Edo Komon Pocket Square: Swirls with Tortoise (Don-nezumi) × Diagonal Check (Ink Black)

The origins of komon dyeing reach back to the Muromachi period, but the practice became widespread during the Edo period. A production center developed in Edo to dye the formal kamishimo worn by feudal lords who gathered there from across Japan.

Initially associated with samurai dress, komon spread among townspeople in the mid-Edo period and flourished under the influence of urban culture. It was worn by both men and women during the Edo period, but became exclusively women’s attire in the Meiji period.

About the Making Process

Tokyo Some-Komon is produced in a single workshop, from preparing the colored paste through final drying.
An approximately 20-centimeter stencil is placed repeatedly along a bolt of white fabric about 12 meters long, with precise alignment required to create an uninterrupted fine pattern.
To reproduce the carver's design accurately, the dyer monitors the condition of the fabric, stencil, and paste throughout the process.

1. Carving the Stencil

• Two or three sheets of handmade washi are laminated with persimmon tannin to create the stencil paper.
• The carver cuts the intricate pattern using awls, small knives, and specially made carving tools.

2. Preparing the Colored Paste

• Glutinous rice flour, rice bran, and a small amount of salt are mixed, steamed, and kneaded into a base paste. Dyes are then added.
• The base color and pattern color are adjusted through repeated test dyeing.

3. Applying the Stencil Paste

• White silk is stretched taut across a long, solid fir board. A cypress spatula is used to press resist paste through the stencil.
• The stencil is repositioned along an approximately 12-meter bolt by aligning tiny registration points called okuriboshi. Its moisture is carefully controlled because drying can alter the stencil’s dimensions and disrupt the alignment.

4. Drying on the Board

• The resist paste is dried while the fabric remains attached to the board. For multicolored designs, the stencil application is repeated.

5. Ground-Color Dyeing (Shigoki)

• Once the resist is dry, the fabric is removed from the board and ground-color dye paste is spread evenly across the surface with a large spatula.

6. Steaming

• Before the dye paste dries, the fabric is steamed at 90–100°C for approximately 15–30 minutes to set the color.

7. Washing

• The steamed fabric is thoroughly rinsed to remove the resist paste and excess dye.

8. Drying and Finishing

• The fabric is dried, returned to its proper width through a steam-finishing process called yu-noshi, and carefully inspected.

MAKER · WASEDA, TOKYO

Patterns That Reveal Themselves Slowly

At its Waseda workshop, Tomita Dyeing & Crafts continues Tokyo Some Komon and Edo Sarasa using Ise *katagami* stencils, while also applying its dyeing knowledge to accessories and objects for contemporary life.