About the School: Hori-Sensei’s Dyeing Class 4

”In natural dyeing, nothing is a mistake.”

The first year students' dyeing classes by Hori-sensei are finally nearing the end. Now, the natural dyeing classes have started after students have learned a wide range of dyeing techniques, gotten used to handling yarn and the basics of dyeing. In the class, students dyed and made samples using commercially available plant dyes, and plants that grow around the school. Students dye natural fibers such as wool, silk, and cotton, using various types of plants, with mordants such as aluminum, copper, and iron. By cataloguing the dyed yarn samples and separating them according to the type of yarn, mordant, and plant, the difference in the colors can be seen at a glance. The importance of organizing samples in this way also applies to the previous synthetic dyeing class.

Hori-sensei carefully explains the setup for the class. “There are more steps in natural dyeing compared to synthetic dyeing, such as brewing, pre-treating, mordanting, dyeing, and cooling. You have to run things well, or else, time will just pass. The setup is key to proceed efficiently, such as mordanting and pre-treating while brewing.”

◆ The resulting color is unique to the person who dyed it

One of the things Hori-sensei keeps in mind with natural dyeing is the proportion of the dye and the mordant. Mordants, that help develop the color and stop the color from fading, is something that is necessary for most plant dyes (except for some). Not enough dye and too much mordant will harm the yarn. On the other hand, too much dye and not enough mordant will cause discoloration. “It's important to adjust to a proportion that is just right for the yarn to absorb all of the mordant and for the color to develop,” Hori-sensei says, and teaches what he thinks is the best proportion from his many years of experience. There are some people who are concerned about the environment by using mordanting agents, but he says another reason for adjusting to the best proportion is so that the mordant does not remain in the residual liquid after dyeing. He says that it takes experience to be able to look at the residual liquid and determine if the yarn has fully absorbed the mordant.

“In natural dyeing, nothing is a mistake. It reflects the thoughts of the dyer, such as those who want to reduce the amount of mordant, or those who want to avoid discoloration. Because the amount of mordant changes the color, there are artists who prefer to use less to create their own unique color, and I think that is perfectly fine as well,” Hori-sensei says calmly.

The big difference from synthetic dyeing is the degree of attention to color reproducibility. "In natural dyeing, there are as many colors as there are people. There is a basic process, but the color can be changed depending on how you dye, and the resulting color is unique to the person who dyed it." The premise is different from synthetic dyeing, where one produces the desired color accurately, based on the data.

◆ Teaching so that the students can develop a wide perspective of dyeing

According to Hori-sensei, in Japan, synthetic dyes began to be used in earnest in the middle of the Meiji era (1868-1912), which means that until then, natural dyes were used. There were times in class when he would share his knowledge good-naturedly, saying, "When you visit the Kawashima Textile Museum (on the premises next to the school), it's interesting to see the items on exhibit from that perspective." The students in the class shared their impressions. “As I dyed, I thought about the history of natural dyeing.” “I started to look at the trees and flowers around me, thinking if they could be used for dyeing.” “Plants change each season, and even with the same plants, the colors change with mordants as well. Natural dyeing is so interesting.”

You can tell that Hori-sensei’s class is designed so that through the series of training, students can develop a wider perspective on dyeing itself. Rather than stating the individual merits and demerits of synthetic and natural dyeing, students’ ranges are broadened by him showing them, “there is this way,” within dyeing as a whole. What stood out is that all the classes are conducted so that the students can learn smoothly and openly. This became another class that motivated the students to think, “I want to study more!”

Continued to part 5.

About the School: Hori-sensei's Dyeing Class 3

"Be careful not to tangle the thread. Haste is waste.”

This is a series that covers the classes of skilled dyeing expert Masaru Hori-sensei, and looks at the “something” we must value. Part three is about the dyeing class that is a part of, and works with the first year students’ weaving class. When the class started, the first thing Hori-sensei said was, “You might sweat a lot today. Let’s do our best.” That is because each student will scour and dye approximately 700 grams of cotton thread this day. This thread will be used to weave cloth, as 1200 warp threads. Hori-sensei says it is important to “not tangle the thread,” which is “more important than dyeing well.”

◆ Rather than while dyeing, yarn gets tangled before and afterwards

Scouring is done with each student putting their skeins on a pipe, and soaking them all together in a large pot. The thread absorbs the water and becomes heavy. Using a tool called “Tekagi” to pull up the skeins, which is said to be used by the dyeing craftspeople in Nishijin, students start working after Hori-sensei demonstrates. “Put it (Tekagi) straight through (the skein), and pull up.” “Make sure there is no slack (when pulling up the skein). Please stop if you feel even a tiny bit of resistance.” “When you can’t pull up the skeins because they are too heavy, I want you to let them swim like koinobori (carp streamers) like this.” Hori-sensei gives tips on handling the thread attentively, with careful movements. Taking care not to tangle the thread means to pay attention to it. When the students move the skeins up and down, Hori-sensei’s calls become enthusiastic. The students, who at first were working cautiously, seemed to be getting the hang of it little by little.

“Scouring can be done at this pace, but you should work faster when dyeing. I will demonstrate how I did it when I was working (in the dyeing department).” Hori-sensei said, and turned the skeins using his whole body. The atmosphere immediately became tense, and the students were drawn into his swift and accurate movements. Hori-sensei has focused on dyeing at Kawashima Selkon Textiles Co., Ltd. for 42 years, and when he first joined the company, “working as a pair, would dye 10-20 kilograms of yarn every day.” He says that the first few years doing preparatory work were days of “learning the basic movements of dyeing.” That is why, through experience, he understands the importance of handling yarn.

"Yarn does not necessarily get tangled while dyeing. On the contrary, they get tangled in the steps before and after dyeing," says Hori-sensei. For example, when the skein is placed on a table before dyeing, when it is getting untwisted, when a rod is passed through it, or when they are being rinsed or spin-dryed after dyeing, so Hori-sensei would give advice each time. “Be careful of the angle of the rods so that hot water doesn’t flow out from them." "It’s difficult to wring out the skein when it’s heavy. There is also another way to wring it out, by folding it in thirds.” Hori-sensei kept an eye on everyone so they were careful about how they handled the skeins.

◆ An ear to listen to their needs

This class is for weaving, and the students each choose a painting, extracts 6 colors used in the painting, and weaves a striped cloth that is 8 meters long. Students choose samples that are similar to the six colors they have chosen, but Kanzome is necessary to match the colors perfectly. The students learn and achieve that sense through communicating with Hori-sensei. After seeing the painting and grasping the image of the colors, Hori-sensei asks the students what they want, and starts giving them advice straight away. “What do you want to do?” “The sample is on the dull side. What color do you think you should add?” “Do you think you should stop here?” Knowledge alone can not make everything work. Since the absorption capacity differs depending on the type of thread, it is absolutely necessary to make judgments on the spot, while observing its state.”

While watching Hori-sensei, I notice that he always has a "listening" attitude. That is the same with yarn, and he pays attention to what it wants. It is not limited to dyeing. There was a scene like this in a previous class. When a student's yarn got tangled, Hori-sensei helped and said, "When this happens, don’t get angry. It gets worse." The cause of this is how the yarn is moved during dyeing, and when being rinsed in water. "If you move it gently in one direction, this doesn’t happen. Haste is waste." he said in a calm tone, and when I looked down at his hands, the yarn unraveled smoothly. He silently fixed the yarn, saying, "Yarn is easier to handle for people with thin fingers, than with rugged hands like mine." Yarn directly reflects the consciousness of the person who handles it. It is compelling to see a skilled dyeing expert valuing the basics of handling yarn. Under the guidance of Hori-sensei, the students attempt to communicate with the thread.

Continued to part 4.

Workshops in February 2022

We will be holding two workshops in English next February:

Shifu Weaving
Natural Dyeing

These workshops are open to people living in Japan.

More information about the course and application procedure can be found on our Workshops page. Please use our contact form if you have any questions.

About the School: Hori-sensei's Dyeing Class 2

"The starting point for Kanzome is matching the color perfectly”

This is a series that covers the classes of skilled dyeing expert Masaru Hori-sensei, and looks at the “something” we must value. The second part is about the first year students’ “Kanzome” class. Hori-sensei is sometimes called a magician of dyes. That comes from the time when he instantly changed the color of yarn that a student dyed pink instead of green, by adding dyes intuitively. In the “Kanzome” class, he teaches the basic skills of adding dyes with one's intuition.

◆ The starting point for “Kanzome”

The class started with Hori-sensei explaining about Kanzome. “‘Kanzome” is a word that I coined. The method of dyeing by adding dyestuff intuitively during the dyeing process, has been long called “Horikomi Senshoku (throw-in dyeing)” by the craftspeople in dye houses of Nishijin. For my classes, I named it “Kanzome” so it is easier to imagine.” The basics of Kanzome is color matching using the three basic colors, yellow, red, and blue. Without using data, you add small amounts of dye during the dyeing process to reach your desired color. In class, students choose colors from samples, and dye skeins of wool.

“Once you get used to color matching, you will be able to do it ‘moderately well.’ But you won’t improve by doing it ‘moderately well.’ The starting point for Kanzome is whether you can match the color ‘perfectly’ or not. So in today’s class, we won’t stop at ‘moderately well.’ We will keep dyeing until it is perfect. Hori-sensei, who said that at the beginning, conducted the class exactly as he stated.

As the colors of the skeins got closer to the students' goals, Hori-sensei, who at the beginning of the class had been observing quietly, started to move quickly and spoke to them at the right moment. “It’s getting closer.” He compares the color with the student by laying the sample yarn on top of the skein that is being dyed. He doesn’t give the answer right away. “What do you think?” he first asks, and makes the student think for themself. After that, discussions like these go on.

Student 1: “It’s too light.” Hori-sensei :“Yes, you can continue to add the dye in the same proportion, and increase the concentration.”

Student 2: “It needs more green.” Hori-sensei: “What do you add to make it more green?” “...” “Yellow.”

Student 3: “There’s too much yellow.” Hori-sensei: “Yes, you put in too much yellow. This wool is naturally a bit yellow, so keep that in mind. What should you add?” “Blue.” “How about red?” “Red as well…” “Yes, let’s add blue and red.”

◆ When they are just a step away from matching perfectly, the yarn calls out

As the color becomes closer to that of the sample yarn, Hori-sensei’s question, “What do you think?” changes to, “What do you think it wants?” from the perspective of the yarn. The students understand, and the conversation continues that way. Hori-sensei quietly said, “When you have been dyeing for decades, it feels like the yarn calls for the color it wants. They call when they are just a step away from matching the sample perfectly. Something like, I want red, I want yellow.”

Through the process of matching the color from moderately well to perfect, Hori-sensei’s concentration increases. His calm appearance does not change at all, but his sharpened sense shows subtly in his momentary glances, timing of speaking to the students, and the movement of his hands. The students’ experience of communicating with Hori-sensei as they match colors, seemed to be an opportunity to open up their senses of focusing on the yarn and listening to what it wants.

At 82 years old, Hori-sensei is still active as a teacher, and has over 60 years of experience in dyeing. In the interview in 2020, he said, “Rather than dyeing myself, I like seeing the people I teach get better at color matching.” When a student working on Kanzome for the first time murmured, “It’s hard,” Hori-sensei said, “The only way to train your intuition is to dye many colors and get used to it.” That feeling probably comes from his years of experience. That is why those words resonate heavily. However, at the same time, it doesn’t feel like Hori-sensei’s sensitivity towards yarn is just that. We will continue to look at that “something.”


Continued to part 3.

About the School: Hori-Sensei's Dyeing Class 1

"If the data is non-reproducible, it is better not to have it at all"

Masaru Hori is a skilled expert who has been dyeing for over 60 years. It was in 2020 that we did a three-part interview with Hori-sensei, in which he talked about the work he had done in the Dyeing Department at Kawashima Ltd., his experience teaching as a full-time instructor for over 20 years at Kawashima Textile School after retirement, and about his thoughts now being over 80 years old. After it was published, we received a wide response from Hori-sensei’s students, and people interested in dyeing, both from Japan and from overseas. We feel that Hori-sensei not only has a wealth of experience and reliable skills, but also “something important” in how he teaches. That is not something that can be spoken by himself, but something that he exudes. In this series, we will cover Hori-sensei’s dyeing classes, and seek out what that something is. This first part is about the “Creating Dyeing Data” class.

◆ Why data samples?

Hori-sensei always speaks about the necessity of having data samples. “I want the students to achieve the skills to be able to dye by themselves at home, and continue dyeing, since they came all the way to study here.” This is his basic idea. ”You can get dye samples of single colors at dyeing stores, but there are no samples of mixed colors. Your range of dyeing will broaden by making colors that are not available for purchase. By having the data with you, you will be motivated to dye by yourself. It is important to develop that feeling.” He has continued to conduct his classes on creating data samples with that in mind.

In the first year students’ classes, students learn the basics of dyeing, and at the same time make data samples. Synthetic dyes allow you to create the color you want, as opposed to natural dyeing, where there is a limit in the colors that can be created. In class, students learn the characteristics of both synthetic dyes and natural dyes through making data samples. The students first make synthetic dye data samples. They make over 100 colors of samples using wool, silk, cotton, and polyester yarn, and the synthetic dyes for each type of yarn. They also learn how to create data for color gradients by dyeing from light, neutral, dark, and extremely dark.

Hori-sensei says, “You will be able to do the work yourself, once you get used to it. However, I pay particular attention to the students during steps where mistakes should not be made. Above all, with synthetic dyeing, in which dyes are mixed to create a certain color, confirming the numerical values is important. For light colors, the amount of dye could be less than the smallest unit on a commercial digital scale. Therefore, for example, when measuring the unit of 0.001, the dyestuff is dissolved in boiling water to make a 1000 fold dilution. Both measuring and blending require cautiousness and accuracy. He gives students tips on the spot, such as how to use their fingers when dropping dyestuff from a spoon onto the scale, or how to use the graduated cylinder or pipette, saying, “like this.” “If the data is non-reproducible, it is better not to have it at all. To prevent that, the most important thing is to measure accurately.”

◆ It all started 20 years ago from a handmade color palette

Currently at the school, there are approximately 150 colors of data samples for each type of yarn (June 2021). There are some new colors, and sometimes they are born from mistakes. “If you make a mistake in the digit when measuring dyes, it becomes a completely different color. However, if we can confirm what the mistake was, we include that as a new color in the group of samples.” Measurement must be precise, but on the other hand, saying that “mistakes in dyeing are inherent,” and creating a way to make use of them could be Hori-sensei’s ingenuity. He says, “I want them to have fun when working on dyeing.”

Hori-sensei quietly showed me the color palette he made when he first started teaching at the school. To make the data samples from scratch, he thought he “wanted at least 100 colors,” and “first made this color palette and organized it into a chart for each color tone, and test dyed each color, and created the data.” Hori-sensei was assigned to Kawashima Textile School when he was 60 years old, after working at the Dyeing Department of Kawashima Textile Manufacturers Ltd. (now Kawashima Selkon Textile Co., Ltd.) for 42 years. He took the long view of what to convey from the position of dyeing himself to the position of teaching, and what the school needs, and first organized the data samples, and laid the foundation for what dyeing at Kawashima Textile School is today. The handmade color palette that started it all is still carefully kept in the hands of Hori-sensei, without fading even after 20 years.

After finishing the four "Creating Dyeing Data" classes, Hori-sensei said, “I want you to use the data you made effectively. It can be used not only for yarn dyeing, but applied to dyeing the fabric around you as well." How they will be utilized is left to each student’s will.


Continued to part 2.