Tsugaru Koginzashi・津軽こぎん刺し

Last week, I stitched up the Tsugaru koginzashi津軽 こぎん刺し kit from our recent trip. Hubby bought the kit from the gift shop at a onsen ryokan we stayed at in Aomori. The decor of every room in that ryokan included Tsugaru koginzashi motifs, and were accessorised with small framed pieces of Tsugaru koginzashi. He liked them a lot and wanted to bring a similar one home as a souvenir, so he was pleased to find the gift shop sold simple kits, which I happily volunteered to do up if he chose to get one.

Overall, I think my effort turned out okay. Hubby was really happy with it and the little framed piece is now sitting on his office desk. I get a little embarrassed when he tells others about the things I make, but it makes me very happy to know that what I make for him brings him joy, and that he appreciates my efforts and is so supportive of my hobbies.

A taste of Tsugaru koginzashi that was educational and interesting, and left me wanting to make more (on IG)

The small framed koginzashi pieces in the rooms of
KAI Tsugaru, the onsen ryokan we stayed at.

Tsugaru koginzashi津軽 こぎん刺し, or sashi-kogin刺しこぎん, is a distinct style of sashiko刺し子 that traditionally consists of white cotton thread hand stitched into indigo-dyed hemp at odd counts (1, 3, 5, 7) against the vertical weave of the fabric, forming geometric diamond patterns. The fundamental component of koginzashi is the modoko, a basic pattern which is repeated or combined with other modoko to create larger, more intricate geometric patterns.

It is a traditional craft of Aomori and is considered by many to be a symbol of the strength and wisdom of the women of northern Japan. This style of decorative stitching originated in the Tsugaru region during the Edo period. The region was then known as the Hirosaki Domain or the Tsugaru Domain as it was controlled by the Tsugaru clan. Given cotton's ubiquitous presence today, it is hard to imagine that cotton was once a precious commodity in northern Japan. Due to the region's long harsh winters, cotton could not be cultivated and had to be imported. As such cotton products were expensive and generally reserved for the higher social classes. By law, the domain's peasant farmers were prohibited from wearing cotton clothing. Instead, they wore indigo-dyed coarse hemp, which frayed easily and provided little insulation against the region's harsh winters. When cotton thread became available around 1764, the women began stitching cotton thread into the fabric in order to increase insulation and strengthen the fabric against wear and tear. Thus, Tsugaru koginzashi was created.

This kit is a small one that contained all the essentials: a set of illustrated instructions and patterns, a small piece of indigo-dyed hemp fabric, white cotton koginzashi thread, embroidery needle, and a small frame for the finished piece. I think a small kit like this is an interesting, hands-on way to introduce the traditional craft to people. Sure it's not as in-depth or educational as a guided workshop, but it's accessible and is enough to give a taste of the craft to people who can do at their own time and pace.

The Tsugaru koginzashi kit

Though my experience with the kit was brief, I found it quite fun and interesting. Frankly, it only tickled my appetite. It's enough that I'm kind of itching to try stitching more. And now I'm rather inspired to get some aizome藍染め fabric, maybe make it into a blouse or loose dress, and stitch some Tsugaru koginzashi-inspired patterns at the neckline or hem...I say "Tsugaru koginzashi-inspired" as what I have in mind would be inspired by, but nowhere anything like the 3 traditional styles of Tsugaru koginzashi.

Some new craft items from our recent Japan trip: a small Tsugaru koginzashi sample from Aomori and a Bokumondoh fountain pen in the Tsugaru monsha-nuri style with raden that I was fortunate to get at Makino-san's solo exhibition in Tokyo...

...and a sakiori camera strap

Although this recent trip was not our first time visiting the Aomori Prefecture, it was our first time spending an extensive amount of time there, and we ventured beyond Hirosaki and Aomori. As we explored other (but not many) parts of the prefecture, I also had more opportunities to learn about the various traditional arts and crafts of Aomori.

Many would think of the Tsugaru-jamisen津軽三味線, the region's most recognised art which was popularised worldwide by the Yoshida Brothers. But Aomori has other beautiful traditional crafts, Tsugaru koginzashi, Tsugaru-nuri津軽塗 (Tsugaru lacquer), Tsugaru vidro glass, Nanbu sakiori南部裂織 and Tsugaru kokeshi, just to name a few.

On this trip, I also got round to replacing my frayed camera strap with a sakiori one that I found at the Oirase Keiryu-kan. Similar to koginzashi, sakiori裂織 is another traditional craft of Aomori that was created out of necessity and the lack of availability of cotton. A style of recycled weaving, sakiori originated from the Nanbu region in eastern Aomori (present-day Hachinohe area), which was controlled by the Nanbu clan during the Edo period. Old or worn clothes were conserved and recycled by tearing them into thin strips. The strips were then re-woven together with cotton threads on a hand loom, resulting in a stronger and warmer fabric.

So, you know, there's really more to Aomori than just its apples!