Sanuki Norizome is a dyeing craft of Kagawa Prefecture in which patterns are resisted with paste (nori) made from glutinous rice, then colors are applied and the cloth is dyed. Dye does not penetrate the areas covered with paste, and the colors do not mix with one another, so the finished piece has crisp, vivid colors. According to Kagawa Prefecture, it developed in the castle town of Takamatsu in the Edo period. Today, besides noren (shop curtains), flags, nobori (banners) and happi coats, items such as 'yutan', the cloth that covers the body in the lion dance (shishimai), are made. In fiscal 1986 (Showa 61) it became a Kagawa Prefecture Designated Traditional Craft, and its production areas are Takamatsu City, Kotohira Town and Kanonji City. 大川原染色本舗 (Okawahara Senshoku Honpo) in Takamatsu City is a long-established business said to have been founded in 1804 (Bunka 1). 染匠吉野屋 (Sensho Yoshinoya) in Kotohira Town has dyed the banners for the Shikoku Konpira Kabuki Oshibai since its first performance.
Origin
Kagawa Prefecture describes Sanuki Norizome as having developed in the castle town of Takamatsu in the Edo period. According to the history of 大川原染色本舗 in Takamatsu City, in 1804 (Bunka 1) its founder came to Takamatsu, trained at a koya (dyer's shop) in the town, and made a living from stencil-based indigo dyeing. The shop explains that the paste technique, born of a rice-eating culture, has grown with the support of Kagawa's lion dance and udon cultures.
History
At 大川原染色本舗, the third generation, Kyujiro (久次郎), is said to have been the first to take up tsutsugaki, and the fourth generation, Kumazo (熊造), to have begun it in earnest. After the war, the fifth generation moved the workshop to Tsukiji-cho, Takamatsu City, to rebuild the business, and the sixth generation, Shizuo (静雄), was invited to the University of Washington in the United States as a visiting lecturer in 1978. 染匠吉野屋 in Kotohira Town was established in 1912 (Taisho 1) and has continued to dye the banners for Konpira Kabuki, which began in 1985. Sanuki Norizome became a Kagawa Prefecture Designated Traditional Craft in fiscal 1986 (Showa 61).
Features
Its main hallmark is tsutsugaki, in which paste placed in a tube-shaped bag made of shibugami (persimmon-tannin paper) is squeezed out to draw patterns directly on the cloth. Because the movement of the hand becomes the line itself, the result is free-flowing and warm. Color is applied with a brush inside the areas outlined with paste, and dyeing by dipping the cloth into an indigo vat is also used. Large items such as lion-dance yutan are dyed section by section and then sewn together.
Techniques
Tsutsugaki (Paste Application)
Paste is put into a tube-shaped bag made of shibugami and squeezed out from the tip to draw the outlines of the pattern on the cloth. Ono Atsuhiko (大野篤彦) of 染匠吉野屋 says that drawing lines of consistent thickness requires skilled technique, and that each craftsperson has their own particular approach to blending the ingredients that determine the firmness of the paste.
Irosashi (Color Application) and Steaming
Colors are applied to the areas outlined with paste, using brushes of different shapes and sizes as appropriate. At 大川原染色本舗, because the way the cloth dries affects how the colors turn out, color application and drying are done under natural conditions without air conditioning. The cloth is then steamed at high temperature to fix the dyes.
Materials Used
Production Process
- 1
Scouring and paste application
The cloth is scoured beforehand so that it takes the dye more easily. Next, paste is applied to the areas to be left undyed, using different tubes suited to each part. These lines of paste become the outlines of the pattern.
- 2
Color application
Colors are applied with brushes inside the areas outlined with paste. As with paste application, brushes of various shapes and sizes are used as appropriate. There is also a method of dyeing the cloth indigo by dipping it into an indigo vat.
- 3
Drying and steaming
Because it affects how the colors appear once dry, the cloth is dried under conditions as natural as possible, without using air conditioning or the like. Once dry, the cloth is steamed at high temperature to fix the dyes and bring out the colors.
- 4
Rinsing and sun-drying
When the paste and excess dye are washed off with water, the areas that were covered with paste emerge in white. At 大川原染色本舗, the cloth is hung to dry in the workshop's courtyard on a day with good weather.
- 5
Sewing
The dried cloth is made into noren, flags, happi coats, yutan and other items. Large items such as yutan are dyed section by section and finally sewn together into a single piece, taking care that the design does not fall out of alignment.
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Artisans & Workshops
大川原染色本舗
A dye shop in Tsukiji-cho, Takamatsu City, said to have been founded in 1804 (Bunka 1). The seventh generation, Okawahara Makoto (大川原誠人), is a Kagawa Prefecture Traditional Craftsperson. It dyes noren, nobori, flags, shrine curtains, happi coats, lion-dance yutan and more, and uses rice grown in Kagawa Prefecture for the paste used on yutan.
Official site →染匠 吉野屋
A dye shop in Kotohira Town, established in 1912 (Taisho 1). The fourth generation, Ono Atsuhiko (大野篤彦), is a Kagawa Prefecture Traditional Craftsperson. A 2019 interview reported that the shop makes some 80 to 150 banners for the Shikoku Konpira Kabuki Oshibai every year, with each banner taking about a week to complete. Happi coats, tairyo-bata (big-catch flags) and noren are also dyed by hand one piece at a time.
How to Buy
- 大川原染色本舗 (shop and orders)
- Orders are accepted at the shop at 高松市築地町9-21. It handles noren, nobori, flags, horizontal banners, happi coats, wall hangings and lion-dance yutan, as well as small goods. Its official website also explains the ordering process and how to submit design data.Where to buy →PR
- 染匠 吉野屋 (Kotohira Town)
- The shop is located at 琴平町旭町286. As of a 2019 interview, it was also making 'KONBAG', tote bags remade from Konpira Kabuki banners, and products planned jointly with a select shop. These are items that let you enjoy the vivid patterns of the banners in everyday life.
FAQ
Q. What is the 'yutan' used in lion dances?
A. In Kagawa's lion dances, it is the large cloth attached to the lion's head that covers the body. The name is said to come from the fact that oil-soaked washi paper was used in the past. Kagawa Prefecture is a place where many lion dances still survive, and yutan-making has supported the skills of Sanuki Norizome.
Q. Can I try Sanuki Norizome myself?
A. We could not confirm any permanent hands-on classes, but there are opportunities to try it at events. In autumn 2023, a handkerchief color-application workshop (3,300 yen) by 大川原染色本舗 was held in Takamatsu City. The shop also took part in a prefectural traditional crafts event held at the Ritsurin Garden Commerce and Industry Promotion Hall (Shoko Shoreikan) in March 2026.