Nagoya Black Dyeing Dyeing Aichi Prefecture Nagoya Black Dyeing Association 108 Kitakute-cho, Kita-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture tel 052-901-3953 Background At the beginning of the 17th century, the Owari clan controlled the area centered on present-day Nagoya. It was then that the Kosakai family--one of the families of retainers--was recognized as clan dyer by the Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the making of clan flags and banners at this time led to the establishment of this craft. The dyeing of a black cloth with reversed-out family crests for clan members and others began at the end of the Edo period (1600-1868). In the middle of the 19th century, dyeing in the area became very much more organized and a union was formed. In order to faithfully reproduce a family crest on a piece dyed cloth, a paper stencil is used. The mon'ate amitsuke technique, which is peculiar to Nagoya, is used and although time consuming, the black shows no tendency to seep. In the case of brush dyeing, a starch paste resist is applied and dyed by the torobiki kurozome technique to produce a rich black. Nowadays, formal kimono and those for mourning are most commonly made and there are 11 government recognized Master Craftsmen among the 123 employed by the 47 firms sustaining this craft.