Kanji Hama, The Last Katazome Artisan

Kanji Hama, 69, is one of the last, or maybe even the last Japanese creator of handmade indigo dye using the katazome technique, which was most popular during the Edo period. Hama takes several weeks to make the product, whereas with contemporary processes it can now be done in just an hour.

While millions of pairs of jeans are dyed annually by machines, Hama takes care of just a handful of items per year, notably kimonos that he colours from A to Z. He designs motifs himself, makes a paste, and begins the long process of stencilling his designs to the fabric, next soaking them in the indigo dye, revealing white motifs.

In an interview with the New York Times, Hama explains that it takes more than a dozen steps and multiple weeks, to complete each project. This long process is however far from a thankless task, he finds the essence and beauty of his work to be the artisanal practice of using his hands. Once a product is manufactured, it is no longer artisanal, he tells the newspaper.

Hama refuses to write down any guidelines to his practice, for him, his art goes beyond words and gestures. He is convinced that only those who practice the discipline daily with love and with rigour are able to master it. This savoir-faire was transmitted to Hama by his father and his father’s father. Maybe his son won’t follow in his footsteps, nothing is for sure, becoming an artisan is a lifestyle that requires a lot of work.