The Shishu Ladies of Hilo

<p>A carefully documented and illustrated account of the stitching community on the Big Island of Hawai'i from the mid 1930s to the late 1960s. This award-winning book traces the teaching of <i>shishu</i> (Japanese embroidery) in Hawai'i and describes in detail the modifications made to traditional motifs and materials.<br><br>In the 1930s Ima Shinoda began teaching groups of predominantly nisei women in and around Hilo the centuries-old art of Japanese embroidery known as <i>shishu.</i> Trained in Japan, she combined her talents for teaching and stitchery to inspire and instruct a new generation in the demanding art form. Together with her husband, Yoshio, who created the distinctive, eye-catching designs used by hers students, Ima Shimoda was responsible for not only furthering the practice of <i>shishu</i> in Hawai'i but ensuring its existence as a vital link for many nisei to their cultural past and its traditions.</p>