Makuranosoushi A & B from Code Series 3 (枕草子), quilt

Yoshiko Jinzenji, artist

born 1942

Makuranosoushi A & B from Code Series 3 (枕草子), quilt, date unknown

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: quilting; nylon; cotton; painting; gold leaf; silk; synthetic dye; Japanese ink; natural dye

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 236 x 202 cm each
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 92 15/16 x 79 1/2 in

Credit line: Gift of the artist

Accession number: 2014.0012.a,b

Not on display

Add to portfolio

If you wish to reproduce this image, please submit an image request

Images

Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"Personal Geometry: Quilts by Yoshiko Jinzenji and Virginia Jean Cox Mitchell," Feb-2014, Susan Earle and Cassandra Mesick
Among Jinzenji’s most recent works, these four quilts represent an intersection of two distinct interests: codes and classic literature. The Code Series quilts utilize the principles of the “pigpen cipher,” which substitutes letters with geometric arrangements of lines and dots to graphically encrypt words onto quilts. Using squares of fabric quilted onto bamboo-dyed cotton, these quilts encode, respectively, passages from the epic tale Heike Monogatari (The Tale of the Heiki), Kamo no Chōmei’s Houjyoki (An Account of My Hut), and Sei Shōnagon’s Makura no Sōshi (The Pillow Book). These texts were penned in Japan between the 11th and early 13th centuries. Jinzenji considers all writings that convey the integral philosophies and meanings of Buddhist culture today to be “classics.”