Kasuri

“Iyo-Kasuri” Iyo-kasuri, along with Kurume and Bingo-kasuri, three main kasuri in Japan

Kasuri (絣) is a Japanese word for fabric that has been woven with fibers dyed specifically to create patterns and images in the fabric. It is an ikat (resist-dyeing) technique. The patterns are characterized by a blurred or brushed appearance. The warp and weft threads are resist-dyed in specific patterns. Prior to dyeing, sections of the warp and weft yarns are tightly wrapped with thread to protect them from the dye. When woven together, the undyed areas interlace to form patterns . Many variations are possible. Kasuri patterns may be applied to the warp or to the weft; or to both the warp and the weft.There are many techniques used to create kasuri. The cloth is classified with different names depending on the method used.

History

Ikat techniques were practiced in the Ryukyu Kingdom (modern-day Okinawa) in the 12th or 13th century, and kasuri textiles were produced for export in the 14th century. After the invasion of the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1609, kasuri techniques entered southern Japan and had moved northwards to the Nara area of Honshu Island by 1750. A general increase in cotton production allowed farmers to weave and dye cotton textiles for their own use and for sale. As kasuri production continued to spread throughout the country, some rural villages became "manufacturing centers". Individual families tied the skeins and wove the cloth, but the dyeing was usually done in community maintained dyeworks. By 1850, kasuri was being produced in several areas, including the Karume area of Kyushu Island, the Iyo area of Shikoku Island and Bingo and San-in on Honshu Island. Increases in production continued until the 1930s, when the national government diverted resources due to military expansion. By the last quarter of the 20th century, few people could afford the time necessary to dye and hand weave their own cloth. However, contemporary artisans continue to produce highly prized textiles using traditional methods.

Classification and terminology

Kasuri fragment from an early 20th-century kimono using the E-gasuri technique to create a picture of sparrows. This is also an iro gasuri in that it uses several colors

A. Warp and/or weft: dyed

1. Tate gasuri Only the warp is dyed
2. Yoko gasuri Only the weft is dyed.
3. Tate-yoko gasuri Both warp and weft are dyed. Classified as a double ikat technique.

B. Color of dye

1. Kon gasuri Blue kasuri-white resist on an [indigo] blue ground.
2. Shiro gasuri White kasuri- inverse of kon gasuri, blue on a white ground.
3. Chia gasuri Brown kasuri- brown is used instead of indigo.
4. Iro gasuri'un Multiple color kasuri- several colors are used.

C. Technique

1. Tegukuri gasuri The yarn bundles are tied or bound by hand.
2. Surikomi gasuri The dye is applied directly to the bundles of stretched yarn with a spatula. This is most frequently used in iro gasuri (colored kasuri).
3. Itajime gasuri Prior to dyeing, the arranged yarns are placed between two engraved plates or boards. The plates are bolted tightly together so that when they are immersed in the dye, the pressure of the raised points act as a resist.
4. Orijime gasuri. Weft yarns are woven on a warp of thick cotton yarn. The weft is beaten hard, which packs the weft tightly. When the cloth is dyed, much of the weft is protected from the dye by the heavy warp. The wefts are then woven with new (normal diameter) warps, resulting in a fine dotted pattern. The silk kasuri of Amami Oshima and the [ramie] kasuri of Miyakojima, Okinawa are noted for this technique.
5. Hogushi kasuri The undyed warp is woven with a coarse temporary weft. This cloth is then printed with the design. The temporary weft is removed, and the warp is returned to the loom. The cloth is then woven with a plain weft.
6. Kushi-oshi gasuri The warp is placed on a special printing board and printed with a block printing technique. The dyed warp is then woven.
7. Fukiyose gasuri The yarns are dyed with a dip-dye technique.
8. Bokashi gasuri Prior to dyeing, the yarn is twisted or plaited, so that parts of the yarn create their own resist.

D. By design

E. By place of production

Due to regional variations, some types of kasuri are classified by place of production. Examples include:

1. Kurume: e-gasuri (picture) kasuri
2. Nara: hemp fiber kasuri, with shino-gasuri
3. Miyakojima, Okinawa : ramie fiber kasuri
4. Isesaki,Honshu and Amami Oshima: silk fiber kasuri
5. Okinawa: iro-gasuri silk fiber kasuri

Further reading

• Japanese Ikat Weaving, The Techniques of Kasuri, Jun and Noriko Tomita. Routledge & Kegan Paul.ISBN 0-7100-9043-9
• Ikat: An Introduction, Ritch, D. & Wada, Y.I., Berkeley: Kasuri Dyeworks, 1st edition 1973, reprinted 1982 - download as pdf

See also

• Ikat