Most of the fabrics and thread used in traditional Japanese embroidery has always been provided by the country’s own extensive silk and gold/metal thread industries. The most popular techniques used are long-and-short stitch, peking knots, satin stitch - often with voiding, and straight stitch. Goldwork and metal thread embroidery have been extensively used for centuries, either as an outlining device using couching, or as infilling. Another popular form of pattern used is darning, sometimes known as ‘login’ work.

Buddhism had the greatest influence on Japanese embroidery designs, particularly on priest’s robes, pictures and religious hangings. Secular goldwork embroidery is full of bird, flower, fruit, cloud and fan patterns and devices, incorporating gold and silver threads, often bordered by a curved band of close parallel satin stitches. Unlike China, most secular metal thread embroidery is worked by skilled women, rather than men.

Metal thread embroidery work is most closely associated with Japanese Imperial court dress, which in fact derived much of its style from that of the court in Peking. The court women wore multi-layered outfits, the outermost garment of which was beautifully decorated with brushwork painting, tie-dying and embroidery in silk and the finest metal and gold threads.

In around the 16th century, the ‘kosode’, a garment worn by both men and women under full court dress, was elevated to outer wear. Two lengths of silk and linen fabrics were folded horizontally at the shoulders, and partly joined together to form back and side vertical seams. Short sleeves were also set into the main body of the garment. As the kosode developed, longer pieces of fabric were used for the sleeves and the garment gradually was transformed into what we know today as the kimono. The Japanese are still famous today for the beautiful goldwork embroidery that graces many of the finest kimonos. The metal thread embroidery is worked over most of the ground fabric, in a wide yoke panel or with motifs spotted throughout. The obi, a wide sash tied under the bust, is also usually embroidered with intricate goldwork and silver thread patterns and designs.

Rozashi, which is Japanese needlepoint, was traditionally used to decorate the bags and household items of the women of the court. It was worked on double-weave canvas, over a small horizontal frame. Motifs such as flowers, butterflies and fans were worked into vertical blocks of horizontal stitches, outlined with laid gold thread which was couched in contrasting silver thread. The canvas was then turned through 90 degrees so that the effect produced is of an upright gobelin stitch.