Western embroidery enjoys worldwide popularity, especially in European countries such as England. But Japan can also boast its very own style of embroidery, Edo shishu (Edo embroidery), which in the past has adorned everything from shubutsu (Buddhist images embroidered on cloth), dashi (festival floats) and doncho (drop curtains), to kimono and the emperor's crown.
In Edo shishu, only silk thread is used, which sets it apart from other types of embroidery. Also, more than 17 different special stitching techniques are employed.
The shishu industry was an isolated world until recent decades, and Edo shishu became widely known only about 10 years ago when it was designated a traditional craft of Tokyo. According to Edo-shishu artisan Kunitoshi Nomura, the technique was introduced into Japan from China during the Tang Dynasty in the early 700s by the envoy Kibi no Makibi. It first took root in Kyoto, then spread to the port of Yokohama, where embroidery merchants gathered, and later to Tokyo.
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