Kaga Yuzen Dyeing Based on what was called Kaga no Okunizome, which had already been perfected by the beginning of the Edo period (1600-1868) in Kanazawa, Kaga yuzen dyeing developed as a result of pattern dyeing techniques that were carried out by Miyazaki Yuzen with dyers at the local clan workshops. Highly representative of a Japanese style of colorful and yet refined pattern dyeing, this work is characterized firstly by its flower and bird motifs as well as mountain landscapes, which set the tone. The use of dark red, indigo, yellow ocher, grass green and ancient purple, five classical colors so closely associated with Kaga and the grading of colors within the design are also a special feature. This page uses QuickTime. To download click on the icon. Stage One Design: The difficult job of developing a design especially for a kimono falls to the artist and it is the design which will inevitably bear his stamp. It is up to him to try and create something new, while respecting the traditions of Kaga yuzen and drawing on the natural environment, culture and classical literature of Kanazawa. Stage Two Preparations: A number of different cloth are used. Quite often the cloth is a Tango crepe from Kyoto or a Hama crepe from Nagahama in Shiga prefecture. Silk from the Komatsu and Fukui areas of Ishikawa prefecture is also used. The cloth is cut up and tacked into the shape of a kimono, in order to be able to match up the different parts of the pattern. Stage Three Underdrawing: The design is sketched out full size on good quality paper and laid on a light table. The tacked up kimono is laid on top of the drawing and the design is drawn with a fugitive dye extracted from the dayflower. In some case the artist may work from his original sketches. Stage Four Click on the picture for QuickTime Movie Outlining: A line of rice-paste resist is now traced over the outline of the design. This line of resist acts as a barrier between the other areas of color and prevents the colored dyes from bleeding into each other. Stage Five Fixing: When some of the outlining with the rice-paste resist has been completed, a thin coat of soya bean liquid or a starch extracted from seaweed (funorin) is applied to the back of the cloth with a brush, and immediately dried with a powerful heat source. This helps to fix the rice-paste resist and dispels the fugitive dye drawing. Stage Six Click on the picture for QuickTime Movie Coloring: This is the main stage of the production process and principally involves the application of the five traditional colors most closely associated with Kaga yuzen, using a variety of brushes. In order to prevent the colors from seeping into one another, a gentle heat source is applied at the back of the cloth. Next, the colors are steam fixed. This also prevents the resist applied at the next stage of production from being absorbed by the rice-paste resist. Stage Seven Resist: In preparation for dyeing the background, a rice-paste resist is applied to all the areas, which have been colored so far, to prevent them being colored by the background dye. Stage Eight Dyeing: Making sure to apply the color evenly, the wide expanse of background is now dyed using a wide brush. Stage Nine Main Steaming: When the background is dry, the cloth is put on special hangers and steamed. This makes the fiber swell and fixes the dye within the very structure of the fibers. Stage Ten Washing: In the past, the cloth was washed in a river but nowadays, it is immersed in running water for an hour to wash out any excess dye and to remove the resist. An especially distinctive feature of this cloth is the charm of the white line left around the elements of the design after the outline resist is washed away. Stage Eleven Finishing: The cloth is now dried, smoothed out with steam and finished. Any additions to the design are now made to complete the cloth.