Create an Indigo Stencil-Dyed Handkerchief with a Living National Treasure Just Outside Tokyo

Nobuo Matsubara, Living National Treasure of Nagaita Chugata – and Your Workshop Instructor

Around two hours by highway bus or train from Tokyo Station, the lush and tranquil mountains of Kimitsu in Chiba feel a world away from the concrete and crowds of the capital. Nestled at the end of a narrow country road lies the indigo dyeing workshop of Nobuo Matsubara, one of Japan’s foremost masters of the traditional form of stencil resist dyeing known as nagaita chugata. Officially recognized as a Living National Treasure for his skills in the traditional art form of “nagaita chugata,” Matsubara preserves a traditional and technically demanding Edo-period indigo-dyeing art built on indigo, paper stencils, rice paste, water, sunlight, and meticulous handiwork.

Nagaita chugata is a traditional stencil-resist dyeing technique originally developed for cotton yukata (i.e. light, single-layer summer kimonos). In this method, the cloth to be dyed is stretched over a long board, applied with resist paste through hand-cut katagami stencils, and then dyed in traditional natural indigo to create a contrast of patterns between gorgeous indigo blues and stark cotton whites. In its traditional form, the technique requires paste application on both sides of the cloth, with the front and back patterns aligned only by a finely attuned eye and trained pair of hands.

Traditional Indigo, Resist-Stenciling, and Edo Chic – Introduced by a Legend

Surrounded by mountainside, rivers, and lush greenery, Matsubara’s studio is a world apart from the crowds and bustling pace of nearby Tokyo. The dyer chose this location for the space, water, and sunlight it afforded his work – three things that are a must for working with full-length yukata cloth.

After arriving, enjoy a talk from Matsubara himself about the art of nagaita chugata and its cultural and historical significance. You’ll learn how it developed as a dyeing technique for Edo-period yukata, and why indigo and white came to be associated with a refined Japanese urban aesthetic. You’ll also learn all about Ise katagami, the cut paper stencils used in this dyeing process, and the meanings behind various traditional cloth patterns of Japan.

Choose Your Katagami Stencil, and Apply Rice-Paste Resist by Hand

Move next to the work of dyeing your large 60cm square handkerchief. Choose your preference among several stencil patterns before preparing the resist paste. The paste is a traditional natural material central to Japanese traditions of stencil-resist dyeing, made from rice. It functions by blocking the indigo dye from reaching the cloth, leaving areas it covers as pale patterns against a blue ground.

Using your stencil, apply the resist paste by hand to one side of the cloth. Strictly speaking, this experience is the simplified form of nagaita chugata known as aigatazome – literally “indigo stencil-dyeing” – because the handkerchief is pasted on one side only. However, it follows the same key principles and processes of nagaita chugata, and produces the same aesthetic of beautiful indigo patterning.

Dye and Rinse to Reveal Your Own One-of-a-kind Indigo Handkerchief

While the paste dries, enjoy hearing more from Matsubara about the place of nagaita chugata among Japan’s surviving stencil-dyeing traditions, and the cultural concept it represents: Edo-iki – i.e. “Edo chic”: a cool, understated refinement prized by the townspeople of historic Edo (today known as Tokyo). With insights into this deeper cultural context and historical meaning, you’re apt to gain a new appreciation for this traditional art.

When the paste is dry, it’s time to dye the cloth in the indigo solution before finally rinsing it with water. As the resist paste loosens and falls away, the pattern appears. This is the moment where creation becomes revelation, sure to be a memory you’ll cherish: what began as a plain white square of fabric becomes a beautiful and functional traditional textile given life by your own hands, under the guidance of a Living National Treasure. The finished 60cm handkerchief can be taken home on the day as a keepsake of the experience.

View Historic Materials and Dyeing Tools in a Full Workshop Tour (Additional Option)

Choose to add a 60-minute workshop tour focused on a deeper understanding of the dyeing process and its history. Enjoy up close viewing of antique stencil papers, traditional tools, and historic examples of authentic nagaita chugata cloth prepared with resist paste on both sides.

Because the full nagaita chugata process is prohibitively time-consuming and highly dependent on weather and other natural conditions, the tour includes a viewing session of a video covering every step — alongside the master himself to answer any questions that may arise. When conditions allow, you can also view a genuine nagaita chugata piece, created by resist paste application to the both sides of the cloth surface before dyeing.

An Indigo-Dyed Cloth, and a Deeper Sense of Traditional Japanese Art

This Wabunka-exclusive dyeing experience offers visitors rare private instruction time with a legend in traditional textile art, and access to the studio where he usually works alone. Go beyond simple encounters with famous pieces as artifacts to be admired or products to be bought, and get hands-on with the work and philosophy behind them, experiencing the creation of subtle beauty from simple natural elements: cloth, paper, rice, water, indigo, and sunlight.

If Japanese traditional art, aesthetics, and design traditions are among your interests, you’re sure to find delight just as much in the finished handkerchief you take home with you as in the experience and understanding you gain along the way. Through traditional indigo dyeing, Edo chic aesthetics, and interaction and instruction from a Living National Treasure, encounter a world of traditional artistic excellence that has survived because generations of proud artisans have worked hard to carry it on.