Miyazaki Yūzen Explained

, also known as Miyazaki Yūzensai or Yūzenzai (友禅斎), was a Japanese fan painter who perfected the fabric dyeing technique.

Biography

Miyazaki was born in Kyoto in 1654.^[1] He was originally a fan painter, but is also known for his work with .^[2] Miyazaki painted his most popular fan designs on kimono, and they were wildly popular.^[3] He used rice paste to resist-dye the cloth in a method that he named . It later became known as simply . This technique made it easier for Miyazaki to paint his designs directly on the kimono, making them more expressive.^[4]

His designs were so popular that they were published as (友禅雛形 “Yūzen maquette”)^[5] in 1688.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Miyazaki Yūzen Japanese painter. Encyclopedia Britannica. en. 2019-11-18.
2. Web site: 5 Things You Should Know About Yuzen Kimono. Japan Objects. en-US. 2019-11-18.
3. Book: Röpke, Ian Martin. Historical Dictionary of Osaka and Kyoto. 1999. Scarecrow Press. 9780810836228. en.
4. Web site: Miyazaki Yuzensai. Google Arts & Culture. en. 2019-11-18.
5. Web site: 友禅染 . City of Kyōto . Japanese.
6. Fukatsu-Fukuoka. Yuko. 2004-01-01. The Evolution of Yuzen-dyeing Techniques and Designs after the Meiji Restoration. Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings.