Roketsuzome: technique of hand-applied wax-resist dying; characterized by small, broken lines where resist has cracked and allowed dye to seep in; known in Nara period [trad.]

Rokuyo (six rings): motif of five rings arranged around a larger sixth; derived from Indian mythology; frequently used in family mon [AoJ,v.1,pg.139]

Ryozuma: a style of decorative composition found on tomesode; in vogue from late Meiji/early Taisho eras; characterized by a symmetrical repeat of motifs on the both lapels, which produces a single pyramidal image from lower-thigh to the hem [trad.]

Saganishiki (Saga brocade): a plain or compound weave with gilt or silvered paper for the warp and multiple colored silk wefts; because of the delicate warp, consumate skill and labor is required to produce only a few inches per day; presumably originated in Saga-ken [trad.]

Sakioro: �tear and weave�, a recycled weaving made of torn strips of used textiles.

Sakizome: refers to fabric that has been woven with dyed threads. Dyeing can be divided into pre-dyeing (sakizome) and post-dyeing (atozome). In pre-dyeing, yarn is dyed before being woven into fabric. Patterned weaves, pongee (tsumugi) and ikat patterns are examples of sakizome.

Same komon (stingray skin ko+mon): reserve pattern of dots; arranged in concentric arcs or scattered randomly; usually produced by means of resist stenciling; said to resemble sting ray skin [trad.]

Sarasa: One of the Kimono patterns on fine quality cottons. It has colorful patterns of human, plants, or other creatures (sometimes with mythical creatures). There are two ways of painting the sarasa pattern. One is to paint directly on the cotton, the other is to use a stencil.

Sashiko: traditional form of quilting technique used to improve the warmth and durability of garments; employs thick cotton thread in lines of running stitches; originally used to patch and extend the life of clothing; later used a prior to decoration as well as improve fabric by this means (especially fireman's protective clothing); regional varieties abound; [BtTb, Shaver, pg.45]

Sashinui: Long-and-short stitch. The inside of a motif is divided into several areas, which are then stitched from the outlines of each area toward the center of the motif in alternating long and short stitches. Used in realistic depictions or for a projected effect such as animal hair, and petals.

Saya: light monochrome figured silk with pattern in twill weave.

Sayagata: repeated maze pattern based upon swastika [trad.]

Seikaiha: Literally �blue ocean wave�; an imbicate scallop or shell pattern considered to be a stylization of waves.

Sericin (English): A gummy substance that glues together the filaments in a cocoon.

Shibori (Tie-Dye): a type of resist dyeing in which certain areas on the cloth are reserved from dyeing by binding dots, stitching, or clamping and squeezing the cloth between boards. Different from other dyeing techniques, shibori creates a raised and wrinkled surface on the finished work.Shibori may be machine-made or hand-made. The latter demands a high price because it is such elaborate and intricate work. The most primitive of all dyeing methods, tie-dyeing is practiced throughout the world. The most primitive of all dyeing methods, tie-dyeing is practiced throughout the world. Numerous tie-dying techniques have been handed down in Japan over the centuries. These may be divided into three main types: tying such as in Hitta (or kanoko (deer spot)) shibori and Miura shibori; stitching and gathering such as in hiranui (stitched) shibori, orinui (folded and stitched) shibori and mokume (woodgrain) shibori, and the use of water resistant materials such as bamboo bark or vinyl such as in kawamaki (leather wrapped) shibori and boshi (hat) shibori. In oke (bucket) shibori, part of the fabric is sealed inside a bucket and the fabric that is left outside is dyed. In ara (lit. 'storm') shibori or bo (rod) shibori, fabric is wrapped around a thick rod and squeezed. In the case of itajime, wooden boards with patterns carved into them are clamped to either side of the fabric before dyeing.

Shichigosan: Shichigosan is seven-five-three in Japanese.It is a gala day for children aged three, five and seven years of age. On November 15, parents take their children to a Shinto shrine to offer prayer for their children's growth. Boys are taken at age three and five, and girls three and seven. The children are dressed up in a gala kimono or fancy clothes to go to the shrines.

Shifu: fabric of cotton warp and twisted paper wefts [BtTB, Nagasaki, pg.17]

Shikishi: squares of tinted or decorated paper used for inscribing poetry; also used as a decortive motif on kimono; see also tanzaku [trad.]

Shikon: purple tint.

Shikunshi: A general term for a combination of four plants; orchid, chrysanthemum, plum and bamboo.

Shina: Japanese linden; bast fiber used for fabric [BtTB, Nagasaki, pg.17]

Shinshi: Fabrics must be kept as flat as possible during dyeing. This is achieved by the use of shinshi, pliable bamboo rods with spikes at both ends. These are bent and the spikes inserted into the edges of the fabric, tensioning the fabric across its width. There are two kinds of shinshi: thin rods used singly and placed across the width of the fabric at right angles to the edges, and thicker rods used in pairs and joined together in a cross shape.

Shinzen: dip-dyeing used to dye both yarn and cloth.

Shippo: Interlocking circles. Literally �seven treasures�; a design said to symbolize the Seven Treasures of Buddhism: crystal (hari), lapis (ruri), gold (kin), silver (gin), mother-of-pearl (shako), coral (sango), and carnelian (meno).

Shiromuku: �pure white� White kimono worn with white and silver or gold obi for part of the wedding ceremony

Shishu: (embroidery): The word shishu is made up of two Chinese characters: "shi" meaning "to sew with a needle" and "shu" meaning "to stitch patterns with yarns of different colours".

Shitsuke: threads that keep kimonos in good shape while being remade after washing.

Shochikubai: (pine, bamboo, plum) motif: an auspicious design especially felicitous for wedding decorations or gifts.

Shok'o: geometric pattern of alternating octagons and squares; abstraction of turtle carapace; often has floral motifs set within each panel [trad.]

Shusu: satin weave. A simple float weave requiring a minimum of five warp and wefts groups where warps float over a minimum of four wefts, are never bound by more than one weft, and diagonal alignment of floats is prevented by maintaining at least one intervening warp between binding points on successive wefts. The surface is shiny and smooth.

Sode: : �sleeve�

Soko: Heddles or warp-controllers, important components of the loom that are moved up and down to separate groups of warp threads to enable the weft to be passed in between.

Somewake: style of kimono decoration with complex, overall compositions; executed in multiple techniques and elaborate detail; resulting in dense composite designs [JCaTA,pg.119,120]

Suehiro: open fan motif.

Suhama: stylized motif composed of three lobes; often employed as a landscape element (sandbar) [AoJ,v.1,pg.77,139]

Sumi ink: A black ink made of pinewood charcoal or lamp soot mixed with a gum-like substance soluble in water.

Sumi nagashi: (flowing ink): marble-like grain pattern produced by dripping ink on damp paper; frequently used to decorate poetry sheets in the Heian period [AoJ,v.1,pg.139]

Suo: a russet tint derived from sappanwood chips [Caesalpina sappan]; originally introduced to Japan from China in the Asuka period [BtTB, Dusenbury, pg.27]

Surihaku: Metallic leaf. Paste is applied to the fabric, and gold and/or silver leaf is pressed on. After the paste has dried, the excess leaf is rubbed off to articulate a motif.

Surihitta: A stencilled imitation of the shibori technique called hitta in which small square motifs with a small dot of color in the center cover a specific area.

Susohiki: a style of wearing the kosode indoors that allows the full hem to trail after the wearer; not comonly seen, except among geiko; by extension, a kosode that has an unbroken pattern which continues onto the interior lining; often worn in dance recitals with the lower overlap purposely folded outward [trad.]

Tabane-Noshi: One of the noshi-monyou patterns. Noshi originally means narrow strips of dried abalone bundled together in the middle, it was the ritual offering to God in Japanese Shinto religion. Often seen in the masterpieces of furisode kimonos, during the middle of Edo era, used by various techniques.

Taima: hemp [Cannibis sativa; leaf fiber favored for use in summer garments by the bushi class; also used as a motif [asa+no=ha]; [BtTB, Cort, pg. 38]

Takara zukushi: Collection of Treasures motif: a decorative design made up of auspicious objects deriving from Chinese legend.

Takarabune: treasure ship.

Takarakagi: �treasure key�, one of the auspicious Collection of Treasures motifs.

Takeyamachi: elaborate, figured gauze weaves; multiple colors and gold or silver thread may be added; named after the district of Kyoto where such fabrics are traditionally woven; especially favored by Zen clergy of the Kamakura period [JCaTA,pg.140]

Tamoto: hanging sleeve.

Tan: A standard bolt of kimono cloth sufficient to make one kimono. Traditional width of fabric is approximately 36 cm (14 inches) and length is 10.6 meters (about 12 yards).

Tanzaku: stiff, rectangular slips of paper; intended for transcribing poems; frequently used as a decorative motif on textiles; see also shikishi [trad.]

Tasuki: geometric motif, consisting of parallel lines forming a lattice of diamonds; originally, sawtooth border of triangles filled with parallel lines; earliest examples found on dotaku, a bell-shaped, ceremonial bronze form; [AoJ,v.1,pg.25,139]

Tate-nishiki: warp-patterned brocade

Tatewaku: pattern of vertical, evenly-spaced, undulating lines arranged along the warp (tate) that alternately define constricted then swollen spaces; frequently filled with other decorative motifs [AoJ,v.1,pg.139]

Tebako: lidded box with removable interior compartments; frequently rectangular in form; first used by court ladies as cosmetic cases; also used as a decorative motif on textiles and ceramics [AoJ,v.1,pg.139]

Tenugui: A small, all-purpose towel made of lightweight cotton, often with a stencilled or shibori design and indigo dyed.

Tochirimen: Also known as muslin. Thin fabrics woven with wool threads by Hira-ori that is the most common weaving technique.

Tomesode: formal kosode for married women at wedding and other formal occasions; typically decorated with yuzen-dyed motifs near the hem. Usually are adorned with family crests.

Tomoe: motif comprised of two, or more comma-shaped elements with the heads grouped at the center and the tails sweeped in the same direction to form the circumference [AoJ,v.1,pg.139]

Torii: ceremonial gateway which designates entry to Shinto precincts; constructed of two posts and one lintel that overhangs its' supports; often with additional braces for posts and sometimes an elaborate eaved roof [trad.]

Tsuba: disk-shaped sword guard worn on daisho (paired long and short sword); fitted over the blade; often elaborately decorated; motif sometimes used on men's clothing [trad.]

Tsujigahana (crossed flowers): decorative style that combines tie-dying and painting techniques; employs stitched borders to reserve areas for decoration; often supplemented by painted flowers; first popularized in Momoyama period; dyed edges often soft and blurred; [JCaTA,pg.145,48]

Tsukesage: informal, woman's kosode; characterized by decoration composed in vertical masses at both front and back hems [trad.]. One family crest on the center back is standard. Tsukesage is worn at either formal or informal occasions and refers to the way in which the patterns are dyed.The patterns of hemline go upward and meet at the top of the shoulders and the patterns on the sleeves also are the same.

Tsumugi: A textile woven with hand-spun threads from cocoon fibres. It doesn't have a glossy nor smooth texture, but tasteful rough texture. The low quality, dirty and dupion (double) cocoons that were an inevitable product of raising silkworms were used to make raw silk which the farmers, during the quiet months of winter, spun into yarn and wove into what is known as tsumugi (pongee). Unlike high quality silk yarn taken from good cocoons, tsumugi yarn has to be twisted and joined as it is spun. The small knots thereby created give rise to the distinctively nubbly texture of the woven fabric. The sturdiness of tsumugi made it popular for clothing among samurai as well as rich townsmen and farmers.

Tsuru: Crane motif

Tsuru Kame: combined crane and tortoise motif.

Tsurubami: grey-brown tint derived from acorns of oak [Quercus acutissima]; [BtTB, Dusenbury, pg.25]

Tsutsugaki: free-hand dying technique similar to yuzenzome; employs a squeeze tube to apply resist; produces a cruder line and hence a rustic look; [BtTB, Mellott, pg.53-5]

Tsuzumi: hand-held drum; usually played by striking with the free hand; sometimes used as textile motif in conjunction with other instruments, but other combinations are common [trad.]

Tsuzure ori: a form of tapestry weave in which the design threads are floated across the back of the fabric; often used for No' costumes [trad.]

Uchide no kozuchi: mallet of good fortune, one of the auspicious Collection of Treasures motifs. This mallet appears in traditional children�s tales, where it is depicted as granting the wishes of whoever shakes it.

Uchikake: Uchikake is a full-length unbelted outer robe with trailing hem. Until the Edo period, it was worn by women of Samurai, warrior, or noble families on special occasions. Since then, it had become a part of Japanese traditional bridal costume. Now it is only used for a wedding ceremony. The cotton is put inside the hemline to give added weight and form at the bottom

Uchiwa: round-faced fan: has fixed frame sandwiched between paper layers; often used as decorative motif in its' own right [AoJ,v.1,pg139]

Uki ori: : float weave, a patterning technique in which yarn is deliberately left to float across the surface of the underlying weave structure.

Umanori hakama: loose, pleated pants designed for sitting astride a horse or other outdoor activities; constructed from tanmono and tied at the waist; hem can be finished as even, open pleats, gathered by drawstrings at ankles, or fitted from the knee to the foot with button or tabi closures [trad.]

Unban: cloud-shaped bronze gong; first introduced with Zen Buddhism in Kamakura period; forms part of monastic paraphenalia [AoJ,v.1,pg.121,139]

Uroko: reptile (fish or snake) scale motif consisting of equilateral triangles arranged in parallel rows and ranks; usually single color constrasts with fabric ground [trad.]

Wachigai: geometric pattern used on yusoku textiles; see shippo tsunagi

Wafuku: : literally "Japanese dress"; in contra-distinction to yofuku; word coined in Meiji era to distinguish it from non-traditonal [i.e. Western] dress; [K:FC,pg.10]

Warabide: fern leaf pattern [AoJ,v.1,pg.139]

Warinui: A variation of hiranui (satin stitch). The bilaterally symmetrical motif is divided into two areas by its axis and embroidered from its outlines towards the axis. It produces a V-shape and is suitable for such motifs as leaves and feathers.

Yabo: : "good taste" as defined by samurai class as opposed to court styles (see goshuden); later interpreted to mean "old hat", "out-of-date" when applied by the chonin class to samurai styles; now used to define trite taste (especially in personal dress); juxtaposed to iki [JCaTA,pg.87-89,90]

Yaburitsugi (torn patches): Heian-style paper collage technique frequently used to decorate paper for transcribing poems; sometimes used as a textile motif [AoJ,v.1,pg.58,139]

Yagasuri: repeated kasuri pattern resembling arrow (ya) fletching; usually created by staggering warp threads that have been resist dyed to produce trapezoidal forms [trad.]

Yamagata: horizontal border with abstracted representation of mountains; either plain zig-zag line or with crenellated points added on top [trad.]

Yatsuhashi (8-plank bridge): ): a planked foot-bridge motif; often laid among iris marshes; popularized by Ogata Korin, a leading Rimpa School artist of the Genroku Era [AoJ, v.1,pg.108]

Yofuku: lit. "Western Clothing"; in contra-distinction to wafuku; coined in Meiji era to differentiate clothing [i.e. "kimono"] into native versus foreign dress [K:FC,pg.10]

Yogi: oversized, padded kimono-form comforter; developed for cold weather sleeping; often elaborately decorated in tsutsugaki technique when it formed part of a brides trousseau [trad.]

Yotsumi: Kimonos for about 4-13 year-old kids.

Yukata: very casual, unlined kosode; typically made of cotton or other vegetable fiber; usually dyed with indigo utilizing the katazome technique; traditionally worn after a bath; nowadays, more commonly worn at festivals and at traditional Japanese inns.

Yukiwa: �snow flake and circle� pattern.

Yusoku: originally the customs and ceremonies of the Imperial court; by extension, traditions of the Heian period, which reflects court taste; many motifs are of foreign origin [AoJ,v.1,pg.123]

kari+ginu: short over-jacket; with round collar closure and drawstring duffs; often used for Noh- male roles [trad.]

kasuri: technique for creating patterns in fabric by selectively dying warp and/or weft threads before weaving them together; pattern edges are often blurred due to inexact registration of the threads; geometric figures in white and indigo are most common, with the most popular being cross and parallel cross designs; also applied to fabrics that employ this technique; see also egasuri [AoJ,v.1,pg138]; [BtTB, Dusenbury, pg.57-74]

meisen: a woven fabric that has had both warp and weft threads resisted and dyed prior to the final set up of the loom and weaving, so as to produce a preplanned design. The meisen style silk kimono was the most popular garment at the beginning of the Showa era, and was mainly produced between 1910 and 1960. Meisen garments were casual wear for wealthy Japanese but a fine cloth for ordinary people. The technique is related to earlier methods kasuri (ikat), in which threads are resisted before dyeing and weaving, and e-gasuri ("picture-ikat"), a Japanese innovation in which threads are resisted, rather than direct-dyed, with the use of a stencil. The silk used in meisen fabrics was made from broken cocoon filaments and silk thread

michi+yuki (rain+snow): 3/4 overcoat, usually worn by women; conforms to the kimono worn underneath and unlike the haori has a square collar that is closed with cords. [trad.]

mofuku: formal style of mourning dress with five mon (family crests) worn by both genders; characterized by plain black color and lack of ornamentation; complemented by black tabi [trad.]

mon or kamon(Crests): a stylized, circular family crest displayed on certain Japanese clothing and used to identify family. handed down through the generations. It began as a heraldic emblem in the Heian period. Soon each noble family, the �daimyo�, began to adopt a specific crest. In the feudal period, samurai families adopted a mon to identify members of their clan during battles. After the Meiji restoration, the common people were permitted to use a family mon. Most mon designs are based either on flowers or geometrical designs. However, a few are based on the animals of the zodiac, birds, or butterflies. The mon design is dyed or woven at the back neck and top center of front and back of sleeves of the most formal black kimono (sometimes called a �five-mon kimono�). Slightly less formal are three-mon kimono with mon at the back neck and the top center back of sleeves. Formal haori and other kimono may have a single mon at the back neck.

sha: stiff gauze weave with figured patterns; braiding of threads occurs in warp and weft directions; figures are created by changing to twill weave where design requires [trad.]

sobatsugi: vest-like garment with an open front; modeled upon a sleeveless ho; used to represent armor for warrior roles in No- performances [JCaTA,pg.59,60]