Noren curtains at our shop are dyed by the technique called Roketsu-Zome (meaning batik). This Noren craftsman has been keeping Roketsu-Zome sprits since 1963 when he opened up his own Noren studio. He is one of the few craftsmen who hold this technique in Japan.
The Roketsu-Zome is a wax resist textile dyeing technique and needs over 20 steps before completion. The craftsman and his apprentice (son) produce the Noren curtains one by one, by going through all the steps. They are proud of the technique and producing excellent goods. The beauty of cracks of batik is excellent.
They allowed me to take photos inside the dyeing factory in Kyoto. Actually the factory is not very large and does not look so clean, but I felt lots of traditional spirits for producing excellent products. These factories are fading away in Japan and are replaced by modern ones, but what we need to keep in mind is that we cannot get it back when it is faded away.
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| Kanbayashi-san keeping Roketsu-Zome spirits |
- Ken
http://www.nipponcraft.com/
