![Khalili Collection Kimono 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Khalili_Collection_Kimono_02.jpg)
is a Japanese
resist dyeing
Resist dyeing (resist-dyeing) is a traditional method of dyeing textiles with patterns. Methods are used to "resist" or prevent the dye from reaching all the cloth, thereby creating a pattern and ground. The most common forms use wax, some type ...
technique where dyes are applied inside outlines of dyed or undyed rice-paste
resist
A resist, used in many areas of manufacturing and art, is something that is added to parts of an object to create a pattern by protecting these parts from being affected by a subsequent stage in the process. Often the resist is then removed.
For ...
, which may be drawn freehand or stencilled; the paste keeps the dye areas separated. Originating in the 17th century, the technique became popular as both a way of subverting
sumptuary laws
Sumptuary laws (from Latin ''sūmptuāriae lēgēs'') are laws that try to regulate consumption. ''Black's Law Dictionary'' defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expendi ...
on dress fabrics,
and also as a way to quickly produce
kimono
The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...
that appeared to be painted freehand with dyes. The technique was named after
Miyazaki Yūzen , also known as Miyazaki Yūzensai or Yūzenzai, was a Japanese fan painter who perfected the fabric dyeing technique.
Biography
Miyazaki was born in Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city ...
, a 17th century fan painter who perfected the technique.
Miyazaki Yūzen , also known as Miyazaki Yūzensai or Yūzenzai, was a Japanese fan painter who perfected the fabric dyeing technique.
Biography
Miyazaki was born in Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city ...
's fan designs became so popular that a book called the was published in 1688, showing similar patterns applied to (the predecessor of the
kimono
The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...
). A fashion for elaborate pictorial designs lasted until 1692.
Technique
There are several subtypes of technique.
The first is , sometimes also called .
First, a sketch is drawn freehand on the cloth or paper, using a black
heat-labile ink made from
dayflower
''Commelina'' is a genus of approximately 170 species commonly called dayflowers due to the short lives of their flowers. They are less often known as widow's tears. It is by far the largest genus of its family, Commelinaceae. The Swedish taxonom ...
s.
[ A paste of rice powder, rice paste, rice bran and lime (called ) is then piped from a cone, following the outline. These ridges of paste are called . A bean-based liquid called is then applied as a ]mordant
A mordant or dye fixative is a substance used to set (i.e. bind) dyes on fabrics by forming a coordination complex with the dye, which then attaches to the fabric (or tissue). It may be used for dyeing fabrics or for intensifying stains in ...
, to make the dyes penetrate better. The dye-application stage is called .[ Dye is painted on using a brush. The ridges of paste separate the areas of dye, rather like cloissoné enamel. Within an area of dye, the brush can be used to apply ]ombré
''Ombré'' (literally "shaded" in French) is the blending of one color hue to another, usually moving tints and shades from light to dark. It has become a popular feature for hair coloring, nail art, and even baking, in addition to its uses in h ...
gradients (, "ombré-dyeing"). , a step where the fabric is steamed at for around 20–40 minutes, may be applied at this stage to set the colours,[ or steaming may be omitted until after the background is dyed.] The background is dyed by covering all of the already-dyed areas with additional resist pastes, then applying the background dye either with a brush (), or by dipping the fabric in a vat of dye (),[ sometimes with additional (tie-dye) patterning.] The step washes the paste out of the fabric; this is now done in a specialized sink rather than a clear stream.[ The cloth may then be steamed again to adjust its dimensions, and other forms of decoration, such as embroidery, could be applied.]
In the 1870s, the technique was developed. It used synthetic aniline dye
Aniline is an organic compound with the formula C6 H5 NH2. Consisting of a phenyl group attached to an amino group, aniline is the simplest aromatic amine. It is an industrially significant commodity chemical, as well as a versatile starting m ...
s, newly-introduced to Japan, and mixed them with the resist-paste. When the cloth was steamed, the dyes would penetrate the cloth, while the paste remained on the surface. The thus acted as both a dye and a resist against the other dyes. Stencils were extensively used. In 1879, this technique was used to dye a wool cloth called , producing (wool was a new import to Japan at the time). Adapting the technique to silk took more time; Hirose Jisuke of Kyoto is credited for developing the technique.
In 1881, improvements in the dye-paste and steaming techniques made it possible to dye the background using paste (), often using brighter colours than traditional techniques. Instead of scrolling the cloth past an artist who decorated part of it at a time, the whole length was spread on a board. All of the coloured pastes were applied through stencils with a spatula, and a different stencil was used for each colour (rather like Japanese woodblock printing
Woodblock printing in Japan (, ''mokuhanga'') is a technique best known for its use in the ''ukiyo-e'' artistic genre of single sheets, but it was also used for printing books in the same period. Widely adopted in Japan during the Edo period (160 ...
). Brushwork through stencils was used only for creating gradients. A stencil for undyed paste was used to create skiamorph
A skeuomorph (also spelled skiamorph, ) is a derivative object that retains ornamental design cues (attributes) from structures that were necessary in the original. Skeuomorphs are typically used to make something new feel familiar in an effort t ...
ic white outlines between the areas of colour, making the finished pattern resemble .
The Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris introduced (a Western art movement heavily influenced by Japanese art) to Japanese artists. In the early 20th century, developed new designs inspired by .
Though similar in appearance to differs in application, with pieces generally using one application of rice paste before dyeing, typically in an indigo
Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...
dyebath, resulting in a characteristic blue-and-white end result. In contrast, can feature a number of repeated applications of rice paste, with dye hand painted into certain areas before the resist is removed.
Present day
continues to be a popular decoration technique for kimono and , typically used for more formal outfits, and commonly seen on kimono such as . Unlike other kimono dyeing techniques such as , has never fallen out of fashion or been forgotten as a textile decoration technique. Dyers such as Moriguchi Kako
is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 142,655 in 73353 households and a population density of 11,000 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Moriguchi borders the northeast ...
of Kyoto continue to create dyed kimono, which were so sought after that the contemporary fashion industry designed an industrial method to copy them for use on Western style clothing. Famous designers, such as Hanae Mori
was a Japanese fashion designer. She was one of only two Japanese women to have presented her collections on the runways of Paris and New York, and the first Asian woman to be admitted as an official ''haute couture'' design house by the Fédé ...
, borrowed extensively from kimono patterns for their couturier collections. By the late 1980s, a new handwoven and hand-dyed kimono had become extremely costly, running to US$25,000 for a formal garment.
In Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
, techniques have also been used to produce the stencil dyed fabric native to that region, producing brightly-coloured textiles considered to be artistic national treasures.
variations
, or , is a technique where velvet
Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...
is dyed and painted with the technique, after which the pile is cut away carefully in certain places, creating a painterly effect of light and shade. The technique first appeared in the 19th century and was described in 1905 by Basil Hall Chamberlain
Basil Hall Chamberlain (18 October 1850 – 15 February 1935) was a British academic and Japanologist. He was a professor of the Japanese language at Tokyo Imperial University and one of the foremost British Japanologists active in Japan during th ...
. Although technically a form of velvet painting
A velvet painting is a type of painting distinguished by the use of velvet (usually black velvet) as the support, in place of canvas, paper, or similar materials. The velvet provides an especially dark background against which colors stand out.
...
, works are not comparable to Western and Middle Eastern velvet paintings, which utilise velvet as a canvas
Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...
.
See also
* , a traditional Japanese wax resist dye technique
* , a traditional stencil resist dye technique
* , a hand applied dye resist technique similar to
References
External links
*
*
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{{fabric
Japanese art terminology
Japanese dyeing techniques
Japanese words and phrases