Mr. Shintani has spent decades devoting his time to the craft of somemono, the dyeing of cloth, silk, linen and other materials. He is a master kimono and tapestry maker who teaches dyeing at a school in remote, Western Japan.

The award-winning Mr. Shintani uses only traditional methods to create his pieces, routinely spending months on a kimono commission, a stark contrast to the latest fabric printers which can produce kimonos in minutes. Aware of this constant threat to his tradition, Mr. Shintani is an earnest teacher of his craft.

Click here to begin browsing Shintani-san's dyed tapestries.