日本天皇密藏1300年的琵琶引爆清华直男复兴唐人工艺的荷尔蒙 | Revive Traditional Art

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This is the sandalwood pipa treasured by the Japanese emperor for 1,300 years. And this is the only one in the world.

这是一把日本天皇密藏了1300年的琵琶，也是世间唯一的一把。

It has four strings, pear-shaped with its wooden body curved elegantly. It was gifted to Emperor Shōmu (701-756) by Chinese emperor Xuanzong (685-762) and his concubine Yang Guifei in Tang Dynasty. The pipa is now in Shosoin, Japan, where a lot of cultural artifacts in Japan and China are kept. It is this pipa that attracted Qi Tian, a then 32-year-old architecture major graduate. 

这把紫檀木画槽琵琶琵琶，四弦四柱，长梨形琴身，曲颈，形态优美。现珍藏于日本的正仓院，是当年唐玄宗和杨玉环共同赠送给日本圣武天皇的礼物。就是这把绝世琵琶吸引了祁天的目光。

The patterns on the back showed the ancient technique of wood inlay, using precious materials such as ivory, dyed antlers, sandalwood, ciricote and boxwood. He was overwhelmed by the beauty of the pipa on display, saying that it "outweighs any top brand.”

正面是山水人物画。背面及侧面规则地散布着浅黄色花蕊的四边花菱纹，和绿色花心六边花纹。这是唐代工匠特有的木镶嵌技艺。大胆的用色，无拘束的创作，让祁天发出了“完爆当今国际一线品牌”的感叹。

Astounded by the beauty of the art in Tang Dynasty (618-907), Qi decided to bring its beauty back to the modern time: "I want to promote the aesthetic tendency through my works.” With his other two friends, they built their own brand, DMLJ. They returned home, rented a yard in Beijing and embarked on their trip as designers and craftsmen. 

于是他开始痴迷于唐朝的美学和工艺。在所有朋友错愕的目光中，祁天和他的两位好友走到一起，创立了端木良锦。三人海归回国后，在北京租借了一个小院，开始了他们设计师＋匠人的生活…..

But it didn't prove to be easy. A nail-sized flower consists of 15 small pieces of wood and a handbag covered with this kind of pattern would need 758 wooden components. Every one of them has to be polished, cut and inlaid precisely.

重新拾起这门手艺，不知何其艰难。一朵指甲盖大小的花朵，大概需要15片细小木料；一只满工嵌花手包需要758块木质零件。每一块木料都要磨平、切割，嵌入挖好的凹槽。

"We have now up to a hundred detailed procedures to make a bag. We use the best materials from the very beginning, and dry them for a long time in the air and in the oven. Then we need to settle the wood. You might say that I'm too harsh. But I may find a crack too wide to be acceptable, even when it' 46 32436 46 14941 0 0 1433 0 0:00:22 0:00:10 0:00:12 3020 46 32436 46 14941 0 0 1285 0 0:00:25 0:00:11 0:00:14 3542s only a bit wider than a hair. When I don't approve it, I'd have it done all over again.”

“一个包，小的工序可能要几十上百道。从原材料开始，选择最精好的材料，经过很长时间的晾晒、烘干的过程，再之后要把木材进行沉降。可以说我是一个很事的人。一条镶嵌的缝，可能会觉得比较宽。其实我们所谓的宽，也就是比一根头发可能稍微宽一点点，有的时候就接受不了，就要反过头来重新去做。”

After seven years of endeavor, DMLJ became one of the state gift in the One Belt One Road forum in 2017. And lots of the local cultural protection bureau contacted them in a bid to research the traditional skills and preserve the art together. 

经过7年的沉淀，2017年，端木良锦的名字进入“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛的国礼备选名单。更有地方文化保护局联系他们，愿意提供一些保存完好的文物素材，希望可以一并研究，力求展现古代技艺之美，令其不再蒙尘。祁天认为，中国传统文化与审美趣味的巅峰在唐宋。今人之所以沉醉，是因为我们接触到的唐宋遗物太少太少。

“Each piece of art that is passed down and collected in the museum represents the highest art and skills by that time. I don’t know if what I am doing now would be recognized in time. I just hope that we can put our humble and modest hearts to each step that completes the so-called art.” said Qi Tian.

“每一个时代流传下来的、收藏在博物馆里的精工细作，

代表着那个时代的审美与技术所达到的水准。

我们并不知道，今天的作品会不会成为被时代认可的经典。

我们只是怀着虔诚、恭敬的心态对待每一块木头、

每一尺织锦、每一张图纸、每一个手包。”

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匠心独运

Cameraman: Kang Songwei

Film editor: Qi Mantong, Chang Weicheng

Story written by: Zhu Siqi

English editor: April Espejo

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