First, what is Tsuji
The Tsuji (shí) flower (辻が花) is a dyeing technique established from the late Muromachi period (1393–1573) to the Azuchi Momoyama period (1573–1603). At the same time, Tsujima can also refer to dyeing fabrics that are dyed using this dyeing technique. The original Tsuji flower was the name of a drapery (summer single-layer kimono) that was simply dyed with hemp as a floor cloth, and was a civilian costume worn by ordinary people. The extant Tsuji flower dyeing fabrics are made of silk as a cloth, using a variety of twisting and dyeing techniques to dye separately, and adding ink painting (ink painting), pasting gold and silver foil (folding foil), embroidery and other decorative techniques, is a gorgeous dyeing fabric. It is now generally believed that these handed down Tsuji-hana works did not have a special name in their era, and it was only later that people called them "Tsuji-hana".
Flower Flower Vase Tsuji Flower Leaf* (Flower-patterned Tsuji is a flower sewing foil)
Momoyama era
Collection of the Tokyo National Museum
* Sewing foil: Decorative techniques of pasting gold leaf and embroidery are used at the same time
It can be seen from the above that the original "Tsuji" referred to differently from today's "Tsuji" refers to the same. The "Tsuji-hana" item of the Japanese-Portuguese Dictionary compiled in 1603 refers to the hemp-woven drapery (summer single-layer kimono) type of clothing that was still called "Tsuji-hana" at that time. It was not until the Meiji era (1868-1911) that the term "Tsuji-hana" began to refer to dyed fabrics that were sewn and dyed. The question of why the current Tsuji flower is called "Tsuji flower" is still controversial in the academic community. In fact, because of the long time and too little relevant information, the origin and meaning of the term "Tsuji", it is still impossible to determine. It also disappeared suddenly during the Edo period (1603-1867) in Japan, and was not restored until the middle of the Showa period (1925-1988) in Japan. This also makes a lot of information about Tsuji flowers unknown.
Although there are many unclear points about Tsuji flowers, according to the actual objects, some characteristics of Tsuji flowers can be summarized, that is, with hanging dyeing as the core, combined with ink painting, gold leaf, embroidery and other techniques.
The biggest difference between Tsuji and other twisting and dyeing techniques is in the expression pattern. Stranded works such as deer wringing (鹿の子絞り), and 絞り dyeing works such as deer twisting dyeing ( 鹿の子絞り ) are generally monochromatic , and the patterns are mostly regular geometric patterns. Tsuji's works, on the other hand, are of a variety of colors, and the patterns are mostly free forms of painting style. The style of the work also determines that Tsuji is more complex in production than other stranded dyes. Other stranded dyeing works mostly use a single stranding technique to dye a work, usually only one color is required. Tsuji Hana, on the other hand, uses a variety of techniques to complete the work according to the pattern you want to express, and dyes them multiple times one color at a time. Therefore, the production process of Tsuji hana dyeing is very complicated.
*Arimatsu stranding: Arimatsu dyeing technique in Japan.
Dyeing points * practice * ground kiritsuya jacket pattern Tsuji flower dyeing clothes
(Somedose Nerikichi Kiriyaban Bnyo Tsuji Hanabobo)
Kyoto National Museum
*Dyeing: Dyeing in a variety of colors.
*Training: Plain silk fabric with raw silk as the warp and cooked silk as the weft.
The patterns are all dyed using the Tsuji flower twisting technique
Second, the technique of Tsuji flower
Stranding is the basis of Tsuji flowers. Hanging dyeing is also known as hanging valerian in Japan, and japanese stranding is supposed to have been imported from China in the Nara period (711-794) and is still used in Japan today. The basic principle of stranding is that after the thread is tied to the fabric, the part of the fabric that is tied tightly is difficult to immerse in the dye, thereby producing an anti-dyeing effect and thus forming a pattern. There are a variety of twisting and dyeing techniques, and you can use one technique alone or a combination of multiple techniques to achieve different effects from simple to complex. The representative of the twisting and dyeing techniques used in Tsujika are: stitching dyeing (縫い締め絞り), roll twist dyeing (巻上げ絞り), bamboo skin twist dyeing (bamboo skin 絞り), barrel twist dyeing (bucket 絞り) and so on.
01
Rinsing (sewing and drawing)
This technique is to sew flat along the contour line of the pattern on the fabric, and then tie it tightly to achieve anti-dye effect. After dyeing is completed, the contour line on the fabric that is tied tightly by the flat seam will maintain the original color of the fabric, forming a linear pattern.
2
卷绞 dyeing (roll-up squeeze)
This technique is to tie and wrap the unwanted areas of the fabric with thread to achieve a stain-proof effect. After dyeing is complete, the threaded part of the fabric will maintain the original color of the fabric, forming a pattern.
03
Bamboo skin dyeing (bamboo skin drawing)
This technique is to stuff an inner core made of wood or paper on the inside of the fabric, cover the outside of the fabric with bamboo skin, and then tie it tightly with thread to achieve anti-dyeing effect. After dyeing is completed, the bamboo-wrapped part of the fabric will maintain the original color of the fabric, forming a pattern. Now bamboo skin twisting dyeing no longer uses bamboo skin, but replaces it with a plastic film that is more readily available and has a better anti-dye effect. Bamboo skin stranding is also called hat stranding (hat 絞り).
4
Oke-zome (Oke-shibori)
This technique is to put the part of the fabric that you do not want to dye into the barrel, put the part that you want to dye outside the barrel, and then cover the barrel with a lid, and then immerse the barrel and the fabric together with dyeing solution. After dyeing is completed, the cloth outside the barrel is dyed with color, while the cloth in the barrel remains the original color of the cloth.
Video of a demonstration of the partial twisting technique of Tsuji Hana dyeing
3. The history of Tsuji flowers
In the Muromachi period (1393-1573) in Japan, the term "Tsujihana" existed. The Thirty-Two Craftsmen's Song Collection is a Japanese scroll completed in the 14th and 15th centuries, in which the word "Tsuji hana" is mentioned in the chant of "Katsura Girl". "Katsuragi" refers to the female traders in the Katsura area of Kyoto in ancient Japan, which shows that the "Tsuji flower" at that time was also worn by ordinary people.
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Japan's Momoyama period (1573-1603) was the peak of Tsuji blossoms. In this era, luxury and extravagant fashion trends are popular. Tsuji flowers also became more elaborate and gorgeous, sometimes adding gold and silver foil and embroidery to the colorful stranding. The gorgeous and colorful Tsuji flowers were loved by Japanese Sengoku shoguns who wanted to show their prestige with luxurious clothing, and many of the small sleeves of Tsuji flowers (the prototype of the modern kimono) and the kimono (the prototype of the kimono jacket) that were used by the warriors of the time still retain. In addition, it is recorded in the literature that in 1596 Toyotomi Hideyoshi gave Tsuji flowers as a farewell gift to the Ming envoys who returned to China.
Obliquely striped ginkgo biloba leaf pattern Tsuji flower carcass suit
(Diagonal stripe ginkgo leaf patterned tsuji is flower dyed body clothes)
Collection of the Tokyo Museum
The ginkgo biloba part is colored and pasted with silver foil on the basis of stranded dyeing
At the beginning of the Edo period (1603-1867) in Japan, the Yuzen technique of using anti-dye paste to prevent dyeing gradually matured and became popular. However, Tsuji is not as flexible as Yuzen dyeing in terms of pattern, and the production process is more complicated and cumbersome than Yuzen dyeing. As a result, Tsuji soon disappeared, and the related techniques were not passed down.
In the middle of the Showa period (1925-1988) in Japan, Tsuji began to be restored. Two of the most representatives are Kazutake Kubota and Kenryo Okuura, whose Tsuji-dye works have their own characteristics. The pattern of Kubota Kazutake's Tsujika works is printed and dyed in advance using Yuzen dyeing and other methods, and then only "twisted" is used to make the three-dimensional feeling of the fabric, and after "twisting" it is good, it is not dyed. This is different from the original Tsuji-dyeing works, so it is also called "Ichitake Tsuji-tsuji". Kokura, on the other hand, strives to faithfully restore the dyeing technique of Tsuji-hana dyeing, using a variety of dyeing techniques such as hat dyeing (hat 絞り), sewing dyeing (縫い締め絞り), and roll twisting dyeing (巻上げ絞り) to dye patterns. Now both types of Tsuji blossoms continue to develop, and there are many innovative works that combine modern aesthetics.
"红" ("Red") Kimono, Kazutake Kubota
"Nostalgia" ("懐郷") kimono, works by Kenryo Kokura
Fourth, the production process of Tsuji flower dyeing
Sketch (Sketch)
Draw a line drawing on the fabric.
Thread threading
Stitch the thread along the outline of the drawn draft on the fabric. The denser the stitches, the sharper the pattern. Where the seams are sewn up are the dividing lines of color.
System (squeeze)
According to the desired effect, choose to use sewing dyeing, roll dyeing, bamboo skin dyeing and other dyeing techniques, and use barrel stranding dyeing for large color blocks. All pattern and color changes are obtained by using a root line tie to prevent dyeing and dyeing one by one.
Soaking dyeing (soaking dyeing)
Immerse the tied fabric in the dyeing solution. At this time, if the immersion time is too long, the tied part will seep into the dyeing solution; if the immersion time is too short, the fabric will not be dyed. Each time a different color is dyed, the thread is re-tied, and the process of anti-dyeing and dipping is repeated.
05
Untie the rope (解く)
All the colors are dyed and untied the tie thread. After the thread is unraveled, it can be confirmed whether the staining of the pattern is successful. In order not to damage the fabric, each thread is carefully unwrapped.
6
High temperature steaming (steaming)
In order to fix the color, the dyed fabric is put into the steaming box and steamed at high temperature (natural dyes, etc. or high-temperature dyeing are not required).
07
Washed (water source)
Rinse the remaining dye on the fabric with water.
08
Yunoshi
Return the fabric that has shrunk due to tying to its original flat state.
09
Ink painting
Draw a hand-painted pattern with ink.
Video of a demonstration of the thread drawing and sewing process of Tsuji Hana dyeing
Demonstration video of the dipping and dyeing and ink painting process of Tsuji flower dyeing
Wentu Editor: Li Sixin