"Translating" a Technique in a Different Country - Katazome in Australia

It's been 8 years since I first tried to replicate katazome resist dyeing in Australia. After spending a year on exchange at Kyoto Seika University during my undergraduate studies, I'd come back with a burning enthusiasm to try and see if the same technique could be achievable with local supplies. It turns out, yes - but with much modification.

When you start to look at traditional crafts without applying the lens of "sacred and untouchable", you find at the core of it all a basic process that utilises a series of specific tools and ingredients to achieve a beautiful end result. The gadgets and materials that have come to be synonymous with a particular traditional craft (think shibugami stencil paper with katazome) have only obtained that status because they've developed over time in line with that culture and with other industries developing simultaneously.

What I mean is,

Dye brushes at Kuriyama-kobo, a katazome company
on the western edge of Kyoto

why would katazome use deer-hair brushes? Probably because 1. there were deer around and 2. an industry already existed making deer-hair brushes for use in traditional painting. Why would one utilise thin rods of bamboo with sharp spikes at the end to stretch fabric taut? Presumably because bamboo was already being formed into products for other purposes at the time. Katagami stencil paper could not have developed without the existing Japanese skills in washi papermaking - from which the stencil paper is made.

Very traditional stencil paper - shibugami

The thing is, if we look at the technique of katazome as it stands now, there is a very polished, established and institutionalised way of practicing it. It is basically understood to involve a set of specific tools and materials (mochi rice flour, komon rice bran, stencil paper, soybean & seaweed derived fixative). These are presumed to be the ultimate, most refined and correct way to achieve the best results. Of course it is fair to think that. These are not tools and materials that are used by accident - they have gone through a few hundred years of use and modification.

Whilst there is now some deviation from these very traditional and quintessential ingredients and processes, like a modified plasticised stencil paper or a chemical pre-dye fixative, there is still a very set way of doing things.

Newer plasticised stencil paper

How about if you want to use katazome in a country where those quintessential tools and materials are not only unavailable, they're simply not part of our culture. Bamboo, deer hair, rice flour and washi paper have only, if at all, recently been part of our vocabulary let alone available to purchase. They simply aren't part of our natural environment or resources.

Applying shinshi stretchers to long narrow fabric

So okay, why not seek to uncover what function these ingredients and tools perform within the katazome process and utilise something locally available to perform the same task?

Instead of lamenting that shinshi (bamboo fabric stretchers) are unavailable in Australia (they have no reason to be; historically we've never needed to be able to stretch a narrow kimono-width fabric out to dry) why not consider what function they are performing (stretching the fabric taut whilst leaving the back side accessible) and seek to replicate that function? A wooden frame with pins to hold the fabric out taut performs the same function. Of course, this is not as flexible as the centuries-tried-and-true shinshi approach but it is a workable solution.

Funori - looks natural and traditional, I guess

Manutex - not pretty but same stuff on the inside

Alright, what about the funori  - a seaweed derived gloopy thickener used in the pre-dye fixative? Well, if you get down to the nitty-gritty of what's actually in that stuff, you'd find that it's the same seaweed gloop that we use as a food thickener in Australia and it also already exists as a substrate for use in screen printing. Powdered "Manutex F" does not have the same natural look or roll off the tongue as nicely as funori, sure, but it performs the same basic function. 

And so you can continue with all the necessary tools and ingredients in the hallowed katazome tomes and see what can be used to achieve the same result.



For some ingredients the swap is simple. Others are proving more difficult. Soft, dense dye brushes, fine de-fatted rice-bran, water erasable ao-bana ink.... But it is really just a matter of thinking outside the box. To be able to source tools and materials locally would be the ideal situation. Not to remove the technique from its Japanese roots entirely, but to make it viable.


There are many specialised businesses in Kyoto, for example, which have operated as family-run enteprises for some hundreds of years. They each have their own niche of the textile process to support; the nori (resist paste) manufacturer and shop, the shinshi (bamboo stretcher) specialist, the kimono-width silk salesroom, the specialised craftsmen making circular punches for intricate stencil carving...More and more these businesses are struggling to survive. With the demise of the kimono as daily and common wear, these businesses that thrived and supported the kimono industry now have little patronage to subsist on. If I were still in Kyoto, I would continue to support these businesses with my own hard-owned yen and utilise them in my artwork but I fear even that is simply not enough.

Just one example of the many kimono industry support businesses that are often now finding it hard to stay afloat

If, and it would seem likely, these businesses continue to shut-down, there is no-one left to make the traditional katagami, to bulk-produce batches of nori paste, to make specific lengths of shinshi, to craft tiny sharp circular punches. Like any loss of knowledge and skills, this is tragic, it really is. But this is the way it goes. Crafts are only in demand so much as they are an active and necessary part of our daily lives. Without that demand, they become obsolete. There are many example of innovative companies and individuals who are thinking outside the box to continue supporting Kyoto's craft industries and make them relevant to today's society (these are something I plan to touch on in future) but I think we also need to be realistic. Whilst continuing to support traditional industry where possible, I think we need to start accepting that there are alternatives, so that the techniques can actually survive - even if some of the tools cannot.

It seems to me that in the end, even if it means modifying many of the components of the technique, having the ability to actually practice the technique at all, and see it survive into the future is the best way to honour tradition.

A tradition is kept alive only by something being added to it. - Henry James

On that note, I'm off to continue testing out new resist-paste recipes!

Looking and Learning - Studio Visits 工房見学によってエネルギーを。

「クリエーションに必要なことは、できるだけ多くのものを見たり、体験したり、勉強したり、また遊んだり、そんないろんなことで自分自身の感性を豊かにしていくことだと思います。経験は時間やお金に変えがたいものです。一日一日すべての事の積み重ねが自分達を成長させるエネルギーです。」今井 淳裕、千總　図案家

(my own translation) "To be able to create something you need to look at, experience, study and play with a wide variety of things. I believe all of these things enrich your own sensitivities. Money and time are no match for EXPERIENCE. The accumulation of your experiences each and every day become the energy that allows you to grow and move forward." Imai Atsuhiro, Designer for Chiso, Kyoto-Yuzen Kimono Company

この言葉が机の上に張ってあります。去年、今井さんが京都精華大学で毎年開催されている「京都の伝統美術工芸」講座に発表した時にこの言葉に感動しました。確かに制作したい気持ちを持つだけのが足りないですね。日本で大学院に入ったばかりで、これからの二年間を今井さんがおっしゃったのように時間を豊かに使いたいです！ということで、この二週間に三つの工房を見学しに行って来てしまいました！

I have these words pinned up above my desk. I was able to sit in on a talk given by Imai-san at Kyoto Seika University last year as part of the regularly run course "Kyoto's Traditional Arts & Crafts". As a creator of sorts just starting out, these words really resonated with me. It's true that you can't force creation in a vacuum and something will always be lacking if you produce work with blinders on. Having just entered the 2 year master's course at Kyoto Seika, I am especially keen to make the most of my time and widen my experiences as Imai-san suggested. And so, partly by chance, it happens that I visited 3 different dyeing studios in Kyoto in the past 2 weeks.

The central garden space in Takahashitoku 高橋徳YDSの庭。素敵！

 行って見た一つ目は「高橋徳」という友禅工房。味がある伝統的なビルにあって、一階が座敷のギャラリーと友禅小物の展示室になっています。中心に素敵な庭もあります！それで、二階には素敵なものが作られています！作業中の様子が見えて、染めている着物を見たら、「細かい！」と思うしか出来なかった。防染糊としてゴム糊が使われていて、指で触ってみたら生地に何も置いていないと思うほど細かい糊の線でした。染める人々が１人ずつのスペースがあって、筆や染料が色の試し布が全部並べていた。そういうきちんと整っている作業場所を見ると何よりも羨ましかった！

The first was "Takahashitoku" a Kyoto Yuzen Dyeing Workshop that has been around for 100 years or so in the heart of textiles territory in Kyoto's west. They create quite traditional looking yuzen dyed items and work as a contractor for other kimono companies in Kyoto. It's in this beautiful old building with a gallery and shop downstairs and the magic happening upstairs. We were able to see some kimono being dyed and...just, wow! The resist lines of the yuzen were so fine that you would barely see them were they not using a blue rubber based resist paste. The dedicated workspace for each dyer, with rows of brushes and small dishes with the various colours of dye all ready to go really appealed to the perfectionist in me! I'm standing there thinking, "What am I doing in Master's?! I want to come here and just concentrate on dyeing this ridiculously detailed kimono for 6 hours straight a day!" Call me crazy, perhaps. I was also happy and relieved to see that what I thought were my shonky methods (using laundry pegs and old plastic containers etc) are totally legitimate! Well, I'm not the only one, at least. 

Laundry clips and plastic containers and creative mess is legit! Phew!! 

訪ねてみた二件目は「栗山工房」でした。京都の右京区にあって、自然に囲まれている綺麗な場所です。オーストラリアから旅行に来たイラストレーターに一緒に行きました。工房のツアーで色んな段階を見せてくれました。大きな部屋には染作業に集中している６人ぐらいが居ました。１人ずつが着物一反を染めていくらしいです。それで、糊置きの部屋も見えました。糊板がびっしり頭の上に並べていました。その時間糊置きはしていなかったですが、紙の上に親切に糊置きのやりかたを見せました。何十年もやっている手しかできない速さで丁寧に型紙を繰り返して模様を完璧にあわせました。さすが！

The second atelier I visited was "Kuriyama Kobo" a katazome studio out on the beautiful western edge of Kyoto. I went with a fellow textiles fanatic, Tallulah who was visiting from Australia. We were given a tour of the various parts of the studio. First, the dyeing area where a group of dyers were each quietly working away on one entire length of kimono fabric, kept taut on a special roller system. Clever! Also the pasting room with a very low ceiling where one man was busy smoothing a length of kimono silk (approx 12 metres) onto a sticky wooden table, making sure it remains straight and wrinkle free. This then gets left in the hands of the very skilled paster. There wasn't anything being printed while we were there but the pasting man kindly gave us a quick demo on some paper, flicking the spatula around with such confidence. The studio had a great family vibe about it, the older staff supporting fresh graduates who have recently entered the company and everyone working closely together.

The dyers at Kuriyama Kobo. I want one of these roller systems! 栗山工房の染所

Mmm, blue resist paste. They put this strong blue coloured pigment in their paste to make it easy to see. Looks nasty though.　栗山工房では糊に青いを入れています。使いやすいかもしれないが、見た目はなんか気持ち悪い。

He's never done this before. Not.　全然糊置きしたことないようね。嘘です。

perfectly matched detailed printing.　完璧にあわせた細かい模様。

apparently there are some avid bird watchers at the studio!工房の誰かが鳥が好きそうです＾＾

one of the dyers was dyeing a goldfish pattern. I think this was on linen.　金魚の模様が色差し中。

それでは、最後の工房はロウケツ染めの「青野工房」でした。（今気付いたばっかりだけど、３軒とも違う防染技法を使っている工房だった！）京都の西本願寺の近くにあります。１９８０年に工房を設立した青野保夫さんがその日居て、とても楽しい出会いでした。工房の壁にビートルズの時計やジョン・レノンの写真とかがあったり、ギターも隅に置いたというような雰囲気がある工房で作られている着物や帯は確かにカッコイイ物ばっかりです！今までに見た着物とは全然違う気がします。青野さんの性格がその鮮やかで独特なデザインに出ていると思います。

And finally, (I've just realised that I managed to visit 3 different studios using 3 different resist dyeing techniques! Go me!!) "Aono Kobo" a rouketsu-zome (wax resist dyeing) studio tucked away in the suburbs not too far from Kyoto Station, near Nishi Honganji Temple. This place was such a treat. Aono Yasuo the master of the place is such a character and we were lucky that he was there that day. The walls are decorated with Beatles paraphenalia and the bathroom has become guitar storage, The Kimono that Aono kobo produce are so different from what I have seen before and I think it's really the playful, independant attitude of Aono-san coming through in the designs. Think kimono with words like "PEACE" and "LOVE" spelled out in large abstracted lettering or flame designs or bright blocks of colour with aztec-like border designs. 

Aono-san doing his thing. Applying dye after the wax resist had been hand-painted on. ロウが筆で置いたあと、手早く染めている青野さん。

Aono-san working on this kimono influenced by city nightscapes. 

It was great to hear Aono-san talking (and laughing) about what Kimono mean to him and how others in the Kimono world may view his style as almost taboo but that making something the same way as someone else serves no purpose. He is dedicated to the traditionally held virtue of kimono, that is, beautiful to look at on display as well as bringing out the beauty of the wearer. But at he really builds on this is very playful and unconventional with the placement of design elements, use of colours and fabrics. It was a breath of fresh air to meet someone (especially someone who is Japanese) with an open-minded approach to Kimono. It gives me the hope that Kimono may be able to be kept alive and relevant to young generations.

工房の見学っていうのは他人の創造的な脳にお邪魔するのようなことだと思います。作業のやりかた、何から影響を受けているのか、生活の中に作業がどういう風にに入れているなどが見えます。そういう大切なところが見えてすごくありがたいです。この３つの工房を見に行ってから新しいアイディアやインサイトが出来て、今井さんが京都精華での発表に言った「エネルギー」も与えられたと気がします。

Visiting a studio is like going inside somebody else's creative brain. You see how they work, what they are influenced by, how they integrate their life and their creation. I'm really grateful to have been allowed to see inside these quite private places. These visits have given me new insights and ideas and the energy to move forward that Imai-san spoke about in his lecture.