Dyeing and correction YouTuber who livestreams "Kimono Stain Removal"
There's now a man in Kyoto who is live-streaming kimono stain removal on YouTube.
That person is Hirofumi Kurita, 52, a dyeing corrector.
Kurita said "The reason I started YouTube was the declaration of a state of emergency due to the novel coronavirus. Customers stopped coming to the shop in droves, and our stain removal business dropped to almost zero.
The phone lines haven't been ringing, and I was in such a hurry that I seriously thought, if I don't do something, I will die, rather than exaggerating. That' when I came up with the idea of live stain removal. It wasn't so much that I wanted more work, I just wanted to stay motivated."
I remove kimono stains because I want you to wear it
Kyoto is a city of kimonos known for its Kyo-yuzen. However, for about two years, people in Kyoto were restricted from going out and meeting due to the pandemic. Opportunities to wear kimonos were drastically reduced.
Kurita, who runs the kimono cleaning, stain removal and colour correction specialist Naoshiya in Mibu, Kyoto, says with bitterness that the blow to the kimono industry in Kyoto is immeasurable.
His occupation is dyeing corrector. Dyeing and correcting technicians remove stains and dirt from kimonos, and mix dyes to correct dyeing defects.
He is an expert in removing stains from kimonos, having obtained three national qualifications: first-class dye correction technician, Kyo-yuzen traditional craftsman and cleaner.
He's a specialist in removing even old stains that are more than 30 years old, and can also repair discolouration and bleaching of the fabric.
He said "I believe that my job is to get people to wear it. The reason why I remove stains from kimonos is not only to clean them or restore them to their original state, but also because I want people to wear them.
I want to tell people, why don't you go out and actually wear the kimono you've been keeping in your wardrobe? Walking around Kyoto wearing a kimono, which is a masterpiece of dyeing and weaving techniques and highly valued as a craft or work of art, is an enjoyable experience.
One-shot stain removal live
Every Friday, Kurita, a dyeing and correcting craftsman, broadcasts a live kimono stain removal session on YouTube.
Among the many stain removal YouTuber, he is characterised by his focus on "live" work. He removes stains from mascara, permanent markers, kimchi, curry and even blood, with commentary on a single theme each time.
Kurita: "The reason why I dare to use the live streaming style is because I can answer questions from viewers on the spot via the chat box. And by not editing the video, viewers are able to understand the time and effort required for each task. I can tell them how much time it takes, or how difficult it is to remove ink stains, and they find that surprisingly interesting."
Even though it's a professional job, live-streaming is a one-shot deal where there's no way to hide any mistakes.
"Are you really willing to show your skills as a dye-corrector for free?" The streaming is so generous that even those of us who are watching it are concerned. It's so exhilarating that it feels as if not only the stains on the fabric are removed, but also our own heart.
"Well, the real reason I'm making it live is simply because I don't have time to edit it", he added.
After the state of emergency was lifted, sales are still half of what they were before
Kurita's workshop "Naoshiya" is located an 8-minute walk south of Hankyu Kyoto Main Line Saiin Station and Keifuku Arashiyama Main Line Sai Station.
Has the workload as a dye corrector returned to normal now that the state of emergency and priority measures for the prevention of the spread of the disease have been lifted at the moment?
Diets are becoming more diverse, and so are the stains on kimonos
He showed the stain removal process. On this day, it was red wine stain removal. He said that there're so many requests to remove wine stains, perhaps because the glass is unstable.
"There was a customer who was accidentally doused on the head with red wine in a decanter at a wedding hall. Her precious kimono, which her father had tailored for her, was stained, and all the stain removers refused to fix it, saying that they couldn't fix it anymore. So finally it came to me. The stain was extensive and it took a long time to remove the stain, but I managed to restore it. I was delighted with this. It's a big responsibility because I take care of not only the kimono but also the customer's precious memories, and when they are happy, I'm glad I'm doing this job." Kurita said.
He analyses the components of the wine and mixes the solvents. He carefully removes the stains according to their components. During the process, customers keep coming in and calling, saying that the ink from their ballpoint pen has smudged or that mould has grown on their kimonos they had stored in the wardrobe. This is still half of what it was before the pandemic. It's so surprising that so many people are worried about stains on kimonos.
Kurita said: "As diets diversity and foods from all over the world enter Japan, some of the dirt I see is new to me. Some of them are like, 'What's this?' I've never seen them before. Some stains cannot be removed using the conventional method, so it's a continuous series of firsts. When a new solvent goes on the market, I try it out, or I buy new cosmetics, paints or writing implements and deliberately stain them myself. I'm always experimenting like that."
During the high-growth period, all we had to do was sit around and get jobs"
Kurita has been a dye corrector for 28 years. He's the second generation in the family business, having taken over from his late father in 1994.
Until his father's generation, the main job was to take care of errors that occurred during the production process of kimonos and fabrics. In other words, they were subcontractors to manufacturers. They never opened their gates to the public and didn't even have a signboard attached.
I thought that the period when kimonos were actively made in Kyoto was before the arrival of western clothing culture, but the peak was during the high-growth period of economy in the Showa era (1960's). The number of kimonos made and sold exploded at the time, and this led to the flourishing of the correction business.
Kurita: "In my father's time, we were able to make enough money from request from kimono manufacturers and kimono-related companies. There was plenty of work, and I think we were well off. However, my father loved to drink, and he spent a lot of money."
People worried about kimono stains, as I found out online
By the time Kurita took over the family business, the heyday of kimono production had passed and subcontracting work was slowly trending downwards.
At the same time, the internet became widespread in people's lives, and through the internet, Kurita became aware of the existence of ordinary people suffering from kimono stains.
Until then, our only customers had been contractors, so I was suprised to hear that there're so many people suffering from kimono stains! It's true that the dry cleaner in town specialise in western clothe, so they are not good at removing stains from kimonos. Some of them even said that they discarded their kimonos because of the stains. I felt that this was really hurt my heart, Kurita said.
It's not only one's own kimono that gets stained. A problem that dominated many of the voices on the internet was the question of what to do with late parent's or grandparent's kimonos that has become stained in the wardrobe.
Kurita: "In the days when there were many kimono shops in town, you could consult the shop where you bought the kimono even if it had stains. However, this is not the case with memento kimonos. Time has passed and it's not certain where the late mother bought it. Even if they do find out, it's not uncommon for the shop to have gone out of business. I couldn't stand to read such voices. I always thought that a craftsman's raison d'etre is to be of service to customers, so my desire to help those in need grew day by day."
Around the same time, his father was hospitalised for six months, which was also a turning point for the family business to reassess. This is how he opened the kimono cleaning, stain removal and dyeing and correction shop "Naoshiya" in 2007.
Naoshiya is run by Kurita alone. It's unusual in the Kyoto artisan world, which has a division of labour system, for the same craftsman to consistently carry out everything from face-to-face counselling to quotations and explanations of progress when handling over the work. When he was treated as a heretic and some people even complained.
However, "We've been waiting!" The number of requests flooded in. Soon the number of orders from the general public exceeded the amount of subcontracting from contractors.
Kurita said that that's what "Whomp!" In particular, the website I created as a contact point received many enquiries by email from all over the country, which made me realise the potential of the internet.
Don't Wipe Stains on Kimono with Wet Hand Towel
Even Kurita, who prides himself on his high technical skills, has a request that makes him think: "This is a problem". It's a kimono that has been wiped clean with a wet hand towel.
Everyone gets upset when they eat in a kimono and get it dirty. Then, they immediately wipe the soiled spot with a wet hand towel. I know how you feel, but this is really not a good idea. You're simultaneously wiping with a wet cloth and rubbing the fabric, which should be avoided when a kimono is soiled. Even if you don't wipe it yourself, the shop assistant may wipe it with a hand towel for goodness sake. That’s how the dirt spread further and it's a catastrophe.
There are two reasons why you shouldn't use a wet hand towel. Firstly, because the moisture contained in the hand towel will increase the extent of the contamination.
Another reason is that the dye itself bleeds. For example, Kyo-Yuzen is dyed by inserting the dye with a brush. Not all colours that are inserted are water-resisant.
The dangers associated with a smeared hand towel can also be seen in the act of rubbing.
Most kimono materials are silk. Silk is a strong fabric, but it's susceptible to friction when wet. Silk is easily fluffed when rubbed with a wet hand towel. When this happens, it's very difficult to correct. Fluff is irreversible.
First aid treatment with a wet hand towel, which increases the extent of the stain, blurs the patten and damages the fabric. So what should we do if our kimono gets dirty during a meal?
To put it bluntly, "Do nothing" is best. However, if that's the case, pick up the solid object with a dry tissue and gently press it with a dry cloth to absorb the moisture and oil. You may end up rubbing it in a hurry, but please remain calm, Kurita said.
On-site stain removal service, with cheers of delight at the spectacular workmanship
He listen to the voices of those who wonder "How can he get rid of stains on my kimono?", and he continues to struggle against stains. He finally started a new business, on-site stain removal.
On this day, he was demonstrating how to remove stains from royal milk tea that had been accidentally spilt. Using a stain-removing machine that looks like a cockpit, costing around one million yen, the machine removes the stains in stages, starting with milk containing a lot of fat and protein and then dark-coloured tea.
Clients and observers watched with bated breath as the stain was removed, as if they were watching a table magic show. When the royal milk tea stain was removed and returned to its original fabric colour, the crown erupted in applause.
A woman who had became fans after watching Kurita's YouTube cannel travelled all the way from Okinawa to Kyoto to attend the event. The effect of the live-streaming, which at first was a desperate measure, really began to show.
He has also launched a new service where he goes to the customer's place to pick up the kimonos, and he accept quotations on a messaging app, LINE. The days when craftsmen could just sit back and wait for customers to come to them are over. From now on, craftspeople must use a variety of tools and get out in the open more and more.
Naoshiya
Business hours: 1pm - 6pm
Closed: Sundays, Public holidays (with occasional slosures)
Comments
Post a Comment