Fawn spots (tie-dye)

鹿の子 kanoko

Fawn spots (tie-dye)

Densely tie-dyed dots like a fawn's spots; so labour-intensive that it signals luxury, and it is loved for girls' and celebration kimono.

Heian period; peak popularity in the Edo period

Kanoko is a shibori (tie-dye) technique in which each tiny dot is bound by hand, already used by Heian aristocrats. It was one of the most fashionable textile designs of the Edo period, especially the square hitta-kanoko covering a whole kosode, and was made in Kyoto and the Arimatsu–Narumi area. Because full kanoko was so costly, it was targeted by Edo sumptuary edicts, and stencil-dyed imitations (kata-kanoko) appeared.

Still used for furisode, obiage and hair ornaments; Arimatsu–Narumi shibori is a designated traditional craft.

Technique catalog · draft for review

Every way to wrap, carry and wear a furoshiki.

The furoshiki.com archive, sliced into annotated steps with plain directions, plus techniques found in research.