Interview with hand-dyed textile maker Masaaki Aoki

Hand dyer Masaaki Aoki: "I want to dye in this color" - Guided by an encounter with a color that moves me

Masaaki Aoki, Owner of Hand-dyed Crafts Shop

This is a new corner where we visit artists' studios and ask them about how they got started in creative activities and their thoughts on manufacturing. For the first installment, we visited Masaaki Aoki, a hand-dyeing craftsman who is pursuing traditional Japanese hand-dyeing with natural dyes.

Aoki's workplace is on the second floor of a Western-style building that was renovated from a 200-year-old building. The workshop and store that Aoki has had in place since 2002 is located in the Imperial Palace South, a popular spot in Kyoto with a calm streetscape and a mix of long-established and new stores.

After climbing up a small staircase from the entrance, we found ourselves in a tasteful space where the workshop and shop coexist on one floor. In the work area, a large pot is steaming. The scent of the freshly boiled natural dye is unique, but by no means unpleasant. When I commented, "It's a kind of calming smell," Aoki-san smiled and replied, "Thank you," and had a bright and friendly personality. He told us in a realistic manner about his unusual career path, which saw him go from the University of Tokyo to a major innerwear manufacturer before moving on to the dyeing industry.

Freshly dyed but with a vintage feel

--Your previous job was as a merchandiser for an innerwear manufacturer. How did you come across hand-dyeing with natural dyes, or plant dyeing?

A product project led me to visit Hirota Masuhisa of the Masuhisa Textile Research Institute, a company that specializes in plant dyeing in Nara. At the time, I was a young man of about 27 or 28 with no knowledge of plant dyeing, but Professor Masuhisa was very kind to me. The plant dyeing I saw there for the first time had exactly the feel and color of the fabric that I liked.

I've always liked the unique texture of vintage clothing, but I thought it was something that could only be achieved by wearing it out. What's more, as we talked, he asked me if I wanted to try it, and that very same day, I was able to try dyeing. I was surprised that vegetable dyeing was my favorite type of dye, and that I was able to do it with my own hands. I was also attracted to Masuhisa's personality, and before long, I started visiting him whenever I had the chance.

Madder, Chinese gallnut, Chinese bayberry, betel nut... The parts of each plant that contain the pigments are dried to become dyes. It's amazing how unexpected colors can appear.


The dyes are made from dried plant roots, bark, and fruits, and are boiled to extract the pigments. The steam-filled workshop resembles a kitchen.

After boiling the dye, it is strained through a cloth to create a dye solution.

--So that's when you started to become absorbed in dyeing?

No, it wasn't anything like that, I was just tired of my job at the company and thought I could have fun working under my favorite Mr. Masuhisa, so I just ran away (laughs). Of course, I was interested in the dyeing technique, but I didn't think about making it my career.

Fortunately, after joining the company, I was able to use my know-how to take charge of the IT system of the dyeing and weaving research lab while learning about dyeing, and this allowed me to strike a good balance. In the midst of all this, Maeda Ujo, a teacher that Masuhisa-san admires, often comes up.

-- A master revered by his master? That sounds amazing.

According to Masuhisa, "Mr. Maeda Ujo is the only person in Japan who can do ancient dyeing." And then, "There are two types of dyeing in the world. One is Maeda Ujo's dyeing, and the other is not."... What the heck? (laughs) I know it sounds amazing, but President, isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? (laughs)

But I was told, "You'll understand when you see it." By chance, I was able to go and help out at Professor Amagi's solo exhibition held in Kurume three months after I joined the company.

The impact of seeing color for the first time changed my life

Aoki-san dyeing with dye made from boiled plants. It takes three full days of work to complete, starting with boiling the dye.

--That was lucky. What did you think when you actually saw it?

I'm sorry if this sounds dramatic, but I feel like the way I perceive color has changed since that day.

People often say that it is best to give the best things to children who know nothing. I think that these objects have the power to create sensors in the people they are interacting with, or to make them aware of sensors that they were not aware of before.

I'm a music lover, so I'll use music as an analogy: whether it's classical or rock, it's usually when you hear an amazing sound that you notice something you didn't notice before. For example, someone who doesn't yet understand what is amazing and how amazing it is probably won't be able to tell the difference between the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic.

But when you hear the Berlin Philharmonic for the first time and it hits you hard, you suddenly start to understand what is really just a lump of sound.

That's because it was created by amazing people who could hear it to begin with. The contrast between the various factors is clear, so it's easy to understand.

The books "Colors and Dyeing in Ancient Japan" (left) and "Colors - Dyeing and Colors" (right) by ancient dyeing researcher Ujo Maeda. Through the deciphering of documents related to ancient dyeing, traditional colors, and culture such as the "Engishiki," ancient dyeing recipes and other details are described. Ujo Maeda, an ancient dyeing researcher whom Aoki still respects, passed away in 2013.


Maeda Ujo's books do not include printed color samples. He believes that people perceive color differently, colors vary depending on the lighting conditions, and that colors cannot be objectively expressed through printing, where colors vary depending on the edition.
The first edition of "Color and Dyeing in Ancient Japan" includes three color samples as an appendix: "Kouro" (top color sample), "Aoshiro no Tsurubami" (also known as Kikujin; middle color sample), and "Momozome" (bottom color sample), which were actually dyed by Maeda Ujo on silk fabrics from Tango, Kyoto.

--Maeda Uki's work was exactly that "color" version.

Yes, it hit me hard. For example, deep purple gives the impression of a depth that you can't reach even if you try, and you lose your sense of perspective. The dull crimson is the color of venous blood and smells like iron, and karakurenai is bright red, and it feels like you'll get burned if you touch it... these are colors that give rise to synesthesia.

Also, koji dust is dyed with the complementary colors of yellow and purple, and although it is originally grey, it is dyed over 10 times, which gives it a high level of colour rendering, and the colour changes dramatically depending on the light source: a deep grey in the morning, a beautiful green in the daytime, and a reddish beige when viewed by candlelight at night.

Every single piece was like that, and it was a constant source of amazement. I was so moved that tears came to my eyes. Since then, I've also started saying, "There are two types of dyeing in the world. One is Maeda Ujo's dyeing, and the other is everything else" (laughs).

--By the way, have you had any other experiences like that in your life so far?

I think it was when I first listened to Led Zeppelin in my first year of high school. At the time, I thought, "What is this? So cool," and I had goosebumps from the first note until I finished listening to the album. Since then, the way I listen to rock has changed, but this experience of Amagi's colors was even more shocking than that.

We're going a little off topic from the main topic of the interview, but Aoki says, "The only things that keep me going are dyeing and music, even though I get bored easily." The band "Aoi Mahoroba," which he formed with a colleague from his days as an office worker, marked its 24th year since formation in 2016 and continues to perform live. Aoki is the vocalist. (April 6, 2016, at Kyoto's live house "Shuttoku")

--It was truly a once in a lifetime experience that changed the rest of your life.

Until then, I had no complaints or doubts about making a living by helping Masuhisa. But when I saw Amashiro-sensei dyeing with my own eyes, I simply wanted to try dyeing in such amazing colors, and I clearly wanted to run my own dye shop.

Of course, I was still in the middle of my basic studies, so my life didn't change right away. As I learned and worked on dyeing, I started to want to try new things, and I started to want to have my own dyeing room where I could work without hesitation.

So in 2002, once the system construction for the research institute was complete and I was able to take over, and with Masuhisa's approval, I decided to go independent.

I only make things that I like.

The range has grown from eight colours at the start to 14 now.

--After deciding on the location, you had a three-month preparation period before opening. What thoughts did you put into creating the products, such as the items and colors?

Ultimately, I want to dye in colors like Professor Amagi's, but first I have to think about how to use the skills I've developed to make products. I thought that T-shirts were the perfect item to hold in your hands and enjoy the colors, and to enjoy fashion. They're simple, and the colors are the easiest to see, so I think they're like a clear soup, where my knowledge, skills, and experience are most clearly displayed.

I started by choosing eight colors based on my preferences, the colors I liked, the colors I could produce within a standardized cost, and the colors that were durable, after repeated trial and error while preparing for the store's opening.

I couldn't find any ready-made designs that I liked, so I started by sewing them. Even after opening the store, I continued to experiment with the selection of materials, the weaving of the fabric, and the sewing to make more satisfactory products. I think I settled down around the third year. To be honest, the quality is completely different now than it was at the beginning, and when I look at it now, I feel bad.

Organic cotton is the material for the fabric of Tezomeya's T-shirts. Organic cotton and natural dyes go well together, and dye well. Tezomeya's T-shirts are made from fabric that is knitted softly on a "hanging knitting machine" that puts as little strain on the thread as possible.

--What is the design policy that you adhere to?

I especially like military designs and other designs that have a function in their design. Originally, all designs had some kind of function, and this is an area where I agree with Hayao Miyazaki...don't you think guns and fighter planes are really cool?

Everything has a functional meaning, such as why tank caterpillars are shaped like that, and there is absolutely nothing that is unnecessary. I think that kind of thing is cool, so I don't try to design things that I can't relate to.

Call me naive, but I create products that are self-consistent and look for customers who are similar to me. I think this is the way that even someone who is an amateur when it comes to marketing can make a living by creating things.

Thankfully, people who were looking for functional beauty in the same genre responded, so I think that's why I've been able to continue until now.

In addition to their main range of T-shirts, Hand-dyed Items also includes scarves and bottoms.

--Just as you mentioned earlier about "clear soup," one of the appealing features is that the richness of the colors is conveyed directly thanks to the simple, functional design.

Initially, I wanted to aim to be a "MUJI" brand of plant-dyed products. MUJI products are not strangely designed and maintain a reasonable level of quality. In the end, people choose MUJI because they think, "Is MUJI good enough?"

But to go full circle means knowing everything from 360 degrees, noticing what people find funny in every genre, and being a real expert. I gave up on the idea because I thought it was not an easy goal to achieve.

However, I think that in some genres it does turn out that way, and it makes me really happy when someone occasionally says to me, "There's nothing strange about the design here."

--What are your thoughts on future developments?

I think the vintage feel of Tezomeya's products makes them a good fit for the category of slow fashion, which is about enjoying high-quality clothing for a long time.

Since this is an American-led movement, we are thinking of ways to gain recognition there. We would like to hold an exhibition and sale locally and spread the information on Facebook and Instagram, so that we can disseminate information that is not mass and is not fake. I don't think the appeal of plant dyeing is well known yet. The overall amount of it as a fashion category is still insufficient. I would like to see more people come forward to make cloth products using plant dyeing, not just clothes.

To ensure that staff can dye the fabric in the same colors, the process is recorded in detail in a notebook. As of April 2016, the number of "someme notebooks" had exceeded 50.

-- So you will continue to explore color, which was your introduction to this world, Mr. Ameshiro.

Natural dyes are said to have been established during the Heian period, after being refined from the techniques used in imperial court dyeing. However, the techniques fell into disuse during the samurai era. Only the recipes remain in a book called the Engishiki, and all those who work with plant dyes use this as a basis.

But since the method is not written at all, I can only guess from the amounts and materials, and I don't know the correct answer. In the end, Mr. Amagi's dyeing is not creative, but rather he dyed it as faithfully as possible to the Engishiki within his own ideas.

I was gently killed by that color, but I'm not aiming to achieve the same color by using the same approach. It's more likely to happen as a result of doing my own research and pouring all my experience and skills into it.

I'm still in the process of deciphering the literature, but it's really interesting. I've noticed a lot of things while reading the literature, and some of them can be applied to dyeing T-shirts, so I'd like to continue this as my life's work.

--Today, through your talk, Mr. Aoki, I was able to learn once again about the appeal of plant dyeing. Thank you very much.

Aoki-san always spoke with words that perfectly suited his feelings, without pretense or pretense. His own thoughts were clearly projected in Tezomeya's vague yet calculated colors, and simple yet functional designs. Each item, which he created with love and sincerity in its color, is sure to make people who hold it grow to love it naturally.

Profile of Masaaki Aoki, Owner of Tezomeya

1967	Born in Mie Prefecture, raised in Tokyo
1991	Graduated from the Department of Insurance, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo Joined Wacoal Corp. and moved to Kyoto
1995	Through product planning, we began our relationship with the Masuku Dyeing and Weaving Research Institute, headed by Masuku Hirota.
the year of 2000	He left Wacoal Corp. and studied yarn dyeing with natural dyes at the Masuku Dyeing and Weaving Research Institute. He assisted in a solo exhibition by Maeda Ujo, a master of ancient dyeing techniques, and was shocked by his work.
2002	After working at the Masuku Dyeing and Weaving Research Institute for one year and nine months, he became independent. "Tesomemeya" opens in Kyoto City.
2009	He is now a part-time lecturer at the Department of Fine Arts and Crafts at Kyoto University of Art and Design.
2014	He also serves as a part-time lecturer at the Department of Historical Heritage at Kyoto University of Art and Design.