Fusion of Traditional Japanese Aesthetics & Artisan Sensibility: The History of Kaga Yuzen as Preserved by Maida Senga Kogei

2025.04.28

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Maida Senga Kogei in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, is a workshop dedicated to crafting the traditional dyeing technique, Kaga Yuzen. The origin of Kaga Yuzen dates back around 500 years, with its birth rooted in the unique Kanazawa dyeing technique known as "Umezome," using decoction from the bark and roots of red plum trees.

Maida Senga Kogei has carried forward this enduring dyeing tradition through three generations. This time, we had a conversation about the company's initiatives and the features and production processes of Kaga Yuzen.

PROFILE

Hitoshi Maida

Biography
1997 – Studied under his father, Kenji Maida (Born in 1973 in Kanazawa City)
1999 – Awarded Newcomer Award at the Kaga Yuzen Gijutsu Hozonkai Exhibition
2014 – Awarded Kanazawa City Mayor's Best Award at the Kanazawa Craft Exhibition
Awarded the Chairman of the Dentoteki Kogeihin Sangyo Shinkyo Kyokai Award at the Kaga-Yuzen New Work Competition
Produced interior decorations for Hoshino Resorts KAI Kaga
2015 – Created display for UNIQLO at Disney World, Florida
2016 – Honored with an imperial visit by Her Imperial Highness Princess Nobuko of Mikasa
2017 – Selected for the 65th Nihon Dento Kogeiten and subsequent selections
Reiwa 3 – Won the Art & Culture Runner-up Prize at the 77th Gendai Bijutsu Exhibition
Won the Japan Crafts Association Award at the 61st Ishikawa Traditional Crafts Exhibition
2022 – Certified as a Full Member of Japan Kogeikai
Exhibited works and held lectures at the Japan Foundation in London
2023 – Became a Judge for the 79th Gendai Bijtsu Exhibition
Awarded Kanazawa Culture Activity Award
2024 – Art and Culture Runner-up Prize at the 80th Gendai Bijutsu Exhibition

Beautiful Both on Display and When Worn

To begin, could you tell us about your company?

Our workshop was established in 1932. Kanazawa has about 130 Yuzen workshops, most of which operate through division of labor. However, our workshop practices integrated production.

Our creation begins with research. For instance, when using Kenrokuen as a theme, we visit the garden to take photos and make sketches. When using alpine plants as a motif, we visit places like Mount Hakusan or the Northern Alps, and for water-themed patterns, we go to see the sea or waterfalls. Even the same place offers different experiences in different seasons, with varying scents in the air and flowers blooming. We focus on what moves us most and incorporate that into the kimono. This process is a core part of our work.

We gather various information from the internet or reference books but recognize that such information represents "someone else's insight." Thus, we emphasize experiencing things ourselves and valuing our own perception in our creations.

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Beautiful Both on Display and When Worn

To begin, could you tell us about your company?