型染めについて。型染めは様々な物の染色に用いられますが、代表的なものは振袖・訪問着などのきものや風呂敷を染める友禅型、小紋型、着尺型や紅型、また、手拭いなどを染める注染型などです。京友禅（型友禅）・江戸小紋（えどこもん）・沖縄の紅型（びんがた）・浴衣（注染）などはよく耳にされると思います。意外なところでは、陶器の絵付けやすりガラス用にも用いられる事があります。型染めの一般的な方法は、先ず模様を彫った型紙を染める布地の上に置き、その上から防染の糊を引きます。
About stencil printing: Stencil printing is applied to various kinds of materials, and famous examples are the Yuzen, Komon, Kijaku, Bin patterns which are used for long-sleeved kimonos, formal visiting kimonos and wrapping cloth, or the Chusen pattern used for dyeing towels. Kyo-Uzen (Stencil Uzen), Edo-Komon, Okinawa’s Bin pattern, and Yukata (Chusen) are often-heard names. Something unexpected is that the method is also applied for painting for ceramics and obscure glass. The standard method for stencil printing is first to put paper pattern on a cloth to be printed and apply glue from the top of it to cover the areas where should not get dyed by other colors.
すると、彫った模様の形に糊が布地に残ります。これを乾かし、布地全体を染料で染めた後、糊を洗い流すと、模様の部分が白く残ることになります。同じ模様を何回も繰り返せたり、同じ柄のきものを何反でも染められる事などが特徴です。１色に付き１枚の型紙が必要なため、色数の多い模様には100枚以上の型紙が必要なこともあり、特に振袖などには、一反に700～800枚を要する場合があります。江戸小紋と伊勢型紙について。型染めの中で、小さい文様を小紋、大きいものが大紋とよばれます。
So the glue is left on the part has the same shape as the one from the pattern and let the glue dry. When it is washed away after the other parts are dyed, the parts still remain uncolored. What is special about this paper pattern is that it can be repeatedly used for the same pattern of design for both standard design style or just a part of the design. Since one paper pattern have to be prepared for one color, there are some designs using many colors require more than 100 paper patterns. In the case of long-sleeve kimonos, there are some designs requiring more than 700 to 800 paper patterns to complet the whole printing.
About Edo-Komon and Ise paper pattern: Among stencil printing, small patterns are called Komon, and big pattern are called Daimon.
また中ぶりのものを中形と呼ばれ、後に浴衣の別称となりました。小紋は、最初は武士の裃の文様として発展してきましたが、次第に各藩固有の小紋が定着しました。（たとえば、将軍家→御召十、加賀前田家→菊菱、鍋島家→胡麻 など）
そして武家の独占であった小紋柄は元禄の頃から次第に庶民の間に広がり、それによって自由で生き生きとした様々な柄が生み出されました。この頃が江戸小紋の最盛期で、彫りと染めの技術が高い完成度を見ることになったのでした。
The middle size pattern is called Chugata, which later became another name for Yukata. Komon was originally developed as a design pattern for warrior’s standard dress, but warriors gradually started having their own dress using a different design pattern for each province. (Ex. Omeshiju for the Shogunate family of Tokugawa, Kikubishi for the Maeda family in Kaga (Currently in Ishikawa prefecture), Goma (sesami) for the Nabejima family, etc).
And Komon pattern which had once been the symbol of warriors gradually spread to ordinary families from the Genroku era (1688-1704), and since then many more liberal and vivid patterns were created. That time was the best time for Edo-Komon design, and that led to the highest accomplishment for both carving for paper patterns and dyeing techniques.
