Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store

Yuzen refers to a resist dyeing method using paste, and in particular hand-painted paste-resist, whereby the patterns are outlined with thin thread-like lines of paste and then these contours colored in by hand. In 1895, the "Mitsui Gofukuten" of Mitsukoshi set up a design department where they hired Japanese‐style painters on a commission basis and worked to develop new patterns.