TEXTILES

• Yūzen dyeing

  Yūzen dyeing (yūzenzome) is one of Japan’s best-known traditional dyeing processes. It involves drawing designs on white fabric with a paste resist before dyeing the fabric. First, the fabric is cut into the shape of a kimono and an outline of the design is drawn onto the cloth using the blue dye of the Asiatic dayflower (aobana), which can later be washed away without leaving a trace. A paste resist is then applied over the lines of the outline, creating masked-off areas that prevent the colors from mixing, and the design is dyed. Finally, the paste resist is washed away, leaving behind fine white lines of undyed fabric where the resist was applied. This style of yūzen is known as itome yūzen (“line yūzen”). Resists may also be applied broadly across the fabric to create designs without white lines. This style of yūzen is known as sekidashi yūzen.

  

• Stencil dyeing

  In stencil dyeing (kataezome or katazome), first a stencil is created by laying a pattern over shibugami (a durable washi paper treated with tannin) and the design is cut into the paper. The resulting stencil is used to apply paste resist to create a repeating pattern that can then be dyed.

  

• Edo komon

  Edo komon (literally “Edo small crests”) developed during the Edo period (1603–1868) as a finely detailed decoration for kamishimo, a piece of formal attire worn by samurai. Later, the style spread to commoners’ kimono as well. Historically, Edo komon is dyed using Ise stenciles (Ise katagami).

  

• Nagaita chūgata

  While Edo komon consists of fine designs applied to silk, nagaita chūgata (“long-board medium-pattern”) fabrics are made by applying larger designs to cotton for yukata (informal summer kimono) using a long board of about 6.5 meters.

  

• Block print dyeing

  In block print dyeing (mokuhanzome), a brush is used to apply dye to wooden blocks with designs carved into them.

  

Weaving

Weaving (orimono) techniques using dyed thread

• Kasuri weaving

  Kasuri weaving (kasuriori, “blurred weave”) is a type of ikat weaving done with threads that have been resist dyed, leaving sections of the thread undyed. The threads are then aligned and woven to create stripes, checkered patterns, or pictorial motifs.

  

• Tsumugi silk

  Tsumugi silk is woven from spun silk thread (tsumugi ito). Tsumugi is not as smooth or glossy as reeled silk, and features a simple, nubby texture.

  

• Echigo jōfu

  Echigo jōfu (“Echigo fine cloth”) is a fabric with a long history, made from the fibers of the perennial plant ramie (choma, or karamushi). The fabric is woven on a simple backstrap loom, which allows the weaver to adjust the tightness of the warp (vertical threads) using a strap around the weaver’s waist. The design is created by arranging the alignment of the weft (horizontal threads). The woven cloth is then softened by kneading the fabric in hot water, and naturally bleached by laying it out over snow on a sunny winter day. The finished colored fabrics take on a more subdued tone, while the white fabrics are bleached a brighter white, resulting in a high-quality fabric for summer kimono.

  

• Saga brocade

  Saga brocade (Saga nishiki) is a woven fabric that uses dyed silk threads for the weft (horizontal threads) and finely cut strips of washi paper called tategami for the warp (vertical threads). The paper strips are grouped and lifted apart using a bamboo tool called a shed stick, and the silk thread weft is passed through the gap to create the desired pattern. Repeatedly running the weft through the gaps between the paper strips results in a fabric with beautiful, orderly patterns.

  

• Kumihimo braided cords

  Kumihimo braided cords are made by gathering dozens of threads into separate bunches and then braiding the bunches together into a single cord. For centuries, kumihimo cords have been important articles for tying and binding. Today, kumihimo cords of many different patterns are worn with kimono as obi jime (a decorative girdle tied around the obi of the kimono).

  

• Embroidery

  In Japan, embroidery (shishū) dates back to the Asuka period (592–710). Dyed threads are handsewn into fabric with a needle to create designs.

  

• Reference: Nihon Kōgeikai Higashi Nihon Shibu (Japan Kōgei Association Eastern Branch), ed., Dentō kōgei-tte nani? – miru, shiru, tanoshimu gaido bukku (What Are Traditional Crafts? –A Guidebook to Seeing, Learning, and Enjoying). Unsodo, 2013.