Thank you so much for coming Tie-Dyeing Museum's web-site.
〈Arimatsu-Narumi Shiborikaikan〉
If you interested in about Sibori, please come over to this museum.
We are waiting for your coming.
We hope you enjoy with this site.
Thank you.

In this house historical items on shibori and the know-hows are exhibited to the public. Also masters of shibori demonstrate the visitors how to make shibori, which is worth seeing. On request visitors can also experience tying in the workshop to see how it works. On the first floor is the exhibition-sale hall, where you can learn all about Arimatsu Shibori.

address: 60-1, Hashi-higashi-minami, Arimatsu-cho, Midori-ku, Nagoya
zip-code:458-0901
phone: +81-52-621-0111
FAX: +81-52-621-6051
E-Mail info@shibori-kaikan.com
open: 9:30am - 5:00pm
closed: on Wednesday (If falls on national holiday. The next day)

Tie-dyeing is demonstrated on the second floor of the house.( except lunch hour, noon to 1:00pm ) Families, school children, and high school students come and enjoy the demonstration.

　

Reservation is necessary. Cloth and tools to be needed are all prepared by the house.( scissors, needles, strings, etc. ) Tied items are dyed later and sent to the group. ( generally ten days to two weeks later )

Materials to be tie-dyed	fees ( material, demonstration, dyeing-stuff, entrance fee, everything included )	Hours to be needed for the tie-dyeing experience course
Handkerchiefs	\1,050 ( tax included )　＊\780 for groups of elementary and junior high school children, and \880 for senior high school students.	one hour to one and half hours
Noren ( small curtains ), Table centers	\2,100 ( tax included )	two hours
Aprons, T-shirts	\3,150 ( tax included )	three hours

* Add about one hour to each of the time mentioned above for films, demonstration and shopping, which means allow two hours at least for the handkerchief experience course. Parking The toll parking lot nearby has a capacity for four buses. The fee is free, a day. Mail Finished items are sent by mail. Mail charge is below

1)for Nagoya	\510
2)for surrounding area	\610

Movies (laser discs), videos, or even live demonstrations by two masters are shown just before your eyes. Items in the exhibition hall are subject to be changed every couple of months.

adult	\300
child, junior and senior high student	\100

10 per cent discount for a group of 20 or over.

kimono, fabrics, handkerchiefs, neckties, scarves, clothes, aprons, table-cloths, table-centers, yukata, noren (small curtain), bags and other items are sold at the shop.

　

Takeda Shokuro is the pioneer of the town and of Arimatsu Shibori. He promoted Arimatsu Shibori nation-wide. This monument was built to honor his achievement.

The history of Arimatsu, a town known as the center of shibori or tie-dyeing, dates back to 1608, when Takeda Shokuro and other pioneers of shibori started the business. That was several years after Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu took the reins of government in Edo.

The 400-year-success of Arimatsu Shibori began when the lord of Owari decided to protect the industry as the region's special product and gave credit to Takeda Shokuro.

Then tourists began to buy tie-dyed products, such as tie-dyeing hand towels and bathrobes, as souveniors to their home town, and eventually these products began to be known as one of themost famous items of the area.Thethriving business of the town in those days was often depicted in various ukiyoe prints by Katsushika Hokusai and Ando Hiroshige. The prints introduced the site as Narumi, a bigger town next to Arimatsu, but actually that was Arimatsu and the products were labeled as“Arimatsu Shibori".

The city-scape, which still keeps traditional beauty of Japanese architecture and old-time prosperity is now valued as the cultural heritage. Thewhole area was nominated by Nagoya Municipal Office as the first“Town-Street-To- Be-Preserved". And it became to be known as the birth place of the nation-wide Organization of Historical Town Preservation.

After designing, patterns are cut out on sheets of paper by sharp knives and chisels.

The pattern is duplicated on the cloth by a brush and blue ink. The blue ink is produced out of the juice taken from cultured flowers (tsuyukusa), which soaked into washi (Japanese paper ) and dried, and in use, again drained in water.

Items on which patterns are printed are handed out to several households for tying. This tying process usually takes four to ten months. Techniques and tools to be used vary according to the types of tying. The photos show the process of stripe-tie-dyeing. Among the tools used for tie-dyeing are “karasu-guchi-dai",“kanoko-dai",“kunoji-kagibari",and“makiage-dai."

Tied items are dyed at factories which specialize in tie-dyeing. Most of the tied materials are dyed by soaking but some need special techniques. Dyeing liquid is made from carefully chosen dyestuff and catalyst. Dye-stuff and dyeing proceed ures also vary according to the types of the products and the quantity of the material to be dyed.

In tie-dyeing, patterns are made by tying the cloth with string, which mean sit must be tied very tight and strong so that tied parts escape penetration of dye. So untying the strings also requires techniques. It must be done quickly and carefully not to hurt the cloth. Untying procedures are again different according to the types of design. Some types need three to four days to remove all the strings on one scroll of cloth. ( One scroll is good for one kimono.)

There are two types. One is rolled up to make scrolls. The other is to bearranged into kimono to show the whole picture when completed. This is called “ebashiage."

	Mokumenui Stitch the line printed on the cloth at regular intervals and gather tightly. Irregular folds create wood grain effect.
	Karamatsunui Concentric half-circles are marked on the cloth at the fold.The units are in staggered row. A continuous thread is used to stitch eadn row of half-circles. Running stitches are made through the two layers of the cloth in the fold. When all the stitches are completed, the threads are drawn up tight and knotted.
	Orinui This technique is also called "Tsumami-nui" or "Yama-nui''. Fold the cloth on the line of the pattern and run stitches along the fold, pull the thread tightly.
	Tegumo A metal hook attached by a cord to the upright of a tying stand is used to hold the cloth taut. The cloth is caught on the hook and drawn into folds. The thread is bound from the base of the unit, where the folds are gathered together, to the top near the hook.
	Kikaigumo In this method the electric tool is used to hold the cloth taut and to bind the cloth. This technique is more efficient and creates finer patterns than Tegumo Shibori.
	Makiage Hook the thread on the wishbone shaped wire loop of a tying stand after stitching along the printed outlines with running stitches. The thread is drawn tight by using a wooden dowel. A single knot secures the thread and it is cut.
	Yokomiura This technique uses the tool where the metal hook hangs by a cord from the upright of the tying stand. The cloth is pushed up from underneath by the left index finger. A loop of thread is made around the portion of the cloth to be bound. The right hand moves the hook to catch the center of the cloth with in this looped knots are laid horizontally.
	hitomekanoko Put the cloth on the hook. Units are finer than those. Bind the cloth on weft and crate motifs of flower and birds. This technique is called “Tatebiki Shibori”, or “Tsumekanoko” or “Itako Shibori”.
	Tsukidashikanoko The cloth is held down over the needle and wind around twice over a small bit of cloth. One or two “Kamosage” knots are used.
	Kumoiriyanagi First small “Kumo Shibori” are tied then the cloth is pleated lengthwise while the folds are diverted around each Kumo. Preliminary thread is wound around the pleated cloth. Afterwards, a whole rope-like cloth is attached to a device which rotates it. Very tight fine binding thred is applied every 4 mm.
	Midori A variation of pleating proccess. A preliminary thread is applied to keep the folds in place. Every 4 to 5 cm the pleats are reversed-peak and valley creating staggered broken vertical lines.
	Hinode Running stitch is applied on continuous half circles on a fold and the thread is gathered. Preliminary binding is applied between the stitched rows, the long rope-line cloth. Finally a resist thread is wound tightly.

Arimatsu has three festive floats: 'Hotei-Sha Float', 'Karako-Sha Float' and 'Jingu-Kogo-Sha Float'. These are taken out to the street at the annual Arimatsu Festival, which is held the first Sunday of October. They are also shown to the public on the occasion of 'shibori festival' held annually in June. These three floats are designated by Nagoya municipal office as 'Cultural Treasures of the People' They are drawn to the street of original Tokaido, and parade along the street, where the spectators still feel the trace of Edo Period in its atmosphere. The sites of two huge floats meeting or changing directions, or performances by mechanical dolls on the floats are special treatments of the parade. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

	This 'Hotei-Sha Float' was presented to Arimatsu from Tamaya-cho ( at present, Nishiki, Naka-ku ) in 1891. When it was built is not known. All the fact we have is that it started to participate in Wakamiya Festival ( held at Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine in Naka-ku ) in 1674. The float is decorated with gorgeously embroidered curtains and a mechanical doll on top, which writes letters on the paper.

This float is called 'Karako-Sha', because the three dolls on top represent Chinese children ( Karako ). These mechanical dolls also write letters. The float is reported to have belonged to a rich merchant in Chita Peninsula in the early 19th century, who had it built spending over 20 years. The body, made of Chinese wood, is decorated with blue sea shells and coral. A fine work of craftsmen. It was given to Arimatsu in 1875.

	This float was built in Arimatsu in 1873. The embroidered picture on the curtain is flowers of four seasons, designed by Watanabe Shoga. Among the three mechanical dolls on top represents Empress Jingu-Kogo. One of the dolls has his mouth and eyes open and close, and even sticks his tongue out.

One of the three festive floats is always exhibited to be seen. The gorgeously decorated float can be closely watched. Historical documents on spring festivals ( 3rd Sunday of March ) and autumn festivals ( first Sunday of October ) are also exhibited.

The town of Arimatsu started in 1808 by the order of Owari Clan. There was not much land to cultivate, and very little possibility to do well in entertainment business. They started shibori manufacturing as a side business. This Arimatsu Shibori attracted tourists traveling along the Tokaido, and Arimatsu began to enjoy prosperity.

A big fire broke out, however, in 1784, and burned most of the town.

Learning a lesson from the tragedy, this time they built houses of plaster wall sand tile roofs. Some parts of those buildings still remain and create the atmosphere of good old days. Among those buildings, the Hattori Residence is designated by Aichi Prefecture, and the Oka, Kozuka, and Takeda Residences are designated by Nagoya Municipal as 'Cultural Treasures'.

 

	'Cultural Treasure' designated by Aichi Prefecture. 'Important Building in the Cityscape' Built in late Edo Period. On the huge site stand a main house, a well house, a guest house, a gate, a row house and six storehouses. The buildings show the techniques and know-hows of fire-proof, one of the biggest landmarks ofArimatsu. 'Cultural Treasure' designated by Aichi Prefecture. 'Important Building in the Cityscape'

'Cultural Treasure' designated by Nagoya Municipal 'Important Building in the Cityscape' 　 This house is typical to a merchant house, and is one of the landmarks along Tokaido street. The site contains a main house, three storehouses, tea house, 'shoinzukuri' residence. Walls on the second floor are made of black plaster, and under the roof hangs gas lights of Meiji Era. Prosperity of those days lingers on.

	'Cultural Treasure' designated by Nagoya Municipal 'Important Building in the Cityscape' This massive building was built in late Edo Period and is the biggest residence in Arimatsu. A main house, a workshop, and two storehouses constitute the site. The plaster walls on the second floor are decorated with wave pattern.

	'Cultural Treasure' designated by Nagoya Municipal 'Important Building in the Cityscape' This beautiful, well-balanced residence was built after the big fire in 1784. Consists of a main house, two storehouses, and a tea house.

	'Important Building in the Cityscape' Built in 1873, the building houses Jingu-Kogo-Sha Float.

It quotes from the Nagoya board-of-education cultural property protection room.

▲BACK TO TOP