![Arimatsu_Shibori手蜘蛛絞](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Arimatsu_Shibori%E6%89%8B%E8%9C%98%E8%9B%9B%E7%B5%9E.jpg)
is a
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
manual
tie-dyeing
Tie-dye is a term used to describe a number of resist dyeing techniques and the resulting dyed products of these processes. The process of tie-dye typically consists of folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling fabric or a garment, before binding ...
technique, which produces a number of different patterns on fabric.
History
Some discussion exists as to the origin of as a technique within Japan, and indeed, the exact country of origin of some of the earliest surviving examples. Much of the debate surrounds the technical capacities within Japan at the time to produce the variety of fabrics seen in some of the earliest examples.
One of the earliest written descriptions of dates to 238 CE, where it was recorded in the Chinese document ''
Chronicles of the Clans of Wei'' () that
Queen Himiko
, also known as , was a shamaness-queen of Yamatai-koku in . Early Chinese dynastic histories chronicle tributary relations between Queen Himiko and the Cao Wei Kingdom (220–265) and record that the Yayoi period people chose her as ruler fo ...
gifted the Emperor of the Wei dynasty over of "spotted cloth" – potentially describing a form of wax-resist decoration on the fabric.
The earliest surviving examples of -dyed cloth date back to the mid-8th century, donated to the
Tōdai-ji
is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year ...
Buddhist temple in
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...
in 756 CE, as part of the goods donated by the
Emperor Shōmu
was the 45th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 聖武天皇 (45)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749, during the Nara period.
Traditional narrative
...
upon his death. The techniques seen on these earliest fragments show bound resists, wax resists and folded and clamped resists.
However, at least some of the -dyed fabric in this collection is Chinese in origin.
Surviving examples of resist-dyeing in China (known as ) date to a much earlier time period; the earliest surviving examples dating to 418 CE.
Techniques
![Kosode_Fragment_with_Tortoiseshell_Pattern,_Waves,_and_Cherry_Blossoms_LACMA_M](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Kosode_Fragment_with_Tortoiseshell_Pattern%2C_Waves%2C_and_Cherry_Blossoms_LACMA_M.39.2.293_%281_of_2%29.jpg)
There are many ways to create , with techniques generally grouped into three categories: , tied or bound resists; , wax resists; and , resists where the fabric is folded and clamped between two carved wooden blocks. Most techniques recognised within these three categories have names and a number of varieties of technique.
The technique chosen and the resulting dyed fabric depends upon both the type of fabric and the dyestuff used; demands a pliant and easy-to-handle fabric, with some historic dyeing techniques – such as the original technique of – now impossible to recreate entirely due to the fact that the fabric necessary for the technique is no longer produced.
The desired end result for may be to create a larger pictographic or geometric design (as seen on many full- kimono), or simply to display the on its own. Differing techniques may be combined in some cases to achieve increasingly more elaborate results.
is what is commonly thought of in the West as
tie-dye
Tie-dye is a term used to describe a number of resist dyeing techniques and the resulting dyed products of these processes. The process of tie-dye typically consists of folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling fabric or a garment, before binding ...
. It involves binding certain sections of the cloth using thread – traditionally a type of untwisted thread known as – to achieve the desired pattern. The pattern achieved depends on how tightly the cloth is bound and where the cloth is bound. If random sections of the cloth are bound, the result will be a pattern of random circles. If the cloth is first folded then bound, the resulting circles will be in a pattern depending on the fold used.
![Arimatsu Shibori三浦絞](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Arimatsu_Shibori%E4%B8%89%E6%B5%A6%E7%B5%9E.jpg)
is also known as looped binding. It involves taking a hooked needle and plucking sections of the cloth. Then a thread is looped around each section twice. The thread is not knotted; tension is the only thing that holds the sections in place. The resulting dyed cloth is a water-like design. Because no knot is used, is very easy to bind and unbind, making this technique commonly used.
is a pleated and bound resist. This technique involves pleating sections of the cloth very finely and evenly. Then the cloth is bound in very close sections. The result is a very specific spider-like design. This specific design requires very precise technique.
includes stitched . A simple running stitch is used on the cloth then pulled tight to gather the cloth. The thread must be pulled very tight to work, and a wooden dowel must often be used to pull it tight enough. Each thread is secured by knotting before being dyed. This technique allows for greater control of the pattern and greater variety of pattern, but it is much more time consuming.
is also known as pole-wrapping . The cloth is wrapped on a diagonal around a pole. Then the cloth is very tightly bound by wrapping thread up and down the pole. Next, the cloth is scrunched on the pole. The result is a pleated cloth with a design on a diagonal. is the Japanese word for storm; the patterns are always on a diagonal in , which suggest the driving rain of a heavy storm.
is a shaped-resist technique. Traditionally, the cloth is sandwiched between two pieces of wood, which are held in place with string. The fabric is typically folded more than once, creating a repeating pattern of resists throughout the fabric when unfolded.
One of the traditional forms of textiles is (), also known as or . textiles were lining-weight fabrics dyed with pictorial patterns using red safflower () dye, and were used for underlayers or linings as recently as the early
Shōwa period
Shōwa may refer to:
* Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa
* Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu
Japanese eras
* Jōwa (Heian ...
(1926–1989), with production centred around Kyoto and
Takasaki
is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 372,369 in 167,345 households, and a population density of 810 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Takasaki is famous as the hometown of th ...
,
Gunma Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima ...
, a city known for the production of fine, lightweight silks.
The last dyeworks, the Yoshimura dyeworks of Takasaki, closed in 1932, and the technique of dyeing was relatively unknown until investigation into it was undertaken in 2010 by
Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada
Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada (born August 2, 1944) is a Japanese textile artist, curator, art historian, scholar, professor, and author. She has received international recognition for her scholarship and expertise in the field of textile art. In 2010, sh ...
and Masanao Arai, with the assistance of the Yoshimura dyeworks archive and the Takasaki-Beni-no-Kai research group. The research discovered that the boards used in the process were lacquered on all but the sides and centre to resist the dye, and were soaked in water for 2 weeks before dyeing, as dry boards would warp and distort the resist.
The low-quality, slightly coarse texture of the silk traditionally used in the process was important to the takeup of the dye and the ability to layer the fabric within the dye process, as the fabric would be folded eight times, with the ideal fabric weighing no more than per piece.
The fabric was folded using the technique, before a thin starch paste was applied to the faces of the boards to aid in the adhesion of the silk to its surface. The block was clamped tightly and hot dye was poured over the dye block – whilst rotating it to bathe every side in the dye – for three hours.
This resulted in a perfect recreation of the crisp red-and-white pictorial designs of older fabrics.
Modern textile artists, instead of using carved or uncarved wooden boards painted with lacquer, often use shapes cut from acrylic or plexiglass and holding the shapes with C-clamps. The shapes prevent the dye from penetrating the fabric they cover.
Gallery
See also
*
Tie-dye
Tie-dye is a term used to describe a number of resist dyeing techniques and the resulting dyed products of these processes. The process of tie-dye typically consists of folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling fabric or a garment, before binding ...
Notes
References
Further reading
* Dubrawsky, Malka. Optical illusion: combining with commercial fabrics. ''Quilting Arts''. Dec/Jan 2009, pages 46–50
*
Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada
Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada (born August 2, 1944) is a Japanese textile artist, curator, art historian, scholar, professor, and author. She has received international recognition for her scholarship and expertise in the field of textile art. In 2010, sh ...
, Mary Kellogg Rice, and Jane Barton. '': the inventive art of Japanese shaped resist dyeing''. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1983.
* Galli, Andrew and
Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada
Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada (born August 2, 1944) is a Japanese textile artist, curator, art historian, scholar, professor, and author. She has received international recognition for her scholarship and expertise in the field of textile art. In 2010, sh ...
. "Arimatsu, Narumi shibori celebrating 400 years of Japanese artisan design". (DVD) produced by Arimatsu Shibori Mutsumi-kai (Japan) ; Studio Galli Productions (USA) Fremont, Calif. 2007
* Southan, Mandy. ''Designs & Techniques''. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK: Search Press, 2009.
External links
World Networkkyoto shibori museum
{{Japan topics
Japanese words and phrases
Japanese dyeing techniques