Foil

Cover of volume II of the work Shima Shima. On a black background, horizontal bands in green, white and orange in unequal groups. Cream-colored vertical label with the title of the work in cursive calligraphy and the ideogram kita below, indicating that this is volume 2. Books of this type were known in Japan as hinagata-bon (literally, books of beautiful forms), and they began to be printed as early as the late 16th century so that customers could choose designs for their clothes. They usually showed an entire kimono per page, and their features remained unchanged with little change until the early 19th century. By the Meiji period (1868-1912), to which our books belong, the hinagata-bon had become more formally daring, often showing designs asymmetrically and partially. These compendiums of textile motifs were changed every spring and autumn, and copies of the previous collection were resold on the second-hand market. Some came to the attention of Westerners, and thus a number of hinagata-bon have ended up in European and American collections, including that of the Costume Museum Library. \Furuya's work is characterised by the use of abstract elements in his designs in which he displays a wide range of textures and colours including metallic pigments such as gold and silver. We have identified the publication of at least six pattern books of his textile designs. Major institutions, such as the British Museum, hold Furuya's work in their collections.