Japanese Woven and dyed textiles Traditional crafts

Representative Woven and dyed textiles

Tokyo yuzen dyeing

Woven and dyed textiles Craft Items/Purchase

About Woven and dyed textiles

What are woven textiles and dyed textiles?

Textiles made by weaving pre-dyed thread are called "orimono". They are made by interlacing two sets of threads, the warp and the weft. Using different thread materials as well as dyeing and weaving techniques, fabrics with a wide variety of color patterns and textures can be made. Conversely, textiles that are woven first before being dyed are called "senshokuhin". Other traditional Japanese textile crafts include "kumihimo" or braiding (traditionally used to decorate clothing and weapons), and "shishu" or embroidery.

History of woven textiles

For many centuries in ancient Japan, hemp was commonly used to weave clothing. Around 2,000 years ago, when many people from China and the Korean peninsula came to settle in Japan, they brought with them the technology of sericulture and silk weaving. These techniques soon spread and developed throughout Japan, and by the Heian period (794-1185), woven silk garments unique to Japan had appeared. Near the end of the 16th century, the use of cotton clothing became widespread, initially being worn by samurai for their uniforms, before spreading to the common folk.

Woven textiles today

Today, machine-woven "orimono" textiles have become more common than hand-woven ones. You can find a wide variety of woven products, including kimonos, everyday clothing, and small accessories.

History of dyed textiles

The technology of dyeing came to Japan together with Buddhism, being brought by settlers from China and the Korean peninsula in the 7th century. Since then, many unique dyeing techniques and dyestuffs have been developed across Japan. These include using extracts from plants like safflower, Japanese madder, and Japanese indigo to make dyestuffs, using paper stencils and resist paste to dye patterns on fabric, and drawing pictures or patterns directly on the fabric using brushes.

Dyed textiles today

From the early modern period, synthetic dyes began to be imported to Japan from Europe. Today, over 99% of the threads and fabrics available in the market are colored using synthetic dyes.

Woven and dyed textiles designated as
Traditional Crafts of Japan

Tokyo yuzen dyeing　

Nibutani attus textiles　Oitama pongee　Uetsu shinafu textiles　Okuaizu showa karamushi textiles　Yuki pongee　Isesaki kasuri textiles　Kiryu textiles　Chichibu meisen textiles　Murayama oshima pongee　Kihachijo textiles　Tama textiles　Shiozawa pongee　Ojiya chijimi textiles　Ojiya pongee　Honshiozawa textiles　Tokamachi kasuri textiles　Tokamachi akashi chijimi textiles　Shinshu pongee　Ushikubi pongee　Omi jofu textiles　Nishijin textiles　Yumihama kasuri textiles　Awa indigo dyed textiles　Hakata textiles　Kurume kasuri textiles　Oshima tsumugi textiles　Kumejima pongee　Miyako jofu textiles　Yomitanzan hanaori textiles　Yomitanzan minsaa textiles　Ryukyu kasuri textiles　Shuri textiles　Yonaguni textiles　Kijoka basho textiles　Yaeyama minsaa textiles　Yaeyama jofu textiles　Chibana hanaori textiles　Haebaru hanaori textiles　Tokyo fine-pattern dyeing　Tokyo plain dyeing　Kaga yuzen dyeing　Arimatsu/Narumi tie-dyeing　Nagoya yuzen dyeing　Nagoya black dyeing　Kyoto kanoko tie-dyeing　Kyoto yuzen dyeing　Kyoto fine-pattern dyeing　Kyoto black dyeing　Naniwa honzome dyeing　Ryukyu bingata dyeing　Gyoda tabi socks　Kaga embroidery　Iga braided cord　Kyoto embroidery　Kyoto braided cord　

Woven and dyed textiles to color life

Kimono

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Traditional Craft of Japan