Shu-Ha-Ri kimono belts
kimono belts are made of vintage silk obi. Unique and refined Be fashionable with a Japanese twist!
Shuhari is a Japanese concept which describes the stages of learning to mastery, It is cross-disciplinary and is at the core of martial arts, tea ceremony, ikebana, noh theater, go and basically any for of art that is also ment as a channel for self discovery, Shuhari roughly translates to "protect", "breach", "detach": as in "follow the rules, break the rules, transcend the rules". Shuhari can be decomposed in 3 kanjis (from wikipedia)
shu (守) "protect", "obey"—traditional wisdom—learning fundamentals, techniques, heuristics, proverbs, ha (ç ´) "detach", "digress"—breaking with tradition—detachment from the illusions of self, to break with tradition - to find exceptions to traditional wisdom, to find new approaches. In some styles of Japanese music (gagaku and noh), it is also the middle of the song, ri (離) "leave", "separate"—transcendence—there are no techniques or proverbs, all moves are natural, becoming one with spirit alone without clinging to forms; transcending the physical - there is no traditional technique or wisdom, all movements are allowed.
"Shu-Ha-Ri kimono belts" are a new development of japanese traditional obi, I am an italian born architect, living in Japan for 25 years, I am also the largest exporter of japanese wooden bathtubs with over 1000 units exported worldwide in 20 years, As you can imagine, I love Japan and am very passionate about Japanese culture, Traditional crafts related to housing and construction are endangered and in the past 10 years I ran 6 crowdfunding campaigns for salvaging and relocating buildings, promoting awareness about forestry, ecology and traditional woodcrafts.
But all Japanese crafts are interconnected as they belong to the same aesthetic realm, the same harmoniuos lifestyle that characterized Edo period Japan, Recently I am deepening my cnnections among the traditional wear crafts: the mesmerizing world on KIMONO, If any, this sector is even more endangered than other types of japanse crafts because the protagonists are rapidly aging and there is no new generation ready to receive their inheritance, With the "SHU-HA-RI KIMONO BELTS" project I intend to bring awareness towards a world of life mastery and tenchical excellence which stands behind the design and manufacture of OBI belts used with traditional kimonos.
The biggest enemy of traditional crafts is "museification", With the "SHU-HA-RI KIMONO BELTS" my aim is to bring kimono patterns and traditional fabric textures into everyday life, "SHU-HA-RI KIMONO BELTS" are highly practical and you can adopt Japanese traditional crafts without any compromise in comfort and functionality, 10% of all the sales in this campaign will be used to order new obi belts from ”Watabun”, "Tatsumura" and other endangered makers of Nishijin weaving area in Kyoto.
We purchase vintage but unused obi, cut them and couple with non-chrome 100% natural leather in order to create 33mm wide, 1100mm long belts, Depending on the design, we may be able to manufacture up to 1250mm long belts, please enquire, The belts are adjustable (cut and clamp) and have 7 holes. The buckle is reversible so you can also use the black leather side, "SHU-HA-RI KIMONO BELTS" are very sturdy and practical: wear with a suit, with jeans or color pants.
The designs are colorful and intricate, but as it is a small surface, it can really be coordinate with any style and adds a Japanese twist and your original identity even to the most unsophisticated wear, The obi are characterized by a custom and non repetitive weaving structure: therefore when they are cut to make belts, all the threds in the back of the fabric need to be locked, The belts are hand manufactured one by one in Kobe Japan, The belts come in a limited and numbered series of 12 pieces and are inserted in a matching pouch. This is then stored in a paulownia wood (traditionally used to store clothes for its humidity control and insect repelling properties).
You have to order one of these before it's too late!
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