Aim for India!

Kyoto Traditional Technique February 14, 19:22

Traditional Indian costume, "Sally".

The clear colors are impressive, and I think many people have an exotic image.

Craftsmen involved in making kimono in Kyoto embarked on the production of the sari.

The big reason was the sluggish demand due to the corona disaster.

And there was a sense of crisis that traditional techniques could be cut off.

I followed the path of challenge.

(Kyoto Broadcasting Station reporter Yuka Misaki)

Sally with traditional Kyoto techniques

Last December, a PR video was shot in Kyoto city.

The PR is the traditional Indian costume "Sally" worn by the two models.

This sari is not an ordinary sari.

The material is silk.

The technique of traditional Japanese costume "kimono" is incorporated abundantly.

A model woman whose father is from India told me that her shoulders and hips are less tiring than Indian sari, which is embroidered with textiles.

"Indian sari is very heavy, but this sari feels light. In India, there aren't many pale and cute sari, and there are many dark reds. I'm glad I was able to wear a Japanese-style sari."

It was December and it was very cold on that day, but the silk sari felt warm even though it was thin.

What is the "Kyo Yuzen" technique for dyeing kimono?

The production of Sally was started jointly by 11 Kyoto dyeing and processing companies that handle the traditional dyeing technique "Kyo Yuzen" that has been handed down in Kyoto.

"Kyo-Yuzen" is one of Japan's leading pattern dyeing techniques that has been handed down in Kyoto, and most of it is used for kimono.

It is said that "Miyazaki Yuzensai", a fan painter of the Edo period who gained popularity for his beautiful and splendid paintings and lived in Kyoto at that time, established the method.

"Hand-painted Yuzen" that dyes colors like drawing a picture with a brush.

After the Meiji era, a technique called "Kata Yuzen" was developed to dye colors using paper patterns in order to support mass production.

After going through the processes of embroidering and pasting gold, we will finish it luxuriously.

The new corona is also hit. Traditional industry in a difficult situation

By the way, why did you decide to make traditional Indian costumes using Kyo-Yuzen technology?

One of the major triggers was the drop in demand due to the spread of the new corona infection.

Most of the Kyo Yuzen techniques are used in kimono.

The peak production volume was in 1971.

Economic growth has enriched our lives, and many people have used different kimonos for ceremonial occasions.

However, after that, the domestic market shrank significantly as the “kimono away” progressed.

Under such circumstances, the impact of the spread of the new coronavirus infection will accelerate the decline in sales.

Last year's production decreased by about 26% compared to the previous year.

It decreased by 98% compared to the peak time.

Kyo-Yuzen is a "division of labor" in which each craftsman is responsible for processes such as "drafting" and "dyeing."

At least 10 craftsmen are involved in one work.

If you turn it over, if one process cannot be done, the whole will not be completed.

If craftsmen lose their jobs and go out of business one after another in the wake of the Corona disaster, traditional techniques may be lost.

One of the project members, Yukihide Sekiya, is the president of a dyeing and processing company that has been in business for over 120 years.

I have thought that it is necessary to look overseas from the shrinking domestic market.

Sally said that she felt that the way she covered it with a cloth and how it was used as a sunny dress was similar to Japanese kimono.

India has a population of about 1.4 billion.

Further economic growth is expected in the future.

I thought that it would lead to market development if the value was recognized by introducing dyed products unique to Japan.

Mr. Yukihide Sekiya

"Like a baton relay, we maintain high quality by connecting one process with one craftsman. Because it is a technology that many people can gather, we will not interrupt it. I want to leave manufacturing to the generation of

The challenge is "difference in size"?

Each company participating in the project assumes that the price is 1 million yen per sheet.

First, we targeted the wealthy people in India.

However, once I started making it, the challenges that arise from the difference between kimono and sari became apparent one after another.

The biggest challenge was the "difference in size".

According to Mr. Sekiya and others, Sally wears a piece of cloth about 5 to 6 meters long wrapped around her body.

The width of the cloth is about 1 meter and 20 centimeters.

There are three times as many as the cloth used for ordinary kimono.

Since the kimono pattern is small and inconspicuous, I decided to enlarge the pattern three times.

But it's not just about making it bigger.

As the range of dyeing increases, color unevenness tends to occur and the delicacy of expression is lost.

Overcoming these issues by intentionally blurring or adding shades to the pattern.

By making full use of the skill of craftsmen, we succeeded in applying large and vivid patterns.

A Kyo-Yuzen craftsman said, "I had a hard time applying it widely because the size of the pattern is completely different."

Another issue is the difference in how the pattern looks when worn.

Sally has loose folds called "drapes" from her shoulders to her back.

When draped, unlike kimono, the pattern cannot be seen clearly.

In some places, the pattern disappears.

The way the pattern looks is completely different from the kimono that puts the center of the pattern in the center of the fabric.

Therefore, we drastically reviewed the arrangement of the patterns.

It is the edge of the fabric that can surely show the pattern.

I decided to place the pattern there.

What are the impressions of Indian people?

??

Mr. Sekiya's sari was created over two months.

This year, it was shown to Indian people such as the Indian Ambassador to Japan in Tokyo in early January.

The members who witnessed at that time were surprised that everything was handicraft.

Many people stopped in front of the glittering work.

It was reported that the pattern using a lot of gold was well received.

Under such circumstances, Mr. Sekiya and his colleagues say that they have renewed their determination to retain the technology of Kyo-Yuzen.

"If we just paste gold and silver, there is no point in making it. We are starting this project in the sense of connecting the techniques of Kyo-Yuzen. Let's make it that appeals to the contrary."

While referring to the needs of Indian people, I decided to aim for a sales method that can bring out the goodness of Kyo-Yuzen.

Aiming for the world Kyo Yuzen

In this way, 23 sari made with skill are completed.

It was unveiled in Kyoto city in mid-January.

Japanese patterns such as iris, pine, and plum are arranged.

On the other hand, there are also sari that incorporate motifs such as "botan" and "kujaku" that are familiar as traditional patterns in India.

The appearance of the pattern changes depending on how the drape sways.

Mr. Sekiya also completed a luxurious sari with finely decorated blue cloth with gold.

A play in the Heian period and a skein for storing shellfish are depicted.

It is a traditional pattern to celebrate the wedding and the beginning of a girl.

Mr. Sekiya and others who are feeling the response.

In the future, we are considering holding an exhibition in India and selling it to the wealthy so that local Indian people can actually see it.

If the value of the Kyo-Yuzen sari is recognized, I expect that it can be applied to other traditional costumes overseas and further developed.

Mr. Yukihide Sekiya

"I am confident in the technology through my commitment to manufacturing and interaction with craftsmen, so I would like to spread the goodness of Kyo-Yuzen to the world along with the strength of Japanese manufacturing."

How do Indians perceive Sally, who makes full use of the traditional Japanese costume "kimono" technique?

Many traditional industries are facing difficulties due to the aging of craftsmen and sluggish demand.

I would like to continue to pay attention to the whereabouts of this challenge that began to overcome such a situation.

Yuka Misaki , a

reporter for the Kyoto Broadcasting Station , joined the station

in 2010.

After working at the Otsu station, she has been a member for two years.

She interviews Kyoto municipal government.