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This is Takeda-senko,
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a Kimono dyeing factory run by the Takeda family.
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Kazuya Takeda has been dyeing kimono for 22 years,
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like his father and his grandfather before him.
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Today he’s dyeing four traditional kimono,
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which start out as patterned rolls of fabric.
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This process removes impurities.
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Takeda-san doesn’t make kimono and sell them in a shop.
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He dyes custom ordered-kimono,
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which means he has to create the exact color that his customer is looking for.
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Because those dye colors aren’t pre-manufactured,
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he mixes the chemicals for them himself.
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I'm making the chemicals to dye the fabric.
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There are as many chemicals as there are stars in the sky.
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I need to pick the right one to get the right color.
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The dyeing process will take several hours.
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The first step is perhaps the most challenging—
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creating the correct color dye.
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Getting the color exactly right requires years of expertise
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and an artist's intuition.
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Now that the kimono fabric has been prepared,
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he transfers it to his dyeing machines.
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There are two types of machines he uses to dye the kimono,
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and he’ll be using both types today.
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This machine cycles the kimono fabric through a basin filled with dye.
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Takeda-san makes sure that the kimono stays centered on the wheel
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by pinning metal rods to the fabric.
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He adds the dyeing chemicals to the front of the basin,
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which will slowly work into the fabric during the next few hours.
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This method is called hitashi-zome, which means boiling dye method.
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With this machine, the kimono hangs down into a dyeing pot and spins under the water.
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This, too, will take several hours,
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but unlike with the other machines,
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you can see changes immediately with this method.
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The results are stunning.
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This will be a beautiful red.
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While he waits for the dye to sink in,
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Takeda-san is constantly checking progress on all the kimono
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and making adjustments to the colors if necessary.
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If I don't move these rods, the kimono will end up with small lines in the fabric.
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When the kimono start getting close to the correct color,
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he dries a spot of fabric on them and compares it to the sample his customer requested.
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Hmm, I need to figure out what dye to add to get this color correct.
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Sometimes, the dye requires a bit of altering.
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Not bad, if I do say so myself.
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This color is just right.
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When the dyeing process is finished,
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he transfers them to another basin that will set the dye and remove any excess chemicals.
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What do you think?
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I can't see a difference.
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I think it's gorgeous, but I guess it's not done yet?
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Okay!
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It's not quite there yet.
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Just needs a little more.
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This will get rid of the extra dye.
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After the soaking process,
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he runs the kimono through a machine to squeeze out the excess water.
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And finally,
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he hangs up the kimono to finish drying overnight.
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After this, they’ll be sent to another shokunin to be sewn together into the finished kimono.
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This is a book of Japanese family crests, which are called kamon.
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Many families have had their crests passed down through them for generations,
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but for families who have lost their crest or don’t have one,
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Takeda-san says it’s perfectly normal to select or create your own.
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These crests are used in the type of kimono dyeing that his family is known for—
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kuro-montsuki.
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Kuro-montsuki is a type of formal black kimono
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with family crests located on the chest and back.
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The Takeda family uses a method of dyeing the crests that's unique to Nagoya,
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called Nagoya Kuro-montsuki.
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In this method they sandwich cut outs of the family crest with wire mesh,
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which they then sew to the kimono.
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This allows them to dye around the cut out,
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the final details are then painted onto the kimono,
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resulting in the crisp design you see here.
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The most formal crest kimono has five crests (two on the chest, three on the back).
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Less formal ones have three or just one crest on the back.
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The more crests it has, the more formal it becomes.
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Five crests is the most formal.
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Men's montsuki (crest kimono) comes with haori jacket.
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This is the kimono
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and this is the haori.
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This is a tie string called haori-himo.
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When do you normally wear black kimono?
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For men, you can wear this for funeral ceremonies,
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or a wedding ceremony.
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Really, for pretty much any type of ceremony you can wear this.
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For women,
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they normally wear a mofuku kimono for funerals.
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And they wear this type called kuro-tomesode for wedding ceremonies.
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This cloth will become a kimono.
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Is this biwa lute?
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Yes.
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If you tear out all the seams of kimono, it'll go back to this shape.
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So you can re-dye it easily, as well.
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Unlike with other clothes, kimono aren't cut with curves.
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It's all cut straight.
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Kimonos also don't show the stitches.
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This sewing technique is unique to the Japanese kimono.
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Our mission is to make kimono that you can wear for generations.
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If you want to dye a kimono black,
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you can just add some chemicals on it to make it look darker.
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But some spots might wear off and look white later.
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So I want to dye black kimono without using those chemicals so it ages well.
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I have a kuro-montsuki kimono that my grandfather dyed 80 years ago,
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and it's still beautiful.
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To dye kimono like him is my goal.
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What do you think about foreigners who want to wear kimono?
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That's wonderful.
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Please do.
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That's great to hear.
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I want them all to wear kimono.
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I really appreciate the foreigners who spread the culture of wearing kimono.
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Please enjoy kimono.
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Thank you very much.
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Thank you so much for everything today.
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You're welcome. Thank you, too.
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What's the best part of your job?
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The best part...
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Of course I'm happy when our customers like my product,
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but personally, I love the moment when I get the dye color perfect.
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It's great.
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I feel like a genius.