Introducing A Traditional Craftwork Studio For Kimono/Yukata (Cotton Summer Kimono) In Tokyo

In connection to my previous post regarding the difference between Japanese traditional clothes "Kimono" and "Yukata", I'd like to introduce a traditional work studio for the fabrics today.

The left hand side photo is showing a studio for “Nagaita-Chukei (Long board-Middle size)”. Can you guess what it means? Actually this is the name of one type of traditional Japanese indigo dyeing. The products from this type of dyeing is used for making the highest grade of summer cotton Kimono (Yukata). “Long board” came from the tool（16.5～19.7 feet long) used in this dying and “Middle size” indicates the size of the design patterns (Kimonos are classified by the size of the design patterns). 

Nagaita-Chukei is very traditional and requires many years of training, so only the Noguchi Dyeing Studio in Hachioji continues to use this technique with organic ingredients as used in the day of yore. What is unique about their technique is that they mask both sides of the cloth before dyeing. The contrast of the indigo blue and the white becomes perfectly clear as you can see in the upper right hand side photo. This is very difficult since the design on the top and the bottom of the cloth have to be matched perfectly.

Now there are only two craftsmen, Mr. Noguchi and his son (in the left hand side photo), remaining who practice Edo (old name of Tokyo area) style Nagaita-Chukei dyeing throughout Japan. It is sad to say but in fact the numbers of craftsmen are rapidly decreasing for many Japanese traditional craftworks. It might be an inevitable consequence of the quick changes happening in modern days.

Mr. Noguchi seemed to take the fact calmly and said “Nowadays, not everybody is buying Kimonos since they are not everyday clothes anymore. Moreover, I don’t think our old-fashioned method is fitting in the current market system since it takes too much time and work. Today everything has to be done fast using high-tech tools like the internet. Even if there was a person who wanted to learn this technique, I can’t guarantee that he could make a living. So I can’t recommend it as a job to anybody…” However I really hope these beautiful fabrics and their fantastic techniques are handed down to generations to come.  

The fabrics are actually available at the studio. People can buy them directly from Mr. Noguchi although they have to buy at least a whole role of it (about 39 feet, which is enough length to make a Kimono/Yukata) .