effects he visualized, effects that must blend seamlessly with the adjoining kimono. These perfectly matched areas are especially evident in the soft lavender hues that flow from the right sleeve of Kougaki/ A Tapestry of Colours Steeped with Persimmon to the left sleeve of the next kimono. The gold threads woven into the ground fabric enhance the shimmer of water in the sun’s afterglow and add sparkling highlights to the shadowy fir trees in the foreground.