TokyoTomo Travel Guide

Contrary to its highly recognized tie-dying products “Arimatsu Shibori”, the Arimatsu town itself is not very well known. It was a once thriving town located in the southern part of Aichi Prefecture, next to Narumi, the 40th station of the old Tokaido Road.

Arimatsu took its first step as the home of the renowned tie-dyeing industry shortly after the foundation of the Edo Shogunate in the early 1600s. It began when a man named Shokuro Takeda settled on a barren land to sell his dyed hand-towels to travelers along the Tokaido Road. Since then, the Arimatsu Shibori has been succeeding its tradition for over 400 years.

The dyework’s reputation became established when they were later designated and protected as Owari Clan’s specialty product and Shokuro Takeda was appointed as the official tradesman by the government. The tie-dyeing industry burgeoned and its hand-towels and yukata became one of the most successful products in the Tokaido area. Today, you can see the prosperity of the town of Arimatsu in the Ukiyoe, or Wood Block Prints, made by the famous artists Hokusai and Hiroshige

The Arimatsu Shibori’s continuing popularity lies in its elaborate designs and beautiful textures only a handicraft can produce. Each item has a different color and shade created by handwork and no two pieces are exactly alike. The production process is divided into individual procedures, such as pattern designing, pattern engraving, tying, dying and finishing, and each has been honed to perfection by its master successors. The aggregated numbers of tie-dyeing methods now count to more than one hundred.

However, as most traditional crafts are destined to, these jewel-like items are often considered too expensive and are rapidly being replaced by mass-produced Chinese goods. When you watch the demonstration at the Tie-Dyeing Museum on the old Tokaido Road, you will understand how sophisticated these skills are, and how sad and unjust such losses could be.

On the other hand, Arimatsu has been successful in preserving the precious 200-year-old buildings that pass down the prosperous past and beauty of Japanese architecture to this day. A prominent feature of these buildings are the fire-resistant structures called “nurigome-zukuri”, where the wooden frames are covered entirely with a layer of plaster and roofed over with tiles.

This style is said to have been developed following the great fire that hit the area in 1784. The structure’s typical components are: the “namako-kabe” on the first floor, a wall with square tiles jointed with raised plaster, and the “mushiko-mado”, a type of window containing an insect cage-like lattice, and the large “udatsu”, posts in the gable walls supporting the ridge purlin that also act as a firewall on the second floor. The rows of large merchant houses being so well preserved are very rare in this country, so, this area along the old Tokaido Road is designated as a Historical Townscape Preservation District by the City of Nagoya. The most distinguished buildings in the district are: the House and Warehouse of the Hattoris, designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Aichi Prefecture, and the House of the Okas, the House of the Kozukas and the House of the Takedas, all named as Tangible Cultural Properties of the Nagoya City.

Another famous feature of the Arimatsu town is its festival called “Arimatsu Matsuri” held every first Sunday of October. The main attractions of the Matsuri are the three gorgeous ancient floats called “Hotei-sha”, “Karako-sha” and “Jingu-Kogo-sha”, parading through the historical area, showing the reminiscence of the prosperity of the old times. The spectators’ excitements grow to its fullest when two huge floats impressively pass each other or change directions, as well as when the little automata on board perform. The floats are also exhibited at the “Shibori Matsuri”, or Tie-Dyeing Festival, in June. They are designated as Tangible Folk-Cultural Properties of Nagoya as well.

“House of the Hattoris”

A historical building that represents Arimatsu. Built in late Edo Era, this large residential house has a typical fireproof structure made with the “renji-koshi”, a kind of lattice window, namako-kabe, mushiko-mado, nurigome-zukuri and udatsu.

“House of the Kozukas”

A dye art wholesale merchant’s house built after the great fire of Tenmei (1784). Consisting of a main house, a warehouse and a teahouse, this site has a beautifully-balanced combination of the nurigome-zukuri stractural components.

“House of the Takedas”

One of best representations of vernacular houses on the old Tokaido Road. The black fireproof plaster wall on the second floor and the gas lamp added on the eaves in the Meiji Era acts as a memoir of its successful history.

“House of the Okas”

The largest single building in Arimatsu, where the late Edo’s heavy duty architectural characteristics are well preserved. This house is also noted for its unique wave-shaped plaster walls under the eaves.

Source: Travel Vision

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