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is a Japanese manual tie-dyeing technique, which produces a number of different patterns on fabric.
History
Some discussion exists as to the origin of as a technique within Japan, and indeed, the exact country of origin of some of the earliest surviving examples. Much of the debate surrounds the technical capacities within Japan at the time to produce the variety of fabrics seen in some of the earliest examples.
One of the earliest written descriptions of dates to 238 CE, where it was recorded in the Chinese document Treatise on the Wa People that Queen Himiko gifted the emperor of Cao Wei over of "spotted cloth" – potentially describing a form of wax-resist decoration on the fabric.
is what is commonly thought of in the West as tie-dye. Its name, meaning "fawn spots," is derived from the rings that it creates. It involves binding certain sections of the cloth using thread – traditionally a type of untwisted thread known as – to achieve the desired pattern. The pattern achieved depends on how tightly the cloth is bound and where the cloth is bound. If random sections of the cloth are bound, the result will be a pattern of random circles. If the cloth is first folded then bound, the resulting circles will be in a pattern depending on the fold used.
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is also known as looped binding. It involves taking a hooked needle and plucking sections of the cloth. Then a thread is looped around each section twice. The thread is not knotted; tension is the only thing that holds the sections in place. The resulting dyed cloth is a water-like design. Because no knot is used, is very easy to bind and unbind, making this technique commonly used.
(spider shibori) is a pleated and bound resist. This technique involves pleating sections of the cloth very finely and evenly. Then the cloth is bound in very close sections. The result is a very specific spider-like design. This specific design requires very precise technique.
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includes stitched . A simple running stitch is used on the cloth then pulled tight to gather the cloth. The thread must be pulled very tight to work, and a wooden dowel must often be used to pull it tight enough. Each thread is secured by knotting before being dyed. This technique allows for greater control of the pattern and greater variety of pattern, but it is much more time-consuming.
is also known as pole-wrapping . The cloth is wrapped on a diagonal around a pole. Then the cloth is very tightly bound by wrapping thread up and down the pole. Next, the cloth is scrunched on the pole. The result is a pleated cloth with a design on a diagonal. is the Japanese word for storm; the patterns are always on a diagonal in , which suggest the driving rain of a heavy storm.
is a shaped-resist technique. Traditionally, the cloth is sandwiched between two pieces of wood, which are held in place with string. The fabric is typically folded more than once, creating a repeating pattern of resists throughout the fabric when unfolded.
One of the traditional forms of textiles is (), also known as or . textiles were lining-weight fabrics dyed with pictorial patterns using red safflower () dye, and were used for underlayers or linings as recently as the early Shōwa period (1926–1989), with production centred around Kyoto and Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, a city known for the production of fine, lightweight silks.