Dyeing the Yarn, Nishijin-gasuri

Nishijin-ori is a characteristic Japanese woven fabric, made in Kyoto. There are 12 different types: this one, using pre-dyed yarns, is called “Nishijin-gasuri” (that is, kasuri from the Nishijin area). The fabric is woven by interlacing warp and weft threads. When parts of the warp re hand-tied to shield it from the dye, and then rearranged and moved slightly, the resulting pattern is Nishijin-gasuri. Kukuri is a resist-binding process vital to the making of kasuri patterns. Cotton thread, water-proof paper, or rubber tubes are used to cover sections of the yarn not to be dyed, which have been marked using the sumiuchi process. These resist materials are worked around the yarn so as to facilitate quick removal immediately after dyeing. Prepared yarn is taken to a dyeing factory, and after dyeing, the resist threads, paper, or rubber tubes are removed back at the workshop. Only one color can be dyed at a time, so the same process of resist binding (kukuri) followed by dyeing, is repeated for every color required.