Hitoshi
The Story
The history of Kaga yuzen dates back 500 years to umezome, a dyeing technique distinctive to the Kaga district of Kanazawa city. By the mid-17th century, a delicate pattern dyeing technique called Kaga gokokuzome was established, which evolved into today’s Kaga Yuzen dyeing technique, further enhanced when it was combined with the designs of Miyazaki Yuzenzai, a fan painter who gained popularity in Kyoto during the Edo period.
Hitoshi Maida is craftsman who produces a dye from the purple dayflower, which is used for making rough sketches and for underglaze painting. Born in 1974 in Kanazawa, he studied under his father, internationally renowned designer Kenji Maida, with the expectation that he would take over the family business. While his parents focused on making kimonos, Hitoshi was making interior decorations for hotels and other locations, creating textiles, art panels, lamps, and glass fixtures. His own work has received a number of prizes for design, and he now serves has a Director of the Kaga Yuzen Cultural Association.
In conjunction with the renovation of his workshop, Hitoshi revived his garden and planted a patch of purple dayflowers in order to make dyes. He hopes to grow a variety of plants to be used for sketching, and as a means of revitalizing the garden as a symbol of bio-cultural diversity. The garden would be a place for elementary school students to visit, to convey the fun and enjoyment of yuzen to a new generation.
The Craft
Kaga yuzen is characterized by the Kaga gosai, or five colors of Kaga (indigo, rouge, ochre, grass, and ancient purple), as well as for its realistic, painterly patterns based on floral motifs. Techniques such as mushigui, which depicts leaves eaten by insects, and saki-bokashi, which creates a three-dimensional effect, are also used. The use of gold leaf, tie-dyeing, embroidery, or other decorative techniques are rarely used in the finishing process, in a distinct difference from the famous Kyo-yuzen of Kyoto.
The process involved in Kaga Yuzen consists of nine main steps, all of which require a high degree of skill. As it takes both time and patience to complete each hand-dyed piece of Kaga Yuzen, the art is highly valued. Contemporary Kaga Yuzen artists decide on their color scheme based on Kaga-gosai, reflecting the trend of the time or their own personal preferences. Traditionally parents and children created their own designs, which was distinct to their family.
The Maida workshop is characterized by its integrated production of all processes of kimono production, the only studio to use such a system, out of the 130 yuzen craftsmen throughout Kanazawa.
The dyeing process is done by drawing a line called a “bank” with rice starch and rubber starch, creating an area that cannot be dyed, then covering it with starch and dyeing the item. The base dyeing is done by brush dyeing, using a brush is made of deer hair. All processes are handmade and take about six months.
The workshops are generally not open to the public, but visitors with pre-arrangements are welcome. Hitoshi will talk about the Kaga Yuzen’s history, and about some of his recent work. Guests can then experience a part of the yuzen dyeing process, such as examining the silk fabric, making a bank with glue, and coloring it with a brush. Photos can also be taken while wearing a special decorative kimono.
Selected works
