Aizome (Indigo Dyeing)
Aizome is a blue color dye. It uses the leaves of Persicaria tinctoria which is in the buckwheat family, so called Chinese indigo. It’s produced all over Japan, while especially famous production area is Tokushima prefecture. There are two kinds of dyeing methods; “Namabazome” (Primary leaf dyeing using the freshly-harvested leaves) and “Tatezome” (Fermented leaf dyeing). The fermented leaves used for Tatezome are called “Sukumo” and indigo color is generated in the process of fermentation.
Regarding Namabazome, fresh leaves are required and it can dye silk but neither cotton nor linen. So, “Aizome” generally means Tatezome. However, Namabazome is popular among the common people to dye a small amount because it does not require special tools or technique and makes a brilliant blue color. “Aiiro (Indigo color)” means the deep blue color and it needs dyeing by Tatezome method for certain times to make such color. If it has been dyed only for a few times, the color will be pale and called “Kamenozoki (looking into a pot)” or “Mizuiro (Aqua color)”.
Shikonzome is dyeing in purple, and the root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon is used for dyeing. A representative area of production is the southland of Iwate Prefecture. It is said that the time when Shikonzome was introduced is prior to the Kamakura period. Though produced a lot in the Edo period, Shikonzome went into a decline in the Meiji period because the chemical dyeing prevailed. After that, Iwate Prefecture played a leading role in promoting the researches to revitalize Shikonzome. Therefore, it became known in Tokyo and popular again as the traditional craftwork of Iwate Prefecture. An author from Iwate prefecture named Kenji Miyasawa penned a book based on the period of time when bluish purple dyeing was all the rage called “About Bluish Purple Dyeing”.
The pigment of Gromwell root loses its effectiveness as a dyeing agent as time passes, so it is necessary to perform the staining of fabrics quickly. In order to get deep shades of violet using this root it is necessary to dye a great number of times. In Japan violet has been a precious color from ancient times because it takes a great deal of hard work and time to dye materials violet. During the era discussed in this book wearing violet clothes was a symbol of social status. Dyeing with Gromwell roots requires a prior dyeing of thread before cloth is woven. It is was also common to make tie-dye through these dyeing techniques.
Safflower is the typical raw material for red dye. The cloth that has been dyed with safflower is called safflower dyeing, and it has become a specialty of Yamagata Prefecture. Safflower is not only used as dye, but also as a material to extract edible oil and as herb. It is a familiar plant in Japan.
It looks orange rather than red if you look at the flowers of safflower, but it will be safflower dyeing through a complicated process in which a yellow pigment is eliminated from Safflower in water, and a red pigment is extracted from the remnant using alkaline lye. The cloth that is dyed using a yellow pigment extracted first is called “yellow-dyeing” of safflower. In fact, most of pigments of safflower are yellow and it is said that it was yellow-dyeing that people had used. The cloth that is dyed using a red pigment is a thing for people in a high position. It is said that the cloth with dark red dyed repeatedly many times is more valuable. As well as other dyeing with vegetables, it has been replaced by the chemical dye since the Meiji era, but it was resurrected as traditional crafts in recent years and small goods such as handkerchiefs and scarves with reasonable price are popular as souvenirs.
Bingata is the representative dyeing technique of Okinawa. You can image of “Red stencil dyeing” from the name, but “Bin” means “color” and “gata” means “pattern”. In other words, Bingata was named after the pattern that a variety of colors are used. It is said to be in Meiji Era when the technique was called “Bingata”, and in Taisho Era when the Chinese character “紅型” was applied for the name. On the contrast, it was 14th century when the Bingata was manufactured, and seemed that in 1700s the technique was established whose standard was almost the same as today Putting the blueprint on the material, apply dye-resistant adhesive on the non-coloured part . Then, fill the colour from the order of lightest to darkest by shading it in the way of “Kumadori” (Kabuki makeup fashion). By shading it, it will produce Bingata’s unique tone of colours.
Besides Okinawa region, due to the difference in weather and culture, the choice of pattern and dye vary. As the interaction with other region increases, it was slightly influence by Tomozen dye but its unique expression still remains till now.
Chusen is a way of coloring cloth and it was born at the end of Meiji Period. The most popular place to make products in the way is Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. It’s a method commonly used to make hand towels and yukata ( a kind of kimono ) these days.
We put a paper of about 1 meter for a design on a cloth for a basis and anti-coloring paste on a part of the cloth not for being colored. After we’ve finished doing the work, we fold the cloth up to match to the next edge of 1 meter and put the paper for the design on the cloth and the paste on a part not for coloring again. We do it a few times and turn 24 pieces of the cloth into 48 pieces of it piled up. And then, we make borders to separate them by their colors on top from the paste. When we pour coloring material into the borders and withdraw it from under the cloth by pumps, the same patterns are made in every one of the cloth pieces. When they’ve been colored, we wash the paste and unnecessary coloring material away and it’s completed. We color cloth this way, so Chusen is colored on the front and back in the same way and looks as if edges of it were combined in a part to be folded up. Hand towels of the style don’t look that way much because they’ve been made by being cut where they were folded up, but yukatas of the style look that way if you look at them closely. There are some people who get worried if they’re not good products, but this is a characteristic of Chusen, so please don’t worry.
When we make Kimonos, we use units called “shaku” and “sun” to express their size. These are Japanese traditional units and this measuring method is called “Shakkan-ho.” However, metric unit is now widely used in Japan so in most cases, artisans or makers convert the sizes measured in centimeter to shaku and sun. In fact, there are two systems for shaku and sun. When making a Kimono, we use a system called “Kujira-jaku.” Although 1 sun equals 3cm and 1 shaku equals 30cm in general, these are from another system called “Kane-jaku” which is used for architecture. In terms of Kujira-jaku, 1 sun is about 3.8cm, and 1 shaku is approximately 38cm.
As Kimonos have existed before introduction of metric units, sizes of all rolls of Kimono fabric and measurement method for people are based on Shakkan-ho. Since Shakkan-ho and metric units are indivisible each other, we still use Kujira-jaku in Kimono industry. There are some stores display Kimonos with their size using Shakkan-ho.
Yusokumonyo is the general term of pattern used by noble men in Heian era. As traditional and sophisticated pattern, this pattern is widely used in Kimono and obi. Many of them are showing up geometrical pattern repeatedly and neatly. It is convenient for you to use this all year round because of no sense of season. The pattern is originated from arranging the pattern spreaded from China and has various variation. The kind is so many that It is difficult for me to point out the things which pattern is Yusokumonyo concretely. But I will show you some representative things.
Arranging the wavy lines side by side, the pattern crest and trough continues alternately Tatewaku ni hana” (flowers in the flow) refers to the patter which has flowers drawn on the crest part.
Kikkou (Tortoise shell)
Hexagonal pattern in order
Within the hexagons, there are other illustrations
Shippou (7 treasures)
The pattern of identical circles overlapping a quarter of the circumference of each other.
Yattuhuji no Maru (8 wisteria’s circle)
The illustration of cross-pattern flower surrounded by wisteria flowers.
Making a circle using 4 pairs of wisteria flower is known as Yattuhujinomaru
What “to correct someone’s shape” means is as follows.
Before wearing Kimono, we usually correct our shape. People may be asked to bring some towels when they go to a Kimono-dresser for coming-of-age ceremony. As Kimono has a straight line in its shape, it will get wrinkled or moved when someone has large hip-to-waist ratio or waist-to-bust ratio wears it. To solve such problems, she first has to make her shape as straight as possible. We have some special tools but in general, some towels and handkerchiefs are enough to correct your shape.
The waistline is made less visible by wrapping the waist with a towel, and a handkerchief is used to fill the loose neckline. People with large chests use towels around their chests to secure them. We don’t tighten the chest as much like old days when the large chests were tightly fastened by towels until their chests were flattened. Like furisode (long-sleeved kimono) used for formal events, especially when you want to take beautiful photos of you in it, are adjusted more properly, but it is more common now to adjust it lightly. There are some people who don’t even adjust them at all. However, you should wrap a towel around your waist as it will help preventing slipping, and also help soaking up sweat.
Kosode is regarded as architype of mondern Kimono.But its form was changed by age to age. Modern Kimono is also included as Kosode in broad sense. Kosode is defined as Cloth which is open a bit and knock together. The Architype is the cloth spreaded from China in 3rd century. But Kosode as cloth form was established in Heian era. In the era,customs of wearing many cloth was spread. Kosode was treated as under wear. Then,customs of wearing many cloth came to be easy. Kosode came to be appearent.
At the end of Heian era,The cloth which Common peole wear was Kosode. In Kamakura era,Samurai-class people came to wear Kosode in the way Kosode is the surface. After that,Kosode changed its form gradually and became nearly the same form of modern Kimono in late Edo era. The reason why We don’t call modern Kimono Kosode is that Its cuff became bigger and the name of “Kosode” was not suitable. Now,It seems many to call old era cloth as Kosode. In addition to this,cloth made of silk that cotton is stuffed Kosode.
The dress code of Japanese Kimono for man is usually with Hakama and Haori. If a man wears Kimono with neither Hakama nor Haori, the situation is called Kinagashi. Recently, it seems that even if a man wears harori while without a hakama would be called as Kinagashi as well. The most formal way for man to wear Kimono is to wear both Hakama and Haori. The less formal situation is only wearing Haori yet without Hakama. The most casual case is to wear Kimono without both Hakama and Haori, and which is the so called Kinagashi. In the edo period, it was custom that samurais wore hakama and high-ranked merchants wore haori. In the historic novel, sometimes the outfit of a specific character is emphasized to be kinagashi, which is thought to be because he is an outlaw or the author wants to indicate the scene is casual occasion.
When it comes to female, except to disguise as a man, any form of wearing is not called kinagashi.
It was the official wear for women to wear without hakama and haori. Thus when the wearing is described as kinagashi which means casual wear, it becomes incongruous.