Tibetan Thangka (straight hole embroidery Thangka with ink bamboo gongka)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Tibetan Thangka

Applicant: Mozhugongka County, Tibet Autonomous Region

Project No.: 313

Project No.: Ⅶ - 14

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Tibet Autonomous Region

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Mozhugongka County, Tibet Autonomous Region

Protection unit: culture and Tourism Bureau of Mozhugongka county (Cultural Relics Bureau of Mozhugongka county)

Brief introduction of Tibetan Thangka (straight hole embroidery Thangka with ink bamboo gongka)

Applicant: Mozhugongka County, Tibet Autonomous Region

Mozhugongka means "the land of the horizon" in Tibetan. Mozhugongka county is located to the east of Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, with an average altitude of more than 4000 meters. The straight hole embroidered Thangka spread in this area began in 1880 during the 35th straight hole period, and its founder was chiledoji. After five generations of family style inheritance, the sewing skills of Thangka became more and more perfect, and the workmanship became more and more refined. The composition of the straight hole embroidered Thangka in zhaxiue Township, Mozhugongka county is rigorous and plump, balanced and changeable. The painting method is mainly fine brushwork, heavy color and white line drawing. In the production process, all of them are needlework embroidery. The craft level is high, and the work is full of three-dimensional, texture and dynamic, lifelike.

The main contents of Zhikong embroidered Thangka can be roughly divided into Buddha, Bodhisattva, Buddha biography or Buddha origin story, Tantric deities, Guanyin, Tara, Dharma protector, Mingwang, guru, eminent monk, great achievers, Tibetan history and figures, Mandala pagoda and other categories, such as universe Sun Moon celestial body diagram, shambharat diagram, Xumishan diagram, reincarnation of life and death diagram, etc.

The production of straight hole embroidered Thangka pays attention to spelling, satin, needling, embroidery and sewing. In the production, the content of Thangka should be drawn in the form of pictures first, and then embroidered according to the figures. The embroidery is all made of top-grade silk. The large Thangka with an area of more than 10 square meters is twisted together with five or six horsetail hairs, smeared with raw beef and mutton to play a bonding role, and then wrapped with various colors of silk cloth to make silk thread for sewing. The straight hole embroidered thangka is all finished with embroidery technology. It looks concave and convex with strong three-dimensional sense, and the figures are especially rich and vivid.

The straight hole embroidered Thangka with ink bamboo gongka covers the society, religion, history, folk customs and other aspects of Tibet in the late 19th century, becoming an "Encyclopedia" for understanding the straight hole culture. The producer should not only have a detailed conception of the layout and character performance of Thangka, but also have a precise effect in the way of "counting needles". The production is difficult and complicated, so the requirement for the producer is very high. At present, few people have mastered this kind of drawing skill, and there is a crisis of lack of successors. The straight hole embroidered Thangka of ink bamboo gongka is on the verge of extinction, which is in urgent need of rescue and protection.