Shibori, The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing: Tradition, Techniques, Innovation

312 Pages·1983·25.725 MB·English

by  Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada, Mary Kellogg Rice

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SHIBORI
The Inventive Art of
Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing
Potential for creating designs in textiles is found even in
the physical properties of cloth. The simple fact that cloth
tightly compressed into wrinkles or folds resists the pene-
—
tration of dye can be seen as an opportunity an oppor-
tunity to let the pliancy of textiles speak in making design
and pattern.
People around the world have utilized this opportunity,
producing resist designs in textiles by shaping then secur-
ing cloth in various ways before dyeing. Yet, in no country
or place has the creative potential of this basic principle
been understood and applied as it has in Japan. Here, in
fact, it has been expanded into a whole family of tradi-
tional resist techniques, involving ingenious means of
shaping cloth by plucking, pinching, twisting, stitching,
folding, pleating, and wrapping, and securing the shapes
thus made by binding, looping, knotting, clamping, and
the like. This entire family of techniques is called shibori.
The designs created by shibori processes all share a soft-
ness of outline and a spontaneity of effect. This latter is
shibori's special magic, made possible by exploiting the
beauty of the fortuitous things that happen when dye
enters shaped cloth.
Usually it is in response to the fact that a craft is dying
that the need for preserving and documenting it arises.
The motivation behind this book is no exception, but the
authors have gone far beyond mere documentation. Ex-
tensive research and experimentation have led to the
revival here of shibori techniques once made but now
forgotten in Japan. In addition, besides the wide range of
conventional techniques, the work of contemporary fiber
artists in Japan and abroad working with shibori is pre-
sented, to show by example the creative innovation possi-
ble with this marvelous tradition.
The 104 color and 298 black-and-white plates include a
photographic Gallery of Shibori Examples, based on
Japan's largest collection of traditional shibori fabrics. In-
cluded also are a detailed guide to basic natural dyes
used in Japan, the making and care of an indigo vat, and a
list of suppliers in the United States, as well as a glossary
and bibliography. Here, for the first time in any language,
is a full documentation of one of the world's most inven-
tive and exciting dyeing techniques.
BOSTOM
PUBLIC
UBRARY

SHIBORI
The
Inventive Art of
Shaped
Japanese Resist Dj/eing
Tradition Techniques Innovation
Yoshiko Wada Mary Kellogg Rice jane Barton
KODANSHA INTERNATIONAL
Tokyo and New York
.
Distributed in the United States by Kodansha InternationalAJSA Ltd.,
1 14 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 1001 1
Pubhshed by Kodansha International Ltd., 2-2 Otowa 1-chome, Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo 1 12 and Kodansha International/USA Ltd., 1 14 Fifth Avenue, New
York, New York 10011.
Copyright in Japan, 1983 by Kodansha International Ltd.
All rights reserved.
Printed in Japan.
First edition, 1983
Fourth printing, 1989
LCC 82-48789
ISBN 0-87011-559-6
ISBN 4-7700-1063-X (in Japan)
CONTENTS
—
A
Shibon Definition 7
Tradition 9
Techniques 53
Binding 55
Stitching 73
Folding 103
Pole-Wrapping 123
Gallery of Shibori Examples 139
Innovation 215
Changing Dimensions 217
The Artists 257
Appendices 273
Cloth and Dyes 275
Arashi Notes 288
Glossary 289
Bibliography 296
Suppliers 297
Acknowledgments 298
Index 300
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2012
in
http://archive.org/details/shiboriinventiveOOwada