 Welcome to the British Library. My name is Hamish Todd, Head of East Asian Collections. In February 2020, the exhibition Exquisite Patterns Japanese Textile Design Books, which I had the pleasure of curating, opened at the British Library to showcase the library's collection of kimono pattern and design books, and displayed the variety and vibrancy of these works from their origins in the mid-17th century until the early 20th century. Sadly, the coronavirus pandemic and the UK's first national lockdown meant the exhibition had to close shortly afterwards. I'm therefore delighted to have the chance, through this film, to introduce some of the books and manuscripts which featured in the exhibition and to examine how and why they were produced and what they tell us about the cultural context in which they were created. It also gives us the chance to expand the exhibition by adding images from other items in the British Library's rich Japanese collections. Textiles, and in particular the kimono in its various forms, have been a focus for artistic creativity in Japan for centuries. The word kimono, which simply means a thing to wear, is nowadays often used as a catchall term to refer to a variety of traditional garments worn by men, women, and children of all classes during the Edo and Meiji periods, roughly from the early 17th century to the early 20th century. Over the course of the 20th century, the kimono ceased to be an item of everyday apparel and came to be seen as a formal garment reserved for special occasions, such as coming of age ceremonies and weddings. In its construction, the kimono is quite simple. Two pieces of cloth cut from a single bolt, draped over the shoulders and sewn down the back, with sleeves and a collar added. There is no shaping to the contours of the body, as in western dress. Instead the focus is on the fabric, design, and decoration, which allowed the wearers to express their social standing, wealth, age, or marital status. The kimono was wrapped around the body and fastened with a belt called an obi. Which became increasingly elaborate both in terms of pattern and the ways of tying it. Kimono ranged from the everyday wear of ordinary folk, with simple patterns in muted colours, to the elaborate and exquisite garments in silk and brocade, favoured by members of the samurai elite and the wealthy merchant class. High-ranking courtesans of the pleasure quarters and actors of the kabuki stage were the trendsetters for fashion. The British Library Exhibition consisted of two themes. The first section focused on 17th and 18th century works that were intended as practical tools for those involved in the production and selling of textiles and kimono. The second section highlighted some of the library's collection of works from the late 19th and early 20th century, when enterprising publishers and inventive artists collaborated to produce superb design books or zhuanzhou. These were intended to be appreciated and enjoyed for their own sake, as much as for any practical application. Following decades of civil war, the Edo period saw the re-establishment of peace and stable government under the Tohugawa Shogunate. As the economy prospered, large urban populations developed in Kyoto, Edo modern-day Tokyo and Osaka. Alongside the imperial court and aristocracy in Kyoto, the samurai and increasingly prosperous merchant classes of Edo formed a sophisticated fashion-conscious audience and many aspects of Japanese culture, notably the arts and crafts, flourished. The early Edo period saw the development of a commercial publishing industry in Japan. This combined with the desire among the fashionable for variety and novelty led enterprising publishers to produce the first kimono pattern books in the 1660s. Known as Hinagatabon, these early pattern books were printed using woodblock technology with illustrations in black and white, but often included helpful notes describing the intended colour and type of fabric. They were practical in nature, serving as manuals for textile designers, dyers and kimono merchants, or as fashion magazines and catalogs for the discerning customer. Early pattern books normally depict a garment called the Kosode, a forerunner of the modern kimono, in a t-shape with striking designs sweeping across the back and sleeves, an effect called saumoyour or total pattern. Kimono are normally displayed in this way to show the design to its best effect. The first practical manual for kimono makers was published in 1666. Although initially printed solely in black and white, the following year this version, Shinsenohinagata, a new selection of patterns appeared with some pages also printed in single colours of blue, green or red. This work by Asai Yoyi features many eye-catching designs, for instance here on the left a bold design of chrysanthemums. On the right, the Chinese characters representing the names of the animals of the Chinese zodiac. This type of publication proved very popular, and new titles appeared in quick succession as publishers sought to capitalise on the latest trends. The kimono-buying public craved novelty and designers found inspiration in a huge variety of themes, including the natural world, folklore, history, signs of the zodiac, auspicious symbols and a written word. This design is from a work called Torse Somegumi Hinagata Haginonok, Fields of Bushclover, Dying Patterns for Today, published in 1741. A carp fights its way up a powerful waterfall, a popular symbol of energy and determination drawn from a Chinese legend in which a carp crossed the Dragon Gate Rapids on the Yellow River and turned into a dragon. Another example of this type of practical publication is this work Sarasa Benran, a handbook for chints printed in 1778. Chints, a variety of Indian calico printed with colourful patterns, was introduced to Japan by East India Company merchants in 1613. Much admired for their bright colours and bold designs, these fabrics, called Sarasa in Japanese, were expensive luxuries. However, in the late 17th century Japanese textile makers devised methods to produce more affordable versions. Sarasa Benran is a practical guide to the designing and printing of chints with notes to indicate the intended colours of the various parts of the pattern. As we have seen the early pattern books were printed in black and white, but this was far from ideal when colour was such a vital element. Publishers and designers sought ways to solve this problem. At its simplest, this might take the form of adding text to indicate the colour, as in Sarasa Benran. This beautifully produced work, Shinmoyo Yaegasumi, or New Patterns as Plentiful as Layers of Spring Mist, published in 1784, shows a more sophisticated level of publication. Each design comprises a front view of the kimono, followed by a close-up of a detail of the pattern. The illustrations were printed in black and white and then coloured by hand. Here the artist Koyoken Charanshi has depicted a herd of lively horses. The animals of the Chinese zodiac were popular motifs, so this design may have been intended for a year of the horse, or perhaps simply to appeal to someone who liked horses. Although the full pattern and the detail are displayed here side by side, in the book itself they appear on consecutive pages. This is a result of the way the book was printed. The two designs were carved on the same woodblock, but once the paper sheet was printed it was folded down the middle and the open ends were stitched into the spine, a process known as Fukuro Toji or Bag Binding. This is the reverse of the Western Book Binding, where folded edges are bound into the spine. Enterprising kimono merchants were quick to see the potential of pattern books as a means of attracting customers and promoting their wares to a wider clientele. This example is a lavish volume entitled Kuretake produced in 1902 by Ichida Yajiro, proprietor of the kimono store Ichida Shorten. It includes 120 spectacular colour printed designs. While most are for women's kimonos there are also designs for men, such as this one for a haori, a short jacket, incorporating the animals of the Chinese zodiac. It was clearly produced for use as a practical catalogue for kimono sellers and customers since in addition to the illustrations and the designs it also includes 47 textile samples from which clients could choose their preferred colours and fabrics. The British Library collection also contains a slightly more homespun version of this sort of catalogue. Some of these are reminiscent of the clothes made for Japanese paper dolls or Anesama Ningyo, literally big sister dolls, which have been popular toys for centuries. The purpose of the album is a bit of a mystery, but it was probably used in a kimono shop as a catalogue for customers and shows considerable signs of use, even what look like cigarette or candle burns. Many of the designs helpfully also include pattern suggestions for any kimono visible at the neck and sleeves. This type of layered kimono set or kasane was very fashionable in the 1880s to 1900s, which helps us to date the album. This design is for a furisode, literally swinging sleeves, the type of kimono traditionally worn by young unmarried women and noted for their vibrant colours and bold patterns. In late 19th century Kyoto, the traditional centre of Japan's textile industry, technological developments in dyeing and weaving led to large-scale production of goods and a growing demand for new textile designs or Zouan. The modernisation of education led to the establishment of art schools, such as Kyoto Profectural School of Painting, founded in 1880, where design was taught as a formal subject for the first time. By the 1890s, professional designers or Zouan-ka appeared, creating a vast array of designs which could be used not only for textiles but also for ceramics, lacquerware, screens or other craft products. In the second part of the exhibition, we look at some of the most striking examples from the British Library Collection. This moonlit scene, entitled Due on the Plains of Musashi, is by Mizuta Shizuhiro and comes from Sononokauri, or Sense of the Garden, produced in 1903 by Kyoto publisher Unkindou. Honda Ichijiro, the owner of Unkindou, was the elder brother of Yamada Naosaburo, founder of the rival publisher Unsordor. The two brothers were hugely influential in nurturing the talent of many noted designers of the early 20th century. By employing exceptionally skilled block carvers and printers, and pursuing the highest standards of book design and production, Unsordor and Unkindou raised the design album to the status of an art object in its own right. Kamisaka Sekka was one of the most creative Japanese designers of the early 20th century. While visiting Europe for the Glasgow International Exhibition in 1901, he was inspired by Art Nouveau and Japanese. He was also profoundly influenced by the Rimpas painting style originally developed in the 17th century by brothers Ogata Korin and Ogata Kenzan. Rimpa artists worked on a wide variety of formats, screens, vans, hanging scrolls, books, lack of wear, ceramics and textiles. They favored vibrant colors applied in a highly decorative manner with themes taken from nature or classical literature. Rimpas style screens made extensive use of gold leaf or pigment, a trait that can also be seen in many Zuancho. Sekka collaborated with Unsordor on some of its most successful publications, including Koromogai or changing clothes shown here, which features full page bold designs in striking colors. The format of this album reflects the change of focus for decoration, from large scale designs covering the whole garment to designs with a focus on the lower section of the kimono, nearer to the hem, called in Japanese Susomo literally hem patterns. This trend is connected to the increase in size and importance of the obi. Chousenshu or 1000 butterflies is another superb collaboration between Kamisaka Sekka and Unsordor. Its two volumes contain a total of 49 double page designs of butterflies, which range from the more or less lifelike depictions to near geometric forms as the artist explored his theme to its limits. Although butterflies have been a popular kimono motif for centuries, this design shows the clear influence of Art Nouveau on Sekka's work. According to its title, this album by Shimomura Tamahiro features reinterpretations of kimono designs from the Genroku period. In this composition, the kimono hung on racks evoked the painting motif of Tagasode or Whose Sleeves, often found on folding screens of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The term Tagasode can be traced back to classic love poetry and is an invitation to the viewer to speculate on the possible owner of such gorgeous clothing. In the foreground, Tamahiro has included the tools of the kimono maker's trade, fabric, scissors, ruler and needles. This sumptuously produced two-volume album contains 50 double page illustrations of plants by Furia Korin, a pupil of Kamisaka Sekka. Like Sekka, he was strongly influenced by the art of the Rinpoche school and even changed his name from Fujitaro to Korin in homage to one of the school's greatest exponents, Ogata Korin. He collaborated with Unsordor on a succession of exquisite design books until his premature death in 1910 at the age of 35. The complex multi-block color printing and dramatic use of mica, gold and silver to enrich the illustrations were hallmarks of Unsordor publications. Tudasafu was another of the talented young artists employed by Unsordor and Onkindo to create fresh, exciting designs. Senchokuzuan, or Designs for Dying Fabric, published in 1904, contains 100 innovative ideas on a huge range of topics. Shown here is an unusual reworking of the traditional motif of a pair of Mandarin ducks, symbols of marital harmony. The final item in the exhibition is one of my personal favorites. In this unusual and engaging design, an inquisitive crane peers out at the viewer. Symbols of longevity have been a popular motif for textile designers for centuries. In Japanese folklore, the crane represents 1,000 years of life. In this work, Tenne's 100 Cranes, published by Unsordor in 1900, the artist Kaigai Tenne explores the theme with depictions of cranes in a huge variety of styles, settings and combinations with other auspicious symbols, such as pine, bamboo and plum blossom, and tortoises, another symbol of longevity. I hope that the exhibition and this film provide an introduction to the development of Japanese pattern and design books from their beginnings in the 17th century to their high point in the early 20th. I hope too that it wets your appetite to explore the British Library's Japanese collections further. The items included in the exhibition represent just a small part of the Library's Japanese collection. A program of digitization is underway and images of all the items featured in the exhibition and many others are now available on the British Library's website. Thank you for joining me for this virtual tour. Go seichou arigatou gozaimasu.