【ten】 ten is a brand that takes craft arts, materials, and handcraft techniques that are traditional to Japan and incorporates them into contemporary lifestyles and clothing. The name is derived from the Japanese word for periods and commas. Like these marks, ten is a connector that continuously moves us from one idea to the next in a never-ending book. As an admirer of Junichiro Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows and Yanagi Muneyoshi’s mingei (folk art) movement, I have always strived to produce works that change in fascinating ways the longer one uses them—works that deepen in character every time they are mended. My choice of materials also reflects a hope that I am able to play a small role in ensuring that such traditional techniques do not disappear from Japan. I hope that my works will find a loving, lifelong home with owners from Japan and around the world who appreciate quality, tradition, the importance of recycling, and other positive values.
【SAKIORI】
Sakiori is a traditional weaving style that was developed in the 17th century in southern Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The region has a cold climate that is at once well suited to heat-preserving cotton kimono, and also unsuitable for growing cotton. Before the 17th century, when cotton was difficult to get a hold of, the people here wove kimono out of hemp and wisteria. However, ships eventually began to sail north across the Sea of Japan from Osaka to Aomori, delivering second-hand kimonos that people in the cities had grown tired of, as well as unused scraps of cotton cloth. Weavers in Aomori would carefully tear these apart to produce cotton strings that they would intertwine with hemp strings to weave vertical threads, as well as thin strips of old cloth that they would use as horizontal threads. This eventually came to be known as sakiori—which literally means, “tear apart and weave.” By using every part of these scraps—unraveling what was torn and then reweaving it into a usable form—these Aomori weavers developed a style that we might today refer to as “recycling” or “upcycling.”
【INDIGO SAKIORI COLECTION】
This collection recreates sakiori, a weaving style that was developed in the 17th century, through the use of rich fabrics woven in the early 20th century and vertical threads, both dyed with natural indigo dyes. The fabrics used feature a range of indigo hues—from navy to blue-gray—and designs—from print patterns to stripes and checkers. In sakiori, these are torn by hand into strips of cloth that are then carefully woven together to create an entirely new fabric. Only a master artisan can perfectly balance the characters of the employed fabrics. The finished product has the look of a work of abstract art, and functions beautifully as a piece of interior décor.
【BORO SERIES】
Boro refers to a type of cotton or hemp fabric or kimono that has been mended several times over the course of many generations—a practice that began in the 17th century in Japan’s colder climates, where cotton was a rare commodity. Particularly valued by enthusiasts are boro in which the different hues of indigo, stains accumulated over the years, and aging in the fabric seamlessly blend into one another. Collectors of these rare items exist around the world. At ten, we only use the richest hand-woven, natural indigo-dyed fabrics from the early 20th century, tearing them into strips that we then weave together into forms that match the sensibilities of contemporary environments—a process one might even refer to as “upcycling.” The final product is one that changes in fascinating ways the more one uses it, ensuring an item that grows alongside its owner.