Fashionable parasols made by Yoko Majima of the hand made parasol workshop Monshiro (Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture) are gaining in popularity.
The designs of the parasols, which are made from foreign fabrics and kimono fabrics, are unique, and Majima says, "I don't make the same ones".
After studying dyeing and weaving at university, she made her own clothes and other items while working as a housewife.
The inspiration for the parasol came from a cotton cloth from Mali, West Africa, given to her by her professor.
She felt that the colours were too garish to be made into clothing, so the idea was born to use it for a parasol.
She learned from a long-established umbrella shop in Nara City, and after making a number of umbrellas, she decided to make a business out of it, opening Monshiro in 2010.
In the production of the parasol, eight pieces of cloth are cut into triangles and laminated to the framework.
In addition to African and European fabrics, she also uses kimono fabrics such as Ise cotton and Enshu cotton tsumugi. She says that each cloth has its own characteristics, so it's difficult to recognise them and cut them into the right shape.
As those are all handmade, the production quantity is about 100 parasols per year.
Even parasols made from the same fabric are made with different buttons for the clasp to ensure that those are not the same.
She also accept repairs and custom-made products, and have received requests to remake their late mother's kimono and make a parasol out of it.
According to Majima, the Japanese umbrella used to be a major industry and was actively exported abroad, but in recent years the number of craftspeople has declined.
There is a shortage of materials due to manufacturers going out of business, and the part called tsuyusaki, which connects the framework to the cloth, is also difficult to find in the required materials, such as wood.
The environment for umbrella making isn't conductive, but she is full of creative spirit, saying that she wants to make parasols from vintage fabrics from the 1970s and 1980s. She is enthusiastic about making umbrellas that will move people's hearts and leave a lasting impression.
The parasols can be purchased from online shopping websites and the workshop.
Inquiry: monshiro.yokio@gmail.com
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