Kimono 5 - manufacturing

Among various kimonos, one of expensive kimono is Uchikake which our dress is made from.

Craftsmanship to make Uchikake

This is the same procedure to make obi sash.

The price of Uchikake is ca 500,000 yen (US$ 5,000) to 3,000,000 (US$ 30,000). 

Uchikake Kimono feature minute details and sophisticated techniques, such as embroidery and dyeing. Even in the current industrialized world, Uchikake Kimono are still painstakingly created by the high level of craftsmen over the course of several months.

Here is instruction how to make Uchikake - 

1 Planning

2 Engraving

1. Planning and designing

After planning what kind of fabric, color, and embroideries are to be used for a kimono, a fixed design is drawn on the white fabric.

2. Engraving

The planned design is engraved for the gold finish and embroideries. This step takes about 2 or 3 months.

3. Dyeing

3 Dying

First, the ground dyeing is carried out on the fabric as it hangs. Then, the fabric is spread horizontally and the main dyeing is executed using a big brush. A fast and even dyeing technique is required because the large size of the area to dye can easily result in a spotty finish. This main dyeing is repeated more than 2 times 

depending on the shade of color desired.

4 Streaming

4. Steaming

To fix the dyed color on the fabric completely, the fabric is steamed in a steaming room of 100 degrees for 20-50 minutes.

5. Washing

5 Washing

After steaming, the fabric is immediately washed with water to remove the glue.

6 Gold finishing

6. Gold finish

In this step, the planned design is finally put on the fabric. Skilled craftsmen use abrasive blasting to make the gold design over the paper patterns. This process is as important as the dyeing process in terms of craftsmanship.