Roketsu-zome is a Japanese form of wax-resist dyeing. I have remastered and reorganized a making record first posted nearly 15 years ago. This article focuses on “rōbuse” (蝋伏せ), a method in which areas are protected with wax as successive colors are layered.
Roketsu-zome includes several methods. In rōbuse, wax is used repeatedly as a resist while colors are layered. Another method is “sekidashi” (堰出し), in which wax lines form barriers around the areas to be dyed so that the dye is held within them. The piece shown here is an example of multicolor work made with the rōbuse method.
This piece was not dyed with botanical dyes. I used “Hannol L” dyes from Tanaka Nao. Hitotsuya mainly works with natural dyes, but making pieces with synthetic dyes was also an important part of learning how dyeing techniques work.
■ Roketsu-zome | Basic Structure of the Rōbuse Method
Rōbuse builds color by repeating the cycle “apply wax as a resist → dye.” Dye cannot penetrate the areas covered with wax, so those areas retain the previous color. Repeating this process makes multicolor expression possible.
For this piece, the colors were built in the order white, yellow, orange, red, and brown. Wax was first applied to the areas that were to remain white, and the same process was then repeated for each new color.
■ Preparing the Design and Color Plan
The work begins with the design. I first planned where each color would go, enlarged the design to full size, placed it beneath the cloth, and traced it onto the fabric.
■ Applying Wax to the Areas That Will Remain White
The first step is to apply wax resist to the areas that must remain white. Following the color plan, I carefully applied the wax with a brush. Accuracy matters here, because any missed spots or bleeding will directly affect the finished result.
After the first application, I waxed the same areas once again to make the resist more reliable. This second application is especially important because it has a major effect on the final result.
■ Roketsu-zome | Layering Color with Hannol Dyes
After the first wax-resist stage, I dyed the entire cloth yellow. Next, I applied wax to the areas that were to remain yellow, then added red to create orange. In this way, the colors are built one stage at a time, with another wax-resist step before each new color.
The same process is repeated for the orange stage, applying wax to the areas where the orange color is to remain.
I then layered on more red, and eventually the entire background was covered with wax.
For the final color, I used black dye very lightly. Because the underlying colors show through, the result appears brown. By this stage the whole surface is already covered with wax, so no additional wax resist is needed.
■ Roketsu-zome | Removing the Wax to Reveal the Pattern
Once all the dyeing stages were complete, I moved on to removing the wax. For this piece, I placed the cloth in boiling water to melt and remove the wax that had been applied throughout the process.
It is difficult to remove all the wax completely in a single treatment, so the wax-removal process is repeated several times.
After that, I rinsed the cloth in water to wash away excess dye.
■ Completion and Final Appearance
After drying, the areas protected by wax are revealed and the pattern is complete. By progressing from design to wax resist, dyeing, and finally wax removal, the distinctive multicolored character of roketsu-zome emerges.
The finished piece was made into a tapestry.
■ The Original Article Behind This Remaster
The original record from the time of making is preserved in “Roketsu-zome ④ | Wax Resist and Wax Removal”.
Reading the original record alongside this remastered article may help make the sequence of processes even clearer.