At the foot of the mountains, we draw out colour, carry it into thread, and onward into cloth.
At the foot of the mountains, our family draws colour from plants and gently carries it into thread and cloth.
Even from the same plant, the colour changes subtly with the season, the weather, and the hands at work.
At yamamayu, we work with both botanical and synthetic dyes, choosing the colour most suited to each piece and the way it will be used.
How yamamayu creates colour
In creating colour, we pay attention to where each material comes from and how it changes. We seek a balance between a gentle expression and durability, while considering how much we use and what happens afterwards.
We make use of plants close to us—from the garden and satoyama landscape, as well as indigo and marigolds grown in our fields. When a particular colour or durability is needed, we also draw on synthetic dyes.
Colour is chosen not by principle alone, but with thought for how the cloth will be used.
Colours from plants
Leaves, flowers, bark, fruit and roots all hold colour. Botanical dyeing draws out those colours and carries them into thread and cloth.
Through mordanting, the colour bonds with the fibre and gradually settles into the material.
Even with the same plant, colour varies with the season, weather, mordant and material.
This variation makes exact repetition difficult, while giving each dyeing its own unrepeatable expression.
Yellow, yellow-green, brown, red, quiet greys, and the blue of indigo.
Different combinations of plant and mordant create a wide range of colours, from soft pastels to deep, subdued tones.
Colours from synthetic dyes
At yamamayu, synthetic dyes are also an important tool for creating colour.
For cloth that requires lightfastness and wash durability, we mainly use Irgalan dyes.
When a brightness or stability difficult to achieve with botanical dyes is needed, synthetic dyes help the cloth endure in everyday life.
Here too, what matters is using no more than the work requires.
When our weaving workshop was based in Hachioji, dyeing belonged to a wider division of labour.
At the studio in Yamanashi, we now work with both botanical and synthetic colours ourselves, considering each colour in relation to the material.
The blue of indigo
Unlike a colour extracted by simmering, indigo is dyed in a reduced state and turns blue as it meets the air and oxidises.
A fermented indigo vat produces a deep, layered blue that cannot be held in a single shade.
For yamamayu, indigo dyeing is less a matter of placing blue onto cloth than of allowing blue to grow.
How colour changes with time
Colours from plants gradually change through exposure to light and washing.
While accepting this change, everyday care helps the colour remain enjoyable for as long as possible.
We recommend avoiding direct sunlight, drying and storing the cloth in the shade, and washing it gently by pressing in water with a neutral detergent.
Whether a piece can be redyed depends on its material and condition. Please contact us if you would like to discuss this.
Dyeing within a cycle
The plants we use include pruned branches from the satoyama landscape, seasonal grasses, and indigo and marigolds grown in our fields. We consider carefully how much is needed.
Dyeing, too, belongs within a cycle of receiving from nature and returning to it.
A balance of gentleness and durability, made for the life of the person who uses the cloth—this is dyeing at yamamayu.
From colour to the next process
Once dyed, the threads are arranged in the required number and length,
ready for the next stage of preparing them for the loom.
Home › From Cocoon to Cloth › About Dyeing