Postcards by Yotsume

These postcards were designed by Toyokazu Ono at his Yotsume dye studio.

The first design shows the distinctive ‘oni’ (demon) masks worn during the Shujō Onie festival in Kunisaki, Oita.  The deep forests in Kunisaki have a spiritual association, and the region is known for its unusual festivals of uncertain origin.  One element within them, is a positive view of oni, which differs to much of the rest of Japan.  Demons in Kunisaki can be your friend, and the festivals held for the lunar new year, summon friendly oni with masks of consistent design for the roughly 1300 years the events have been taking place.  

The other design here, is of a more familiar Japanese staple.  That is the edamame beans, that can be squeezed from their pods for as a more-ish snack to accompany a cold beer or something else.

The cards are 10cm by 14.8cm.

About Yotsume

Yotsume Somenuno-sha is the dye studio of Toyokazu Ono.  Based in Kunisaki on the north-eastern tip of Kyushu island, Ono practices katazome, or Japanese stencil dye.  From a family who have made dye works for temples and Japanese businesses for more than a century, Ono takes his influences from the mid-century revival in katazome led by Keisuke Serizawa, and modern stencil based graffiti.  The results are handmade dye works rich in colour and pattern, that offer both a contemporary riff on a traditional craft, and tap into a rich aesthetic seam.