A Fish Out of Water: Roketsu-zome

So the reason I couldn't spend more time Fushimi Inari Shrine this morning was that I had planned to spend the afternoon dying. Batik, that is, or roketsu-zome as it's called in Japan. So at Kyoto Station I hopped on a bus and headed to Roketsu-zome Yamamoto, a little old batik studio that seems to be somewhat of a hidden gem. Hidden because it is so hard to get there, being tucked away in a residential/industrial area, far from the tourist sites. And it's not easy to find, either: for the second time that day I got lost, and ended having to call the shop for directions.

So that covers the hidden part, now for the gem: the place is run by a wonderfully hospitable old couple. When I called and told them I was lost, they said they'd come get me rather than give directions over the phone. And after a few minutes of waiting, a little old lady peddled up on a bicycle and with a bow and apology handed me an ice cold oshibori (moist hand towel). I had thought I was going to melt away while I was waiting, so it was highly appreciated. But the apology threw me off, since after all I was the one who was hours late and had made them come get me.

I had assumed that she came to get me because she had deemed my Japanese to be too poor to understand directions over the phone, but soon I realized that they are truly hospitable, kind people who love what they do. Judging by their prices, which I'll get to later, I'd have to guess that they are running the studio not as a lucrative business, but because they love doing it.

What they do is offer short courses, helping visitors through the complete process of roketsu-zome, which I'll outline here.

When I arrived I was ushered into the studio and seated next to a fan to wait for the group ahead of me to finish up. An ice cold glass of mugi-cha (roasted barley tea, the standard summer drink in Japan) and dish of senbei (rice crackers) were brought, and as I sat cooling down I checked the place out. Batiks were hanging everywhere, giving me ideas for designs, and along one wall were dozens of rolls of batik stamps, as in the picture at the top of the post. Some of the patterns were stunning, and based on the width I'd say they were used to print ittan (the long rolls of fabric used for kimono).

Resfreshed by the mugicha, I wandered over to a shelf stacked with sheets of paper printed with various designs. It was hard to choose, and I was tempted by some lovely looking koi (carp), but I settled on a dragon. You don't have to follow the designs, but since it was my first time to try this method of batik I wanted to play it safe.

Fabric choices range from a 45cm square for 1500 Yen, to t-shirts for 3000 Yen, to full-sized noren (double-paneled Japanese-style curtains) for much more. All the fabric is 100% cotton and comes hemmed, which is nice as tenugui (traditional hand towels) and other fabric products in Japan often come with unfinished, unraveling edges. It is also possible to bring your own fabric or clothing, as long as both the fabric and thread are of cotton. I went for the smallest square, vowing to bring a tank top or dress next time.

Now it was time to practice. I sat at a table fitted with a light box and a little tempura pot of melted beeswax. It smelled wonderful and reminded me of making pysanky (Ukranian batik Easter eggs) years ago. The wax is applied with a brush, and it took quite a bit of practice to learn how to do it. But once I got used to it I found it much easier than pysanky, with its awkward stylus. To practice, the design was placed on the lightbox with a fresh sheet of paper laid over and held in place with weights. They wouldn't let me near the fabric until I had completed the dragon on paper, which is just as well as I really needed the practice.

Then I moved on to the real thing. Not as good as I'd hoped (I think the practice dragon was better, actually!) and some of the lines were thicker than they should have been, but I was pleased. And tired- it took a good half hour to finish, and it was half an hour of pure concentration.

Next I got dressed up in an apron, boots and gloves and headed to the dying room. It was indigo, and what was neat was that it turned green before it turned blue. I had to swish it around in a tank of dye for 10 minutes or so, and it was harder work than I thought.

As I got out of my gear and then sat sipping mugicha in the studio, the old man rinsed my fabric and hung it up to dry. And then it was time to iron it.

And here's the finished product! The four pictures of me above were taken by the old man and posted to the studio's website. I think all visitors get their pictures taken, and it seems like they especially get a kick out of foreign visitors, who have their own album. They seem to have quite a few foreign customers, and although they don't speak English at all it doesn't seem to be a problem. Even though I used Japanese, most of the instructions were visual anyway.

It was a great experience and well worth the time it took to get there. I didn't see any assistants or family members in the shop so I'm assuming the couple are running the place themselves. They don't seem to need any help, and are even quite up-to-date technologically, with a digital camera and fancy laptop. But I wonder what will happen to the place down the road, when they get too old to keep running the shop. I can't imagine there are many people who would be willing to take over the shop, or who could offer the same hospitality and low prices-- I mean, 1500 Yen is incredibly cheap considering I spent 2 very interesting hours there and came away with a beautiful, unique souvenir.

So I will definitely be back, and recommend that anyone with half a day to spare in Kyoto make the trip out to Roketsu-zome Yamamoto.

Roketsu-zome Yamamoto
(075) 313-1871

73 Umazuka-cho, Nishikyogoku Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 615-0885
Open everyday except Wednesday, 10 am to 6 pm

Comments

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I think your blog is great! I was interested in this post because I live in Kyoto. I will definitely take one od the courses !
I have a request too... I have a photo-blog and I'll be posting a photo on August 2nd which shows some samples of indigo dyed cloth decorating a tea-shop. Would you mind if I add a link to this post in your blog?

Cathy

Posted by: Cathy | 2007.07.18 at 09:16 AM