We would like to introduce Sadomura Costume Shop, a shop specializing in Kagura costumes and gold embroidery.
This work is by Sadomura Costume Shop, a supporter of Iwami Kagura, a traditional performing art in western Shimane Prefecture.
Iwami Kagura is a traditional performing art in which dances are performed to the lilting sounds of drums and flutes. Highlights include the elegant costumes and masks, and snake bodies larger than a human body. The sight of these moving around the stage, sometimes silently and sometimes powerfully, is captivating.
(Nomura Susumu, author of non-fiction works such as "I've Worked for a Thousand Years," which sparked a boom in long-lived companies in Japan, and which has won various awards, including the Oya Soichi Non-Fiction Award, is currently writing a series focusing on Iwami Kagura in Shinchosha's magazine "Nami.")

The photo above is a work by Sadomura Costume Shop. The three-dimensional creature embroidery made with gold thread shows various expressions depending on the angle, captivating the viewer. The costumes are powerful yet elegant, and seem to have been breathed life into them

Well, our company is a company that deals with wax.
Do you know where our products and wax are used?

Let's take a closer look at this costume

Do you understand?
The red thread used to sew the gold thread to the fabric is where our wax comes into play.
When sewing the gold thread to the fabric with the red thread, the friction of the red thread can damage the gold thread and cause it to lose its shine. Therefore, by applying wax to the red thread to make it slippery, the red thread is less likely to be scratched when it comes into contact with the gold thread, allowing it to continue to shine. When I think about the mind-bogglingly detailed work that is carried out over such a wide range, I am fascinated by the passion and dedication of the artisans who uphold the tradition.
I hope that Sado Village Costume Shop will continue to pass on the traditional performing art of Iwami Kagura to future generations and support Japanese culture.