加賀友禅 (Kaga Yuzen)

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Kaga Yuzen was created by Miyazaki Yuzensai in Edo period. The traditional manufacturing technology have been taken over by hand through craftsmen and still using the same method.

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Around Kaga area,  various dyeing industry have been existed since almost 500 years ago. Kaga Yuzen technology was developed based on such historical dyeing technology.

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Kaga Yuzen manufactured with nature. Craftsmen washing Kaga Yuzen in the river for the finishing process. It is called Yuzen Nagashi and very famous for the people visits Kanazawa.

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Kaga Yuzen clothings are very beautiful and completely different from the clothing manufactured by mass production. It will never realized by mass production. I think it is not just an Kimono but also art. Every process are made by hands with nature.

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The manufacturing method is keeping in book.

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Kaga Yuzen designs based on nature and traditional patterns depicting picturesque sceneries of Ka-cho-fu-getsu (flowers, birds, wind and moon) are drawn on paper with a pencil in the same size as it will be Kimono.

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The design is traced onto a white silk kimono using fine brushes and a natural blue dye (Aobana). Swift movements obtained from intense training are required for this process.

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Paste made with glutinous rice (modi-gone, rice for making rice cakes) is put into a Japanese paper tube with a brass tip, and squeezed out to outline the design. At the end, a mist of water is sprayed on and the paste is swiftly dried (Fixing of paste).

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Brushes with fine, round and slanted tips are selectively used for different needs while painting the design. The quality of the finished product larger depends on this process; intense concentration is required.

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Before dyeing the background, the painted design is coated with paste for protection against getting dyed in the background color. The rice paste is squeezed out from the tube in a circular movement to evenly coat the design.

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The cloth is prepared one day ahead by brushing it with the juice of soy beans (background conditioning). Then, using a large brush made with deer hair, the cloth is evenly dyed to avoid any difference in the color, slowly dried, and dyed a few times by repeating this process.

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The cloth is put in a large streamer to fix the dyes by streaming it for about one hour. The amount, temperature, and even distribution of the steam are crucial.

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The cloth is soaked in water to expand the paste, then the paste and excess dyes are washed out. In earlier days, Yuzen-nagashi (rinsing of Yuzen strips in running water) could be seen at Sai and Asano rivers.

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Not only Kimono, but also various products are using Kaga Yuzen. In Kanazawa city, you can find craftsmen house who are creating Kaga yuzen.

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Above picture are Kaga yuzen made in Edo priod. It looks like Japanese painting called 水墨画, isn’t it? Craftsmen are also artistic painters.

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Pictures are taken at 長町友禅館 which was successor of 彩筆庵.

http://www.kagayuzen-club.co.jp

I visited 彩筆庵 almost 20 years ago, when I was a student of Kanazawa University, I deeply influenced the sensitiveness of Japanese traditional craftsmen skill and technology. It was very important memory for me.

2015-11-03 | Posted in ClothesNo Comments » 

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