Hana4 (Hanayo) is a nail artist who paints incredibly delicate and beautiful patterns on tiny nail tips measuring just a few centimeters. With a deep respect for the world of traditional craftsmanship, Hanayo wanted to meet artisans of various traditional crafts and create new pieces. One such artist she visited was Edo Komon dyeing artist Yasumasa Komiya. Komiya, whose grandfather and father are holders of Important Intangible Cultural Properties (Living National Treasures) and who boasts highly skilled dyeing skills himself, shared his thoughts and feelings with him during their encounter. And what kind of nail art has emerged from his experiences? This is how the Hana4 x Edo Komon collaboration was born.

>>Visiting Edo Komon Artisan Yasumasa Komiya

Hanayo, who creates a world of exquisite detail that stands out in the world of nail art, has a deep respect for master artisans who have mastered their skills. "I want to make traditional crafts more accessible to the younger generation through nail art," he said, and began expressing the inspiration he got from that world through nail art.

■The story of Edo Komon embodied in nail tips

The Edo Komon nail art took until dawn to complete. At first glance, the intricacy is captivating, but that's not all. The story behind the "shaping" process, which Komiya showed us in his workshop, to the process of infusing the color into the fabric, is expressed in the tiny tips.



"The one on the far left represents an Ise stencil paper with an intricate pattern. The first three show the pattern of this stencil paper being transferred onto pure white silk with ultramarine paste. The fourth shows the stage after dyeing has finished, with the white and navy dots reversed here. I drew the fifth while imagining how using different colours, such as modern colours like grey, navy or green, would change the appearance even if the pattern itself remained the same."



■ Komiya's words on "stars"

Hana4's hands are usually able to draw smoothly without looking at anything, but this time her hands paused for a long time. While looking at the photos she had taken, remembering her workshop, she noticed, "Hey, there are stars in the photo!"



The star is a tiny dot on the stencil. It is a very important point for transferring the pattern without shifting the seams. Seeing this small star, Hana4's design was decided on instantly.



Komiya's father, who was also his mentor, told him to "finish your work by the time you're 40," and he actually realized the moment it was finished when he turned 35. A slight misalignment of the stars, and a decline in motivation due to compromise... While watching the stencil-making process, Komiya explained that even if a job looks the same to others, there is a moment when the person doing it knows it's finished.

"My work requires me to use my eyes and fingers to create such detailed work, so I'm always afraid that one day my physical and mental strength will run out. So I can imagine that it must have been very difficult for Komiya-sensei to realize and accept that his time was numbered. But hearing this story made me realize that my fears and worries now aren't completely meaningless."



These are three chips that even depict stars. From the fourth chip onwards, it's amazing how she was able to draw them without looking at anything, as if the Ise Katagami patterns had been memorized in her head.

■ Continuing to carefully mark each dot

There was a moment when Hana4 burst into tears while listening to Komiya's story. When asked, "Do you ever get bored of doing something?" Komiya replied, "There is no job that is truly successful, so you just have to keep doing it and live each day at a time."

"Even though it may seem like I'm doing the same thing over and over again with my nails, there is never the same moment. I might think, 'This is good,' or 'This dot failed,'" Komiya-sensei told me, "The dots I mark are different, and the dots your son marks are also different, and that is your individuality." I really related to that, and it made me happy to know that I, who is working so hard to paint the nails, am not making any mistakes. When I was making these tips, I carefully marked the dots with confidence, knowing that it's okay for each dot to be different, and that people will say it's my individuality."

■Continuing to Pass on

"Even if there is an end to being an engineer, there is no end to teaching. If you continue to do so, it will be passed on to the next generation," says Hana4. Komiya passed on his skills to his son, and Hana4 also passes on his techniques to students through seminars, as well as the "spirit of cherishing tools" that he learned through traditional crafts. He is also attracted to the job of conveying the spirit of traditional crafts through nail art.

"What I want to share with these tips is Professor Komiya's determination and the traditions he continues to pass on. I'm sure there are people who can skillfully copy and paste the patterns, and while imitating is fine, I don't want to be introduced that way (laughs). I would like people to share the designs, but this time I want to tell a story.

Another thing that has stuck with me is the phrase 'tradition is at the cutting edge' (※). These are words that only Professor Komiya, who is carrying on the tradition, can say, and nails are not yet a tradition or a culture. I feel that this aspect of it has brought about a lot of emotions, including envy." Hana4 has loved drawing since she was little and has been fascinated by colors. The girl who wished to "become a color" is now working hard to elevate the world of nail art to a "culture" of its own.






(Note)
※ "If it stays as it is, it won't be accepted by the world. Traditions are accepted by changing, and if they die out when they stop, then the reality is that traditions cannot survive unless they are at the cutting edge," said Komiya during the interview.

■Profile
Hana4 (Hanayo)
Nail artist. After working in the fashion press and as an editor's assistant, she went from being a manicurist to a freelance nail artist. Her nail art, which depicts delicate pictures as if painted on a canvas, has been talked about on Instagram and elsewhere as being "too amazing." She currently does not have a salon, but is active in fashion magazines and as a lecturer. Incidentally, she studied textiles at university and apparently struggled with expressing colors in 3D. "I really prefer flat surfaces!"