About Kyo-Yuzen

What is Kyo-Yuzen?

Kyo-yuzen is one of Kyoto's most representative traditional crafts, a gorgeous and elegant pattern dyeing technique that is said to have originated from the invention of fan painter Miyazaki Yuzensai in the early Edo period.

Its characteristics are colorful and pictorial expressions of nature and traditional culture of the four seasons, with gold and silver leaf and embroidery applied to the patterns, resulting in a gorgeous and gorgeous finish. There are several techniques, including hand-painted yuzen and kata-yuzen.

The production of Kyo-Yuzen requires approximately 17 steps, the main steps being:

Pre-drawing: Sketch the design and apply the design to the fabric with blue ink.
Applying glue to the edges of the pattern to prevent the colors from bleeding.
Color insertion: Color is added to the pattern using a brush or paintbrush.
Glue application: Glue or wax is applied to protect the pattern during the dyeing process.
Finishing: Add decorations such as gold leaf and embroidery.

All of these tasks require highly skilled craftsmen.

The History of Kyo-Yuzen

The history of Kyo-Yuzen began in the early Edo period when it was invented by Miyazaki Yuzensai, a fan painter. His name is the origin of the name "Yuzen dyeing". In the townspeople's culture of the time, colorful patterns were popular and developed by taking advantage of Kyoto's abundant water resources (Kamo River, Katsura River, etc.). In the Meiji period, chemical dyes were introduced and a technique called kata-yuzen, which allows for mass production, was born.

Types of techniques

Hand-drawn Yuzen	Craftsmen paint the patterns by hand, one by one. It is a very time-consuming process, but it results in a one-of-a-kind piece.
Kata Yuzen	This technique involves dyeing patterns using stencils, making it possible to mass-produce.
Machine printing	A modern technique that uses machines to dye patterns evenly.

And more.