Specialist

Sachi Manabe
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April 2007
Began training in Yuzen in Kyoto under the tutelage of Kihachiro Yoshida, an artist and traditional craftsperson.

March 2009
Selected for a prize at the Japan Craft Association Kinki Branch Exhibition for a visiting kimono “Invitation to Paradise”.
Exhibited at UNPLUGGED, an exhibition of analogue dyeing works at Shunkoin Temple in Kyoto, and has exhibited continuously since then until 2014.

August 2011
Men's fashion kimono "Kemonode" won the rookie of the year award of Japan New Crafts.

April 2013
Workshops for children at KBS Culture.

September 2015
Became the youngest person in charge of the UK Furisode (long-sleeve kimono) at Imagine One World Project.

March 2016
Launched her own accessory brand "tint". As a new development using Yuzen technique, opened shops in department stores all over Japan (Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi, Isetan Kyoto, Mitsukoshi Nagoya, Mitsukoshi Fukuoka, Hankyu Umeda), solo exhibition at Kiya Nihonbashi and Kiya Tokyo Midtown. Sales at Ash Pea in France.

March 2017
Obtained the Certified Craftsperson of Kyo-Mono (Kyoto Products) in "Kyo Yuzen".
Completed the professional training course for hand-drawn Yuzen sponsored by the Kyoto Industrial Technology Research Institute, in order to improve the skills of Kyoto Yuzen, which is a division of labor.
Awarded the Mayor's Prize and the Union Prize for her completed work “Roadside Flowers”.

December 2018
Lecturer for "Kyoto Studies" at Ritsumeikan University
Started selling Yuzen design tiles
Awarded the semi-grand prize at the 6th Kyo-Mono (Kyoto Products) Youth Competition.

January 2019
Changed the artist name to Morphosphere.
Opened a studio in Nagoya.

April 2019
Belong to the Hand Painted Yuzen Cooperative and in charge of new projects for producing bespoke kimonos and accessories, and making kimonos for Oman at Imagine One World project.

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“Of all the dyeing crafts, I feel that the Yuzen dyeing of kimonos is the most mysterious. This is because, although at first glance the work may seem flat and realistic, the process of dyeing involves a variety of techniques and advanced original skills to create the beauty of a single piece. There are many wonderful works left by our ancestors, in which techniques and materials are intricately arranged, and for this reason the process of making these products is still unknown to many. I can see the beauty of other craftspeople’s works spread out in front of me, but cannot find out the way they made their works. It is one of the great charms of Yuzen dyeing, which always inspire me as being an artist.
In the midst of the serious situation surrounding the modern kimono, I thought that I could become independent as a Yuzen artist by deeply reconsidering how "Yuzen dyeing" can be appreciated by people, and by working to improve its status. In order to create a new scene and a healthy market in the future, it is important for my work to play the roles of more than "viewing, wearing and displaying" and to be attractive enough, seen from any angle. As the mysterious charm and technique of Yuzen dyeing, which has fascinated me most, continues to be lost, I feel that the present day is the important turning point, to pass it on to the next generation. Breaking away from the old and improved conventions of the kimono industry can only come from independent artists and their work.
By participating in the multi-genre craftspeople network, I have come into contact with craftspeople and creators who are of the same generation, from the same region and working in a variety of fields. By sharing the situation, concerns and problems of other industries, I have gradually begun to find my own methodologies for the future. I believe that my work and my activities as an artist will have a strong and very positive effect on the industry as a whole, by learning from the skills and sensitivities of my predecessors, by improving the precision of my own work, and by keeping my eyes open to the outside world, to the ideas and techniques of other industries and markets.”

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