The Shishu Ladies Of Hilo: Japanese Embroidery In Hawai'i (extraordinary Lives, The Experience Of Hawai'i Nisei)

In the 1930s Ima Shinoda began teaching groups of predominantly "nisei" women in and around Hilo the centuries-old art of Japanese embroidery known as "shishu". Trained in Japan, she combined her talents for teaching and stitchery to inspire and instruct a new generation in the demanding art form. Together with her husband, Yoshio, who created the distinctive, eye-catching designs used by her students, Ima Shimoda was responsible for not only furthering the practice of "shishu" in Hawai'i but ensuring its existence as a vital link for many "nisei" to their cultural past and its traditions. This book is in part a loving tribute to Ima and Yoshio Shinoda, written by their daughter, Shiho Shinoda Nunes, and granddaughter Sara Nunes-Atabaki. But what began as a family history and catalogue of Yoshio Shinoda's "shishu" designs evolved into a carefully illustrated account of the stitching community created by the Shinodas and their pupils on the Big Island from the mid 1930s to the late 1960s. This book traces the teachings of "shishu" in Hawai'i and describes in detail the modifications made to traditional motifs and materials. A carefully documented and illustrated account of the stitching community on the Big Island of Hawai'i from the mid 1930s to the late 1960s. This award-winning book traces the teaching of shishu (Japanese embroidery) in Hawai'i and describes in detail the modifications made to traditional motifs and materials.In the 1930s Ima Shinoda began teaching groups of predominantly nisei women in and around Hilo the centuries-old art of Japanese embroidery known as shishu. Trained in Japan, she combined her talents for teaching and stitchery to inspire and instruct a new generation in the demanding art form. Together with her husband, Yoshio, who created the distinctive, eye-catching designs used by hers students, Ima Shimoda was responsible for not only furthering the practice of shishu in Hawai'i but ensuring its existence as a vital link for many nisei to their cultural past and its traditions. The Shishu Ladies of Hilo is a carefully documented and illustrated account of the stitching community created by the Shinodas and their pupils on the Big Island from the mid 1930s to the late 1960s. This book traces the teaching of shishu in Hawai'i and describes in detail the modifications made to traditional motifs and materials. It is, however, much more than a historical record of a textile art form. It raises questions about the relationship between these women, their ethnicity, and their needlework - in short, the role of art in achieving ethnic identity. Annotation The Shishu Ladies of Hilo traces the teaching of shishu (Japanese embroidery) in Hawai'i and describes in detail the modifications made to traditional motifs and materials. It is, however, much more than a historical record of a textile art form. It raises questions about the relationship between the women who made shishu, their ethnicity, and their needlework -- in short, the role of art in achieving ethnic identity