The Nature-Inspired Beauty of Kanazawa’s Kimono Prints (Video)

Giving Tradition a Home in the Modern Era

Kaga yūzen is one of the best known traditional crafts of Ishikawa Prefecture. The culture of kimono-wearing developed alongside that of the tea ceremony and, thanks to these local dyeing techniques, continues to be vibrant today.

Kaga yūzen, one of Kanazawa’s best known traditional handicrafts.

Kaga yūzen motifs, which typically depict the beauties of nature, always look highly realistic. Distinctive techniques like ombré (bokashi), hues going from darker to lighter colors as they approach the middle of a bloom, and mushikui, depicting minute insect holes in the leaves and flowers of the design, are often used to accentuate the realistic look of the designs.

Depicting natural beauty using the ombré (bokashi) and mushikui techniques.

The most vibrant part of the production process, where artisans’ consummate skills shine, is the coloring of the design. The artisans apply color with an alternating range of fine-tipped and broader brushes. The beauty and refinement of the finished product depends heavily on this process, which requires a steady hand and sophisticated sense of color.

Several colors are used to produce realistic effects.

After coloring come processes like jizome, the dyeing of the entire piece of fabric, followed by yūzen nagashi, rinsing off the excess dye. In past years, this was done in Kanazawa’s rivers in winter, when the water was clearest and coldest. Today, though, it takes place mostly in artificial water courses so as to control water quality.

Yūzen nagashi, or rinsing the fabric to remove excess dye.

Third-generation artisan Maida Hitoshi upholds tradition but also looks for new ways to incorporate Kaga yūzen into modern life.

Maida Hitoshi focuses on coloring the design on the fabric.

In 2017, he came up with the idea for the aprons decorated with Kaga yūzen motifs worn by servers in premium class on the Hokuriku shinkansen, the high-speed train service extended to Kanazawa that year. The pink or blue aprons come in five versions, featuring dogwood, sasanqua camellias, and other flower designs rendered in the five traditional hues—indigo, crimson, ocher, dark green, and royal purple—of Kaga yūzen. Some incorporate a colored band mimicking the obi sashes of kimono, while others feature frilly detail, blending both tradition and modernity.

Kaga yūzen aprons designed by Maida Hitoshi.

“I feel it’s important to create yūzen that people today will enjoy, to ensure that the craft will be passed on to the younger generation. Users want something they can use or wear now, and my creations aim to meet today’s needs.”

Today’s Kaga yūzen continues to evolve, incorporating contemporary trends with the unerring skills handed down from generation to generation. Kaga yūzen is a distillation of Kanazawa’s esthetic sensibilities, expressed through the skills of its traditional artisans.

(Originally written in Japanese. Created in cooperation with Kanazawa Cable Television. Banner photo: Adding vivid color to a Kaga yūzen pattern. All photos © Kanazawa Cable Television.)