Nagoya’s Arimatsu’s Traditional Craft Is to Dye For; Artisans Continue Craft That Started in Edo Period

By Misako Takeda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:10 JST, June 15, 2025

NAGOYA — Wooden-framed buildings with a wide street frontage and storehouses with a lattice-patterned plaster walls still line this section of the historic Tokaido road in Arimatsu in Midori Ward, Nagoya. The Arimatsu Shibori Festival adds a burst of color to these old streetscapes in early summers, as women wearing yukata summer kimono featuring tie-dye patterns that resemble morning glory flowers and wisteria flock to the event.

Shibori tie-dyeing in Arimatsu dates to early in the Edo period (1603-1867), when the craft was devised as an industry in a village poor for growing crops. Tie-dyed cotton hand towels became popular as souvenirs among travelers, and dyed fabrics even were depicted in the ukiyo-e series “The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road” by master artist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858). Tie-dyed items also were sold at the nearby Narumi station, and what became known as Arimatsu-Narumi tie-dyeing has been designated as a national traditional craft.

In tie-dyeing, the parts of the fabric tied with thread are not colored. This technique, which is repeated to produce patterns, is especially famous for shapes that mimic a spider web or a deer’s dappled coat.

An artisan who has mastered steps of this process is passing the baton to a new generation. After coming up with design ideas, they place a paper template on the fabric, and draw an image. Parts of the fabric are tightly tied with thread and then dyed. The thread is removed, and the fabric is finished with a bumpy, uneven texture.

At the Hayatsune Senshoku dyeing workshop, the process for colors such as indigo blue, pink and yellow is well underway before the yukata season arrives. Dyeing is typically done by dipping fabric into a liquid dye inside a pot. However, traditional craftsperson Suzuyo Miura has perfected a technique called “nagashizome.” Miura, 77, spreads the fabric over a long, narrow bench and then uses a small watering can to apply dye to the material.

The colors, such as pink flowers and green leaves, can be changed even on a single yukata. “Color is everything for a dye house,” Miura said. How does she recreate a color requested by a customer? After all, there could be infinite varieties of pink depending on how the colors that go into it are mixed. Furthermore, different shades could appear if Miura does not move the watering can at a constant speed. The fabric becomes heavier when it has been dyed, so carrying it can be physically demanding.

Amid this work, lively conversation that is audible over the sounds of a dryer rings through the workshop. Maki Takaesu, 54; Yayoi Uchida, 52; and Kaori Masuda, 48, chat happily as they deftly work in perfect harmony. They appear just like three sisters.

Miura’s husband had been the family’s breadwinner, but after he died, she approached Takaesu, who was attending a dyeing class as a hobby. Curious about her proposal, Takaesu immediately agreed to become Miura’s “protege.” About 12 years have passed since then.

About 35 companies were members of the Commerce and Industry Cooperative of Arimatsu Tie-Dyeing in the 1970s, but this number has dwindled to just 16. A shortage of successors has become a prominent problem in this industry, but Miura is harnessing new sources of energy to keep her business afloat.

The three women are willing to try new methods to efficiently dye high-quality items. “That’s because [Miura] respects our ways of doing things,” Uchida explained.

“We can make good items precisely because we get along so well,” Miura replied with a smile.