A Short Video Of Traditional Japanese Indigo-Dyeing Work Of 'Nagaita-Chukei' Fabrics

This video was taken at the studio in Hachioji city which I introduced in my previous post. They are carrying on a rare and traditional technique of Indigo-Dyeing called Edo-style "Nagaita-Chukei" (Edo is the old name of Tokyo).  Their products are used for summer Kimono/Yukata. Also take a look at their beautiful fabrics shown below!

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) . 

What Is The Difference Between Kimono and Yukata?

Recently I introduced some topics relating Geishas, and posted the photos on the left end of the upper row. The traditional clothes Geisha ladies are wearing is called "Yukata" and actually Japanese people usually distinguish "Yukata" from the well-known Traditional Japanese clothes "Kimono".

What is the difference? The photos in upper row are showing "Yukata" and the photos in lower row are showing Kimono. It looks similar, but "Yukata" is always made of cotton and it is a single layer clothes. On the contrary, materials of Kimono can be anything. It can be made of cotton, silk, wool, and even polyester, and "Kimono" always has two layers or more and you can tell it by checking the neck. When people wear "Kimono" they show the layers clearly on the neck. The neck of the first layer tend to be white, but if a kimono has more than two layers people can add more colors and it can give nice color accents as you can see in the lower center photo. The neck of Kimono would be one of the parts people can show their fashion sense or color coordination. 

Moreover the difference between "Yukata" and "Kimono" is not only the material and structure. The usages of them are also different and it is actually shown in the Chinese characters of each. The Chinese characters of "Kimono (着物）" means "Things to Wear", so it is a general word for clothes/wear. On the other hand, the Chinese characters of "Yukata (浴衣）" actually means "bath-cloth" since it was originally for home-wear/bathrobe although nowadays people wear it to go out to festivals and events during summer. 

Therefore people still separate the two and "Yukata" would be considered as a very casual wear compared with the recognition that "Kimono" is a proper/formal wear. In the photos above, the upper left end photo and lower left end photo are both showing Hachioji Geisha ladies. Geisha is one of the jobs people always need to wear traditional clothes, but when they show dance or play instruments, which are their main work, in front of people they wear "Kimono", and when they just show up at some summer events or during their private time, people probably can find them in "Yukata". Maybe it is like the difference between wearing suits with a white shirts and wearing a T-shirts with a short pants?

Photos of Japanese University Graduates in March

March is the graduation season in Japan. All Japanese schools start a new school year in the beginning of April and finish it in March. So, sometime during this month, schools all over Japan hold their graduation ceremony.

At the ceremony, students need to be formal, which is not a problem for Jr. high school / high school graduates since most of them have school uniforms. How about university graduates? Actually most university students wear traditional Japanese clothes at their Graduation Ceremony and nobody wears Western style gown although most university freshmen wear Western suits at the Entrance Ceremony.

So, in March people often come across university graduates wearing traditional clothes like in the photos above. Girl graduates are especially gorgeous with their kimono, but you can see two different styles of kimono in the photos. The most popular style among girl graduates is not a standard formal kimono, though there is one girl wearing a standard formal kimono for young lady in the left photo.

The most popular style is called “Hakama style” which is a combination of Kimono and long wide trousers which you can see in other two photos on the right. In old times Hakama was used when Samurai daughters learned how to use swords or spears.

After Japan got a modern government, the style became a typical high school girls clothes, because in those days people still wore kimonos every day. Unfortunately, actions were too limited with kimonos. The Hakama style solved the problem so it was considered a very modern style of the new era and became popular among young girls. The style continues to be attractive as a school girls’ style, and many girls still choose to wear it at their graduation ceremony.