# Shibori (絞り染め)

> A technique in which cloth is stitched, bound or clamped between boards before dyeing, so that only the parts under pressure stay white. The result is left to the strength of the craftsman's hands and the movement of the cloth, and no two pieces come out alike even from the same pattern.

- IndexStyle No.504 — https://indexstyle.org/styles/shibori
- Kind: Technique · Family: Textile Traditions · Era: 8th century–
- Mood: Intimacy, Nostalgia, Technology
- Color cues: #e9e6dd / #67635d / #171615 (cues taken from reference works, not a fixed palette)

## Defining characteristics

- The bled white left by binding
- Regular grain from stitch resist
- Geometric ground patterns from board clamping
- A texture that keeps the relief of the cloth

## Best used for

- Making a surface that differs piece by piece from the same pattern
- Using a texture that records the pressure of the hand on purpose

## Composition recipe

- Typography & lettering: Choose heavier letterforms that survive the unevenness of handwork.
- Layout & structure: Mix intended irregularity into a regular repeat.
- Material & texture: Resist the dye by binding and pressure, and allow the dye to bleed.

## What to avoid

Reproducing the pattern in print makes it another thing entirely. The bleed and the unevenness are the record of the technique.

## Application checklist

Before calling a piece an application of this style, check it against the defining characteristics:

- [ ] The bled white left by binding
- [ ] Regular grain from stitch resist
- [ ] Geometric ground patterns from board clamping
- [ ] A texture that keeps the relief of the cloth
- [ ] At least one reference work below has been studied directly
- [ ] The caution above ("What to avoid") has been addressed

## Related styles

- **Batik (バティック（ジャワ更紗）)** — Javanese cloth resisted with wax and dyed over and over again. The line drawn by the canting builds a pattern system that also speaks of rank, region and rite. → https://indexstyle.org/styles/batik
- **Adire (アディレ)** — The indigo resist cloth of Yoruba women: raffia ties and cassava-paste painting and stenciling reserve white patterns against deep indigo, weaving proverbs and signs into the contrast. → https://indexstyle.org/styles/adire

## Further study

- The Arimatsu and Narumi centers and their families of technique
- The differences among itajime, nuishime and bōshi shibori
- Its combination with indigo dyeing

## Reference works

- 歌川広重《東海道五十三次名所図会 四十一 鳴海 名産有松絞店》1855年 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goj%C5%ABSanTsugi-MeishoZu'e%2C%20Narumi%20by%20Hiroshige.jpg
- 《菊菱文様小袖裂（鹿の子絞）》17世紀後半 ロサンゼルス郡立美術館 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fragment%20of%20a%20Kimono%20(Kosode)%20with%20Design%20of%20Chrysanthemums%20and%20Chevron%20Pattern%20LACMA%20M.39.2.248%20(2%20of%202).jpg
- 《亀甲波桜文様小袖裂（鹿の子絞）》17世紀前半 ロサンゼルス郡立美術館 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kosode%20Fragment%20with%20Tortoiseshell%20Pattern%2C%20Waves%2C%20and%20Cherry%20Blossoms%20LACMA%20M.39.2.293%20(1%20of%202).jpg

## Source of record

- Wikipedia — Shibori — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibori

## Machine surfaces

- JSON: https://indexstyle.org/api/styles/shibori
- Image-generation prompt (legally clean): https://indexstyle.org/styles/shibori/prompt.txt
- MCP: https://indexstyle.org/mcp (tools: search_styles, get_style, compose_styles; prompts: image-prompt, apply-style)

## 日本語

布を縫い、括り、板で挟んでから染めることで、圧力のかかった部分だけが白く残る技法。仕上がりは職人の手の力と布の動きに委ねられ、同じ型でも二つと同じ模様は出ない。

特徴: 括りが残す滲んだ白／縫い締めによる規則的な粒／板締めの幾何学的な地紋／布の凹凸が残る質感
注意: 模様を印刷で再現すると別物になる。滲みと不均一こそが技法の記録である。