Toshiharu HISATSUNE

Ishikawa

Vision and Descriptions

Yuzen is a unique, 400-year-old, labor-intensive textile dye process in which color is applied to fabrics by hand using tiny brushes to produce solid colors, color gradation, or elaborate motifs. The result is a highly prized cloth with a rich artistic aesthetic used most often in high-end kimono and accessories. Unfortunately, the use of traditional, natural dyes in Yuzen has declined drastically since the introduction of high-efficiency European chemical dyes in the late 1800s. Kanazawa-based Toshiharu Hisatsune, however, aims to transform the chemical-dye-dominated Kaga Yuzen fabrics produced in the city of Kanazawa by reverting to the natural dying culture that existed in Japan for hundreds of years. He has developed new natural dyes that produce exceptional color with greatly reduced drying time. In doing so, Hisatsune has also brought hope to the rapidly disappearing dye culture of his native Kanazawa. 

Representative Works

Click on the picture to enlarge.

Contact

Website: hisatsune YUZEN

Instagram: hisatsune_yuzen

Additional 2022 contest winners

(craft leaders)