Photo/Illutration The doncho at the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The buzzer announces the start of the performance. People in the audience take their seats and the buzz of voices gradually subsides. As anticipation rises for the story that is about to unfold on the stage, the theater curtain--“doncho” in Japanese--begins to rise.

A form of exquisite textile art that evolved only in Japan, doncho remains an important cultural artifact that typically features designs illustrating the beauty of nature.

Kawashima Selkon Textiles Co. is a leading doncho maker. Founded in Kyoto in 1843 by Jimbei Kawashima as a fabric store, it has since supplied more than 2,500 stage curtains to famed theaters, including the Kabuki-za and the National Theater in Tokyo.

When I visited the factory in late December, five weavers were working side-by-side along a huge, 24-meter-wide loom, creating a colorful new piece.

A drawing was placed beneath the warp, and the weft was passed through the warp. The design was created only by the dyed weft.

This “tsuzure-ori” weaving technique is said to represent the pinnacle of “Nishiki-ori” textile-making.

Weavers file the tips of their fingernails jagged, using them to pull the weft toward themselves. Products may take between several months and more than a year to complete.

According to Kenji Tsujimoto, a 59-year-old worker at Kawashima Selkon, the company founder’s son elevated the old tsuzure-ori technique to an art form.

He visited Europe during the Meiji Era (1868-1912) and inspected Gobelin tapestry factories and interior decoration items. Convinced he could apply the same production techniques to tsuzure-ori, he redesigned and improved his machines many times.

A tsuzure-ori tapestry that was completed under his supervision still graces the Peace Palace in The Hague where the International Court of Justice is located.

The design represents a prayer for peace, depicting classical Japanese scenery with cherry blossoms and peacocks. The conference room where it hangs is called the “Japan Room.”

The curtain has risen on the year 2024. Armed conflicts continue in the world, and the Japanese political scene is gripped by a money scandal.

This is the year for discerning what we mean by peace and justice. The doncho has risen. Now, there is nothing to separate the stage and the audience.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 1

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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