Arimatsu Shibori

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Hi FEA,

I got to do something really fun last week!

I’ve always been a very artsy person. I love drawing in my free time, as well as playing piano, or coloring on my computer. So when our Traditional Japan class took a trip to Arimatsu to partake in this traditional Japanese craft called shibori I was ecstatic!

So what is shibori?

During the Edo Period, there was a long road called the Tokaido that stretched from Tokyo to Kyoto.  A portion of the road resides in my prefecture, Arimatsu. The people that lived along this portion were all involved in this art. Shibori is known as the dying of cloth to make patterns on handkerchiefs, bags, dresses, kimonos, and so on. This dying of cloth took precise hands and quick work. Some kimono took months to complete.

I have some photos of other artwork these wonderful women made in the museum we visited.

So I got to make one of these cloths! Firstly, we were given a white square with a pattern drawn onto it, and a sewing needle and thread all ready to go.

we were instructed to sew around the design. The experienced women helped us in this. After sewing and cutting and wrapping and tying, we finally had a finished ball of bound cloth! We were given the opportunity to dip the cloth in one of three colors.

Guess which color I chose?

So here were some other photos from the museum, and amazing clothes created in Arimatsu!

 

And finally, here is my finished cloth! All dyed, cleaned and ironed! I think it turned out really well! I really want to thank the amazing women in Arimatsu for letting us international students partake in this old tradition of dip dying.

Yes! I made this! And I’m so happy with how it turned out.

In other news, I’ve got about 60 days left of my study abroad trip in Japan. I can’t believe I’ve been here for almost three hundred days… it feels like I just got here!! I can’t believe I’m going to be going back to my home in America in a couple months!! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my family and slept in my own bed. I can’t even begin to think of all the packing I’ll be doing.

The emotions haven’t hit me yet, but I know they will soon. I’m sure I’ll make a post about it.

Until next time!