Announcing ’21 SUMMER COLLECTION!

Thank you for always visiting [FOUR SEASONS] from the Shizukuya collection.
In this Summer Collection, we have elaborated on various special decoration techniques. In particular, it is made with avant-garde items that make full use of dyeing and weaving techniques with vivid colors and bold patterns. For each item, we used a lot of thin materials such as mesh and crepe, which let you feel and produce the coolness, and light see-through materials such as linen blend and see-through materials. This is a fantastic collection with a cool feeling. Each item is carefully sewn with an effective arrangement of colors and patterns, and with elaborate ornamental work, the impression becomes more prominent. In addition, all the materials are easy to handle, so you can wear them easily. Due to the current state of the world, life tends to be tight, so we wanted to bring out the inner beauty of the user as much as possible, so we made it with the intention of polishing the sensitivity of the wearer by effectively using vivid colors and cool texture.

Shizukuya has been advocating the samurai style. When I see the current state of the world, I really think that there is much to learn from the samurai. The word “Issho-Kenmei” shows the way of life of samurai in the Kamakura period when the first samurai government was born. One of the origins of the word is to protect a territory given to you by your lord at the risk of your life. Later, when samurai were reassigned, it changed to “Oie-Daiji” (meaning clan is important), but the essence is the same. The samurai devoted their lives to defending their territories and their clans. If we take this into account in today’s age of nuclear families, then we should focus on protecting our families and loved ones. Japan is recognized worldwide as a safe and secure country, but it is actually a dangerous country with many natural disasters. Japan is only 0.25% of the world’s land area. However, 20.8% of all earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher occurred in Japan, 7.0% of all active volcanoes in the world and 18.3% of all disasters in the world. Of course, besides earthquakes and eruptions, there are countless disasters in Japan, including floods, tsunamis, typhoons and landslides. In this way, Japan is taking on many of the world’s disasters in this small country. Giant earthquakes and eruptions occur every 300 to 400 years, so you can’t escape them. Since ancient times, the people of this archipelago have lived modestly, facing frequent disasters, protecting their families, and rebuilding broken houses and fields each time. The word “Issho-Kenmei” probably includes pride in having lived in the right reverence for nature and gratitude for the ancestors who have done so.

Currently, the government’s website calls for caution against earthquakes in the three areas of Japan Trench & Chishima Trench, Metropolitan Inland Earthquake and Nankai Trough Earthquake, as well as the eruption of Mt. Fuji. All of them are predicted to be more extensive than the Great East Japan Earthquake 10 years ago, and the time of occurrence of them seems to overlap periodically. We are at the mercy of the COVID-19, but we must be prepared for the natural disasters that will hit us one after another. There are words in the teaching of Buddhism, “Shiki-sokuze-kuu” and “Kuu-sokuze-shiki.” These two words are the teaching of “By knowing that everything is insubstantial [Kuu], we remove human worldly desires and delusions, and when we see everything in its own free eyes, everything begins to come alive with its own functions.” I would like you to interpret this teaching from the viewpoint of the samurai’s Issho-Kenmei. Were our human lives and souls born to be protected by governments and vaccines? Do they just wait for the salvation of God and Buddha deities? According to Issho-Kenmei, the opposite is true. We ourselves are the saviors and souls sent from heaven to protect our families and loved ones. People who just ask for relief will be upset. If you get rid of your obsession with things and focus on protecting your family and loved ones, you’ll be clear about what you need to do and ready for it. The cycle of disaster occurrence is the rule of nature, so it will surely happen in the near future. You should predict disasters and evacuate with your family. If a house or company collapses, you just have to rebuild it. First, focus on protecting the life in front of you. If everyone is able to fulfill their responsibilities, no misfortune will happen and everyone will return to [Kuu]. It’s just that there are more jobs after the disaster. I think all of our ancestors, all of our samurais, have done so to protect the lives that reach us.

This Collection is packed with avant-garde items. The vivid colors and bold patterns are effectively arranged for a creative finish. It contains the thought of … so that the user’s family and important person won’t get separated, and the thought of … so that the user can be seen by the gods of heaven. More than anything, I would be happy if these “Hakama-Shiki” make people’s daily life refreshing like a refreshing agent. I hope that you, your family, and your loved ones will be able to return to a peaceful life.

《2021 SUMMER COLLECTION》
https://www.shizukuya.com/en/collection/2021/summer/