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Yuzen 友禅 is a unique, 400 year-old, labor-intensive textile dye process in which color is applied to fabrics by hand using tiny brushes to produce either solid colors, color gradation, or elaborate motifs. The result is a highly prized cloth with a rich artistic aesthetic used most often in high end kimono and accessories. 

Unfortunately, the use of traditional, natural dyes in Yuzen has declined drastically since the introduction of European chemical dyes in the late 1800s. 

Kanazawa-based Toshiharu Hisatsune, however, aims to transform the chemical-dye-dominated Kaga Yuzen fabrics found in the city of Kanazawa by reverting back to the natural dying culture that existed in Japan for hundreds of years. He has developed new natural dyes that produce exceptional color with greatly reduced drying time, and in doing so, Hisatsune has also brought hope to the his native, rapidly disappearing Yuzen dye culture.