In Gaza-made obi, Palestinian embroidery meets Japanese kimono
The kimono fabrics on display may have been Japanese in function, but their form was Palestinian. That is thanks to Yamamoto's Palestinian Embroidery Obi Project , an organization that employs Palestinian women in Gaza and the West Bank's refugee camps to adorn traditional Japanese garments with Palestinian tatreez embroidery.
In Palestinian poetry and art, roses are a symbol of resilience and the enduring spirit of the Palestinian people. Cypress trees and the eight-pointed Star of Bethlehem also feature prominently in the sashes on display at her pop-up, which ran from June 18 to 23 and featured dozens of hand-embroidered obi — examples of the splendor and beauty that defined Palestine in times of peace.
'This motif is a holder for kohl (eyeliner),' explains Yamamoto, 47, gesturing towards a particularly intricate design bordered by Palestinian flags. 'People would store kohl in ornate containers decorated with beads and jewels.'
Founder of the Palestinian Embroidery Obi Project, Maki Yamamoto (right) first visited the region in 2013 and continues to make occasional trips to supply and collect materials to and from women in refugee camps. |
KOTARO MANABE
A Tokyo native, Yamamoto was working as a researcher at a cosmetics company in the early 2000s when, during some volunteer work at various embassies, she befriended Maali Siam, wife of the Palestinian ambassador to Japan. In 2013, Yamamoto traveled to the West Bank herself, where she says she was moved by the Palestinian people's concerted efforts to keep their artistic legacy alive despite decades of destabilizing political strife.
'It takes the women in the refugee camps anywhere from two to six months to embroider a single obi,' Yamamoto says. 'It all depends on the design.'
A fully-embroidered fukuro-obi from the Palestinian Embroidery Obi Project is priced at ¥1,500,000 (about $10,270), but the partially embroidered Nagoya-obi and the wider kyofukuro-obi, from ¥150,000, have attracted fans in actress Saiko Isshiki, manga artist Chie Shinohara and a geisha in Kyoto's Gion teahouse district. It is no small purchase, certainly, but in the world of kimono, fast fashion has made little leeway and a garment's provenance remains its principal selling point.
Depending on the complexity of the design, the obi take between two to six months to complete. |
ANNA SAKAMOTO
The process of transporting materials from Japan to the refugee camps and back again is circuitous, and proceeds are similarly sent back to the embroiderers via nonprofits in the region. Since the women in the refugee camps do not have permanent addresses, Yamamoto relies on a network of diplomats, nongovernmental organizations, and Japanese expats living in the Gaza and West Bank region to transport raw materials and finished products either by mail — or in their own suitcases if necessary. The embroidered fabric is then sewn into a Japanese obi by a traditional tailor in Tokyo.
'When I first began the project, the majority of the obi were unusable,' Yamamoto says. 'You see, it's not like Japan where everything is scrupulously measured. In Palestine, they measure with their hands and eyes. In that sense, they are true artisans. It took a lot of time and extended communication to get the measurements right.'
Despite the initial setbacks, Yamamoto was undeterred, and as a result of this tenacity, her tatreez obi have been featured in Vogue Japan and a Palestinian-themed fashion show at the 2025 Osaka Expo. Yamamoto hopes that the increased attention can not only generate income for the women in the refugee camps but also change Japanese people's perceptions of Palestine.
Yamamoto says that staying in contact with her Palestinian embroiderers can be difficult at times given the volatility of the region. |
MAKI YAMAMOTO
'In Japan, we hear 'Palestine' and think of violence and sorrow, but that is not the Palestine I saw,' she says. 'I saw a Palestine of beauty, kindness and resilience.'
That ethos will be on display again when the Palestinian Embroidery Obi Project hosts another pop-up at the Palette Gallery in Tokyo's Azabu-Juban neighborhood from July 29 through Aug. 3.
However, as the war in Palestine rages on, Yamamoto admits that there are days when she does not even know if the women who craft the obi she displays are still alive.
'Whenever I hear about an airstrike in the vicinity of the camps, I try not to contact them immediately — I want to leave the lines open for families to contact each other. I do go on Facebook to see when the women last logged into their accounts, though.'
For more information on the Palestinian Embroidery Obi Project, visit its Instagram page at @palestinian_embroidery_obi
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
18 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Tokushima's Assistant Dog Users Share Stories of Rejection in Call for Change; Public Understanding Still Lacking
TOKUSHIMA — A powerful new video from Tokushima captures the struggles of guide dog users, from being turned away at restaurants to navigating everyday life, and urges for a crucial shift in public awareness. The Tokushima Guide Dog Support Association, a public interest incorporated foundation, released the video on YouTube. In it, three visually impaired residents of the prefecture share insights into their daily lives and the challenges they face, notably highlighting instances in which their guide dogs are denied entry to restaurants and other establishments. The association and its members hope the video will foster better understanding of guide dogs within the community. The association works to raise awareness and lends guide dogs to those in need. To reach a younger audience, it produced the 31-minute video, which features Kenichi Mukai, 73, from Miyoshi; Katsuko Tsuruno, 60, from Itano; and Seiji Fujikawa, 60, from Tokushima. The video closely follows efforts to raise awareness about guide dogs in elementary schools and shows users working with their guide dogs at local training facilities. It also explores their journeys from using a white cane to becoming guide dog users and outlines the support they wish they could receive from the public. Mukai addressed the issue of 'denial of accompaniment,' which refers to instances where guide dog users are refused entry or service at places like restaurants. He has lived with Evan, his 7-year-old guide dog, since 2020, when his retinitis pigmentosa, a designated intractable disease, progressed and made walking with a white cane difficult. Disturbingly, after he started traveling with his guide dog, even restaurants that he had frequented told him, 'Please don't come here anymore.' The 2002 Law on Assistance Dogs for Persons with Physical Disabilities defines three types of assistance dogs: guide dogs, hearing dogs for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and mobility service dogs for individuals with physical disabilities. In principle, assistance dogs cannot be refused entry to public facilities, transportation services and other establishments, including restaurants. According to the association, there are currently seven guide dogs in Tokushima Prefecture. However, a managing director of the association, said that every guide dog user in the prefecture has been denied entry somewhere with their guide dog, indicating that understanding among public has not progressed. In March, the Tokyo-based National Federation of All Japan Guide Dog Training Institutions released a survey in which 276 of the 576 respondents, or 48%, reported being refused entry with their guide dog last year. Most of these incidents occurred at restaurants. Common reasons cited for refusal included 'no precedent for acceptance' and concerns about 'inconveniencing people with dog allergies or those who dislike dogs.' 'If someone has a dog allergy, we're happy to make accommodations, like having the guide dog wait outside, provided we're consulted first,' Mukai explained. 'We hope to build a society where everyone is considerate of one another.' He also noted that the video is accessible on the association's official channel.
NHK
a day ago
- NHK
NHK finds aid not reaching all residents in Gaza
One week has passed since the Israeli military started a limited pause in its activity in the Gaza Strip from July 27, to allow more aid from the United Nations and other organizations to reach the area. Humanitarian aid deliveries by truck and airdrop have continued during this period, but NHK has found that sufficient supplies are not reaching all residents in the enclave. More than 200 truckloads of supplies have reportedly been delivered each day. NHK's Gaza-based crew saw more street stalls and shoppers in central Gaza's Nuseirat on July 30 compared with about three weeks ago on July 11. Some vendors were selling beans from the same bags in which they had been delivered as aid supplies. One vendor said much of the beans and rice he was selling came from aid delivered by the United Nations and others. He said that he had bought items from someone else and was reselling them with markups. The vendor said he is supporting his family this way. He said he does not feel good about reselling, and he wants food prices to return to normal. One liter of cooking oil that used to cost about 2.7 dollars before the conflict began now costs about 18 dollars. Soaring prices of food have made it unaffordable for many residents. Israeli media say aid supplies are sometimes stolen or resold. A woman who came to buy food said fruit was too expensive, and she could only buy flour needed to survive. She said serious starvation was happening in Gaza, and that she felt as if she was waiting for her turn to starve to death. Countries including the United Arab Emirates and Jordan have been flying transport planes to airdrop aid supplies tied to parachutes on a daily basis. People on the ground fight over the dropped supplies, and many are unable to get any. A man said that providing aid this way was humiliating, and he wants entry checkpoints to Gaza to reopen so that people can receive supplies in a dignified way.
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Japan Times
Large number of Japanese war relics still offered on auction sites
A large number of Japanese World War II relics have found their way to online auction sites, raising concerns among those trying to preserve such items, with Japan set to mark 80 years since the end of the war. As it is difficult to identify the original owners of wartime relics put up for online auctions, in many cases, such goods are not returned to the bereaved families. One expert is calling on the government to establish a dedicated facility for their conservation. Many items such as swords that belonged to soldiers of the Imperial Japanese military and protective hoods used during air raids can be found on eBay. A search on the site using the Japanese words dainijisekaitaisen (World War II), nihon (Japan) and orijinaru (original) shows hits for over 20,000 items. Among them is a military sword priced at $260 (¥38,000) and a gas mask at $600. About 10 years ago, Japan's welfare ministry called on people to refrain from putting up war relics for online auctions, at the request of bereaved families and private organizations. It also asked auction website operators not to accept or sell such goods. The situation apparently remains little changed, however. A search on one auction site using the word kyūnihongun (former Imperial Japanese military) gives more than 3,500 hits, including water bottles and senninbari fabrics used as good-luck charms that belonged to former kamikaze suicide attack pilots. The original owners are unknown for an increasing number of items, after repeated online sales by memorabilia collectors. Chizuko Jaggard, who heads Project Returned Memories Kiseki, a U.S. nonprofit organization working to return wartime items to families of the original owners, said that it is becoming very difficult to get information on the circumstances surrounding wartime relics, including how they ended up in the hands of people who were not their original owners. While the number of relics put up for online auction remains largely unchanged from a few years ago, that of items returned to bereaved families has fallen sharply, Jaggard said. The original owners are unknown for about 95% of all items on auction sites, she said. Kiyofumi Kato, a professor at Komazawa University specializing in modern and contemporary Japanese history, expressed a profound sense of crisis over Japanese wartime items being scattered around the world and lost. According to Kato, museums and other facilities run by the private sector often decline bereaved families' proposals to donate wartime memorabilia, citing a lack of storage space as the main reason. Such items may end up either being thrown away or put up for online auctions. "It's sometimes difficult to establish war-related facilities due to differences in the understanding of history," Kato said. "With 80 years soon set to pass since the end of World War II, we are no longer at a stage where we question whether the war should have been fought or not," he added. "The government should create a facility that offers an opportunity for people to think together, through wartime relics, what the war was about," Kato said.
