Katazome Technique Number Five: Hikibori

The final technique is Hikibori. This is the technique most commonly used for Yukata, (cotton summer kimono) and Yuzen dyeing. The blade is drawn towards the carver. The technique is difficult to diffentiate with the push blade technique. The blade for hikibori is shorter than the one used in Tsukibori. Very fine curves are more easily cut with the push technique, tsukibori than the hikibori pull technique.

I use this hikibori technique the most. I will move onto tsukibori in the near future. I'll go back to Ise this summer and find the specific cutters and boards and determine the appropriate paper and figure out the essentials of this designs that fit the tsukibori  technique. Here are two dyed pieces from stencils I have cut with the hikibori technique.

I have a lot to write about on the subject of these five katazome techniques. With the spring workshops fast approaching it is not the time.  I will get back to the subject when things have settled down. The techniques them selves are fascinating but there is much more to the subject.