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Dyeing with the Earth
Textiles, Tradition, and Sustainability in Contemporary Japan
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2025
About this book
In Dyeing with the Earth, Charlotte Linton explores the intersection of small-scale traditional craft production with contemporary sustainability practices. Focusing on natural textile dyeing on the southern Japanese island of Amami Ōshima, Linton details the complex relationship between preservation practices, resource extraction, and land access in the production of Oshima tsumugi kimono cloth, which uses the indigenous technique of dorozome (or mud-dyeing). As global interest in sustainable fashion grows, textile manufacturers on Amami have expanded from kimono production to dyeing garments and textiles for high-profile designers. While traditional craft may appear at odds with the large-scale global textile industry, Linton reveals how Amamian and global producers face similar social, economic, and environmental pressures. Ethical production in fashion, Linton contends, should focus on understanding local everyday practices that sustain direct relationships between people, place, and environment rather than rely on short-term solutions via new processes or materials. Weaving together ethnography, photography, and illustration, Linton underscores the continued relevance of traditional craft and material cultures amid ongoing climate change and biodiversity loss.
Reviews
"Dyeing with the Earth addresses some important points about how the ideas about 'tradition' and 'natural production' can be used to market products to consumers while undermining the communities and ecologies they are supposed to support."
-- Jessica Kozuka Japan Times
-- Jessica Kozuka Japan Times
Topics
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Frontmatter
i -
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Contents
v -
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Introduction
1 -
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1 The Mud Dyers of Amami Ōshima
31 -
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2 The Alchemy of Producing Color
65 -
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3 “Mottainai!” What a Waste!
101 -
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4 The Mejiro Bird
135 -
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5 “The Industrious Way of Doing Things”
165 -
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6 Dyeing with the Earth
203 -
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Conclusion
237 -
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Acknowledgments
257 -
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Glossary
259 -
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Notes
263 -
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References
269 -
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Index
289
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
September 19, 2025
eBook ISBN:
9781478061199
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook ISBN:
9781478061199
Keywords for this book
Japan; textiles; tradition; sustainability; dyeing; craft; ecology; Amamian kimono cloth; dorozome; aizome; Oshima tsumugi; fashion; mud-dyeing; indigo; Kanai Kougei; Mottainai; food security; Bird conservation; economic ornithology; Nihonjinron; totemism; environmentalism; Forestry; sharinbai; World Natural Heritage; dispossession; extraction
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
