Wednesday, May 23, 2007

What is Bunka Embroidery?



Bunka embroidery, often shortened to bunka, Bunka shishu (文化刺繍) in Japanese, is a form of Japanese embroidery originating in 1920's, Taisho era in the Japanese traditional year. Bunka artists use a specialized embroidery needle and rayon threads to create very detailed pictures that some liken to oil paintings. Typical subjects include people, living things, and traditional Japanese scenes.
Unlike some other forms of embroidery, bunka is fragile and is usually presented as artwork rather than as clothing adornment. Bunka has gained in popularity since the advent of numbered kits, which provide a step-by-step guide to producing artwork.

It is easy to start for anybody because each step is very simple such as loosening Bunka rayon threads, threading Bunka punch needle, and punching the thread into the fabric stretched with the frame, from above of the fabric in the same direction.

The pattern and the number of the Bunka yarn are printed on the fabric so even beginners can create a gorgeous and colorful embroidery as it were a painting.

Why don't we start Japanese Bunka Embroidery together with us?

2 comments:

margarethe5169 said...

Dear Sir
I love Bunka and embroider daily. The Tokyo kits are lovely and the Kao Bunka yarn is truly a wonderful invention.
The only thing I wonder about is, why there are no English instructions, since in Europe very few people can translate the enclosed Japanese characters.
It would be a great help to us Bunka stitchers
margarethe 5169

Tokyo Bunka Art said...

Thank you for your suggestion. Tokyo Bunka Embroidery has some brief English instruction but we would like to make more advanced one as our original. Thank you!