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雪解けと共に少しずつ山肌に現れるのは、種を蒔くおじいさんや袈裟を着たお坊さん、さらには羽を大きく広げた蝶々に代掻き馬。
雪が深く残る複雑な地形の山に囲まれた長野では、山肌の残雪やそこからのぞく岩肌などの形を「雪形」と呼び、それらを人間や動物に喩えて楽しんできた。
先人たちは、それを暦の目安とし、田植えや種蒔きの時期を見計らっていたという。蝶ヶ岳や白馬岳など「雪形」が山の名の由来になるほど、古くから人々の生活に根付いていた風物詩。
思い思いに山を見つめ「雪形」を創造しながら新しい季節の到来を待つ。その形がはっきりと見えた時には、長い冬が明け、待ち望んだ春が訪れる…。山肌のようにさまざまな表情をもって生み出されるニットウェア。その趣にどのような景色を見る？
As snow melts, on the face of the mountain appears the image of ‘Shirokaki Uma’ or plow horse, an old man sowing seeds, a Buddhist priest in a stole, or a butterfly spreading its wings.
Nagano is surrounded by complex landforms, here and there snow remains on the mountain surface. The mix of snow and face of rocks appearing creates ‘Yukigata’, shapes of lingering snow on a mountainside, which locals have enjoyed comparing these shapes to human figures or animals.
Predecessors have used the appearance of shapes on mountains as a calendar, signalling the start of harvest and sowing fields. The ‘Yukigata’ has long been a seasonal feature in people’s lives, over the years becoming names of mountains, such as the image of a plow horse becoming Hakuba or a butterfly spreading its wings called Chogatake.
Each in their own way, one ponders at the ‘Yukigata’ awaiting for the new season to come. When its shape is clearly visible, the long winter comes to an end, and spring is coming. Similar to the mountain surface, the knitwear created holds various faces. In its charm, what scenery does one see?
Photography: Daisuke Nakashima / Words & Edit: kontakt / Translation: Shimon Miyamoto