Sea Life in Silk

Jun 9, 2025

「EP.44」長崎刺繍

NAGASAKI SHISHU
Nagasaki Prefecture

「transcript」

During Japan's isolation, Nagasaki was the only port open to the world. Here, Chinese embroidery met Western art, and Nagasaki Shishu was born. It was refined to the point that it was offered to the Tokugawa shogunate, but the craft later began to decline.

This is when it found new life through the Nagasaki Kunchi Festival, which began in 1634. With its elaborate floats and vivid costumes, Nagasaki Shishu became an essential part of the celebration.

Production begins long before stitching, with detailed drawings of sea life. Artisans then twist silk threads into various thicknesses and add cotton, paper, coral, or glass to create moriage, a unique three-dimensional effect. Each piece can take years to complete, sometimes a decade.

The results are embroidered landscapes, lifelike creatures, and mythical scenes that shimmer with gold and silver.

Take the "Uozukushi" tapestry. 12 years of work, over 20 species, each sketched from real fish. This is more than craft; it’s living history.

Today, Teruta Kase is the only officially recognized artist preserving this art, training students who vow to keep it alive as long as the Kunchi Festival continues.

*The assets featured here are the work of their rightful creators, credited below