Arimatsu Shibori Matsuri part 2

Back with more indigo tie-dyed goodness!  

Some who commented on the last post mentioned surprise at finding such stunning tie-dyes.  Agreed!  When I first came to Japan  the mention of "tie-dye" was certain to induce a technicolor flashback of dancing bears sliding down a rainbow into some Deadhead's back pocket filled with... anyway, that all changed when I was introduced to Arimatsu Shibori.  There are other types of shibori, by the way, and from what I've seen, they are all very special, but ARIMATSU claims top honors with me.  Hometown color, dig?  

THE BLUE.  THIS BLUE.  I LOVE IT VERY MUCH. 

The irregularities in the very regulated patterns

The way these colors age is an inspiration to all things that age

This time around I got to see some of the shibori masters at work.  About six women were set up in an open store-front, on display, each busy tying off different shibori designs.  It was crowded with Lookee-Lous and neighborhood folk stopping by to chat with the Flying Fingers.  

These women sit seiza, legs folded under and feet beneath the butt, on a thin cushion, in front of a wooden stand that holds the 33 cm wide cloth.  

Some of the stands have attachments that serve as forms to shape the ties.  The cloth is marked with a master pattern of dots, they've been stenciled on as guides for the repeating pattern, or in some more elaborate cases, an entire picture that will come to life once its assembled as a kimono.  

The women were all sporting various types of shibori gear as they worked and the oldest woman was by far the fastest.  

When the roll is completely tied off, prior to dyeing, they resemble mop heads.

The shibori museum (yes!)  has rolls hanging in a showcase that have been completed in stages, so we can see, in linear fashion how it all proceeds.  

Plain white cotton is tied, dyed and then untied.  

I'd love to be in on the untying and opening!  From this indigo rope comes this?!  

They've been tying these designs for over 400 years!  

Each roll takes between four and ten months to create! 

No wonder the real deal is SO expensive.  And like many traditional arts/crafts around the world, in danger of disappearing.  

So we celebrate and pay respect. 

Sing old-time songs

No festival is complete without beer and street food.  In my case, tama-sen, a griddle-fried egg sandwiched between a big shrimp cracker, drizzled with a little Japanese brown sauce.  Tasty!  

Just be sure to wipe your hands before heading back into the fabric zone, no one wants sauce on their yukata! 

Yukata are symbols of summer.  

Blowing in the breeze they seem so airy and cool

The reality of actually wearing one, however, is not so cool.  

While blue rules, there are other colors of shibori.

Purple is another favorite of mine.  Check this blog's banner for a close-up of really tiny purple shiboris.  

I always enjoy seeing other festival-goers sporting shibori or related gear.  

Check the shibori umbrella

It ain't all yukata and handkerchiefs.   

Since the Edo era, handkerchiefs and towels have been standard Arimatsu souvenirs.  It's all most folks could afford. During the festival there is an excess of inexpensive goodies available, hand towels, table runners, pouches, totebags, Japanese split curtains, t-shirts... and in the interest of full disclosure, a number of these items are, like many others in the world, Made In China.  

Clothes favored by grandmas.  

Tailored blouses made in Nagoya

There's a lot of remnants available, many ends of yukata rolls, so they are very narrow.  Typical garment sized lengths are not abundant, still, I found a couple lengths

Yes, people, this is the WHAT I SCORED PORTION.  The piece on the left is 100% cotton, very light and crinkly.  You can still see the tiny holes from the shibori threads. I haven't decided what it's destined for, there's about 1.5 meters but it's a bit narrow. 

The second piece is 2 meters of 51/49 silk/cotton that drapes well and screams summer to me.  Skirt?  Aloha style shirt? Ideas?  This one actually had a tiny flaw so it was quite cheap, about ten bucks.  

It was hot, my neck was frying in the sun so I HAD to buy a cotton tenugui to tie around my neck. 

And because I'm not only a sucker for indigo blue, but also red and black, this very inexpensive soft, cotton gauze handkerchief came home with me.  

Whew.  On the train ride home, an older woman and I chatted about our finds and the excellence of shibori.  All was well.  


For more shibori info, please check out the Shibori Museum website they have a decent English section.  

Arimatsu Shibori Matsuri part 1

Tie-Dye, not just for hippies anymore!  


Every year, during the first weekend of June, the Arimatsu neighborhood in southeast Nagoya celebrates the art of Shibori, old-school Japanese tie-dyeing.  Dude, it's a fabric festival! 

Arimatsu has been home to shibori masters for over 400 years.  The town was a stop along the old Tokaido-sen, one of early Edo-era postal routes, and even back in those days people picked up souvenir shibori towels and handkerchiefs.  Word spread. 

Indigo-dyed, natural white fabric is what most people think of when they think of Arimatsu Shibori, and yukata, Japanese summer festival robes, often come to mind.

If these are too subdued for your taste, no worries, there are rolls of shibori fabric in all the colors of the 'bow. 

One roll should be enough to make a yukata or kimono, about 9 meters (unless you are BiginJapan, then you probably need more).  The rolls are narrow, per standard construction techniques.   You buy the entire roll, if you don't want it all, tough. There are lots of remnants available, but they are not usually garment-size and they're often pricey, which if you do the math is not surprising, the above rolls are in the ¥30,000 ($375 US)  price range.  (Rolls on the cheap end of the spectrum run about ¥8000 and I've seen incredible rolls that are priced in the hundreds of thousands of yen, that's thousands of dollars for my fellow countrywomen.)  Ah yes, the remnants.  Remnants are often put to use in patchwork bags, pouches, hats, aprons, appliques...

So just what does one DO at the Arimatsu Shibori Matsuri?  Ye Olde Main Street is closed to traffic, so people roam freely amongst the old merchant houses and roast in the sun. 

Hats or parasols are highly recommended and readily available for purchase if you're caught without.      

Increase your chance for health, wealth and happiness by getting bonked on the head with a rake by the tall red guy.  

Check out the dashi, tall wooden floats that house the band and are pulled through the streets, by men, not trucks, during the fall festival. An early version of the tour van? 

After digging through remnants,

wander through the gardens of a merchant house.

Step inside and ogle the kimono.  

Kimono designs that are made up of thousands of tiny tie-dyed dots.  

Einstein is too! 

Some of these old merchant houses have been designated cultural properties and are protected from being torn down. 

On a regular day you can't enter most of them, but during the festival they are the place to be if you want to get shibori  

for a yukata or kimono.

Or just drool. 

You can pay one of the festival guys to haul your tired ass in a rickshaw.  

And you can even try your hand at a small shibori project. 

Eyes on the prize, ladies!  You'll never be as fast as this woman! 

If you're  interested in additional shibori details, I suggest you check the Shibori Museum website.  There is a good English page with an outline and photos of the process, the various patterns and info on some of the houses.  I'll tie up this post now and be back with part two, hopefully soon, with more on the actual process, lots of yukata, fabric and the important report on what I scored.