A work by YURIKO YUCO YOSHIKAWA.

Title: Nagare (Flow) | Created in 2025

This one-of-a-kind parasol is handcrafted using Bokashi-zome, a time-honored Japanese dyeing technique that creates beautifully soft, gradated colour transitions. Each piece features a unique pattern that can never be replicated — a wearable work of art born from the hands of a Japanese artisan. Made from natural cotton fabric in Japan.

For use on sunny days only. Not suitable for rain.

The Story Behind This Work

Could the delicate, subtle gradations of blue — achieved through the finest Bokashi dyeing technique — express the beauty, sanctity, and vastness of a great flowing river across the entire surface of a parasol? This was the challenge the artist set for herself.

Once the dyeing was complete and the river had taken form, the artist took up her brush and painted upon it — a red dragon deity, one of a kind in all the world, rendered in a single, decisive act of brushwork. The dragon moves through the flowing river as though it were alive, swimming through the currents at this very moment. It is not a decoration. It is a presence.

This is a work in which the serenity of the river and the power of the dragon exist together in perfect harmony — beauty and spirit, stillness and motion, all held within a single parasol.

The Art of Bokashi-zome — The Mastery of Gradation

In Bokashi-zome, colour transitions from deep to pale — or from one hue to another — through an exquisitely controlled gradation. The artist must work swiftly and with absolute precision, blending wet dye into wet fabric so that no hard edges form and the transition feels as natural as light itself.

Even the slightest variation in pressure, timing, or moisture changes the result entirely. No two Bokashi-zome works can ever be identical. This parasol carries a depth and softness of colour that exists nowhere else in the world.

Details

Technique — Bokashi-zome + hand-painted red dragon
Size — 86 cm × 86 cm / Length: 77 cm (33.9" × 33.9" / Length: 30.3")
Material — Cotton / Dyed with synthetic dyes

Care

Hand wash only. Store away from direct sunlight. Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight may cause fading.

Displaying as Indoor Art — A New Way to See

This parasol is not only made to be carried — it is a three-dimensional sculpture, alive with colour and form, that transforms any interior space it inhabits.

Open and facing upward
Placed on a stand with the canopy open and facing up, the parasol opens like a flower in bloom. Light illuminates the dyed colours from above, and the flowing river and dragon glow within the fabric.

Open and facing downward — suspended from the ceiling
Hung inverted from the ceiling, the work becomes a chandelier of colour. Stand beneath it and look up: the entire composition surrounds you. The dragon appears to swim through the air above you — a perspective the work never reveals outdoors.

Tilted at an angle
Leaning against a wall or displayed on a stand at a diagonal, the parasol casts a shadow that becomes part of the composition. As the light changes through the day, the work changes with it.

Closed and vertical
Displayed upright on a stand or in a tall vessel, the parasol becomes a sculptural column — elegant, restrained, and quietly powerful.

Each orientation reveals something new. The same work, seen differently, becomes a different work entirely.

Note: When displaying indoors, avoid prolonged direct sunlight to preserve the colours long-term.

Packaging & Shipping

Each artwork is carefully wrapped in PAT-certified archival tissue paper (ISO18916:2007) — the same standard used in museum and cultural heritage conservation — before being hand-packed by the artist in museum-quality archival packaging and shipped via DHL with full insurance and international tracking.

Domestic (Japan) — Yamato Transport or Japan Post, with tracking number.
International — DHL or EMS with international tracking and insurance. A tracking number will be provided after dispatch.

Free worldwide shipping.

Certificate of Authenticity

A Certificate of Authenticity is included with this artwork. → Learn more about our Certificate of Authenticity

As each piece is a one-of-a-kind handmade artwork, we do not accept returns or exchanges.

One-of-a-kind / Handmade in Japan / Cotton

Prices are displayed in your local currency for reference. All orders are processed and charged in Japanese Yen (JPY).

A singular work of art — one of a kind in the world.

In Bokashi-zome, the way the fabric takes colour changes with every brushstroke. Even following the same process, no two patterns can ever be identical.

This is not a mass-produced object. It is a singular work, born from accumulated time and mastery.

The price reflects its rarity and the value of its creation.

This is art that chooses its owner — made for those who understand its essential worth.

A presence unlike any other, worthy of your space and your sensibility.

About the Artist

Yuriko Yuco Yoshikawa is both an artist and a Registered Nurse — a rare combination that shapes everything she creates.

For decades, she stood at the threshold between life and death, witnessing pain, dignity, and quiet moments of grace. She held the hands of those departing. She understood, more deeply than most, what it means to be alive.

When she set down her nurse's uniform and took up her brush, that knowledge did not leave her. It became her art.

Every work she creates carries that gaze — the gaze of someone who has truly seen what a human life is worth.

As a nurse, and as an artist — her deepest wish is to bring love and light to every person in the world.

Her works have been selected and awarded at over 15 international exhibitions across Japan, France, Spain, Monaco, and Italy. A formally recognised member of the Art Maison Selecting Committee (A.M.S.C.), Spain Headquarters — an international arts organisation spanning France, Japan, and Spain — her name is permanently inscribed on the monument "LA VOZ DEL ARTE PARA CALMAR EL MUNDO" (The Voice of Art to Calm the World), erected in Puebla de la Sierra, Madrid, Spain. Her work is featured in Art Maison Vol. 30, published in 2026.

Each work is one of a kind. Once sold, it is gone forever.
Additional award-winning works are available upon private inquiry.

View Artist Profile & Exhibition History

Exhibition History — This Work

• 77th Gifu City Art Exhibition (October 2025) — Selected: Craft · Dyeing Forward

Questions Before You Purchase?

For high-value, one-of-a-kind works, we warmly welcome any questions you may have before placing your order — about the artwork, materials, shipping, or anything else. Please do not hesitate to reach out via our contact form or directly at info@yurikoyuco.com. We will respond within 2 business days, with care.

Please note that import duties, taxes, and customs fees are the responsibility of the buyer and are not included in the product price.