By Isabel Reynolds
None of the recent wave of Chinese martial arts films would be complete without the protagonists' jewel-coloured silk robes rippling across the screen as they swoop into battle.
Despite China's rich tradition of textile design, many of the costumes featured in action movies such as "Hero" (2002) and "House of Flying Daggers" (2004) are in fact the creations of a Japanese designer -- Emi Wada.
This month, admirers are flocking to a rare exhibition in Tokyo to see for themselves the vivid colors and embroidery of costumes worn by the likes of Chinese actors Ziyi Zhang and Jet Li.
Wada's recent Asian success has apparently been little affected by simmering ill-feeling toward Japan in China and South Korea, where many suffered under Japanese militarism in the early 20th century.
"When 'Hero' became a big international hit, I felt the Chinese people had accepted my costume designs," Wada said in a fax interview this week, adding that she had had no difficulty in collaborating with non-Japanese.
"I work in exactly the same way whichever country I am in," she said.
Born in 1937 in Japan's ancient capital and textile center of Kyoto, Wada studied painting before launching a career in theatrical costume design.
She first sprang to international fame in 1985 with her Oscar-winning designs for Akira Kurosawa's "Ran," one of her first forays into film.
After two decades of work with directors such as Peter Greenaway and on stage and television design, she has recently carved out a new niche for herself, mixing and matching influences from Asia and beyond in her work on Chinese films.
Her unique take on Asian style has won her an armful of awards in Hong Kong and met with little discussion of whether the costumes, which incorporate Korean touches and Indian fabrics, are culturally accurate.
Sticklers for detail have complained about Hollywood's inaccurate portrayal of traditional Japanese attire in this year's "Memoirs of a Geisha," but Wada says recreating history is not her top priority.
"What the costume must express is character," she said. "I wouldn't ignore history and tradition completely, but it is a question of conferring with the director to decide what is most important."
Wada's dedication to her craft has stunned collaborators such as Zhang Yimou, director of "Hero," the tale of an assassin and the warlord he plans to kill, as well as "House of Daggers," a complex tale of star-crossed lovers.
On one occasion, unable to recreate a rich shade of red using Chinese water, she used up truck loads of mineral water to dye the fabric to the exact color she wanted.
"Costume design is always a battle against time and budget constraints," she said. "I always aim for perfection, but it's very difficult."
Wada is currently working on a South Korean film being shot in China, as well as a New York Metropolitan Opera production "The First Emperor," which premieres next year.
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