This lavishly illustrated book presents fifty-five masterworks by Japanese kimono artist Itchiku Kubota.

His unique style – inspired by the fragile dyed silks of sixteenth-century Japan, and developed after twenty years of experimentation – combines stitch-resist, ink drawing, embroidery, metallic leaf and a complex layering of colours to create hauntingly beautiful landscapes with richly textured surfaces.

In the artist’s magnum opus ‘Symphony of Light’ – showcased in this volume together with his five-piece 'Mount Fuji' series and ten individual works – the monumental kimono are intended to be shown sequentially, and were made only for display. Featured on a special fold-out section, Kubota’s remarkable imagery can be fully appreciated as it extends from robe to robe. With this work Kubota created an entirely new concept of landscape representation on the kimono, elevating the quintessential Japanese garment to the level of installation art.

Published to accompany a collaborative exhibition between the San Diego Museum of Art, Timken Museum of Art, Canton Museum of Art and the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum – the catalogue includes essays by Dale Carolyn Gluckman and Hollis Goodall; a preface by Satoshi Kubota, Itchiku’s son and artistic heir; and an interview with Satoshi Kubota by Derrick R. Cartwright of the San Diego Museum of Art. All shed new light on Itchiku’s artistic vision.