Ochiai

 

Ochiai Station is located in the Ochiai neighborhood of Shinjuku Ward in Tokyo. The station, which consists of an island platform, is served by the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line.

 

Ochiai is a middle class neighborhood of Tokyo. Ochiai, which in Japanese means “place where the Kanda River and Myosenji River meet”, used to have abundant clean water during the Edo and Taisho eras, and as a result became a center of dyeing. Dye craftsmen from different parts of the country, in search of clean water, started gathering here. During the Edo era there were said to be over 300 dye craftsmen in Ochiai. These craftsmen were specialists in dyeing kimono fabric and used several different methods of dyeing to create new and unique designs. Dyeing was all done by hand in designs created by the craftsmen themselves. But with time, as clothing choices started turning to western styles, the number of dye craftsmen in Ochiai also started decreasing. Today there are only 10 dyeing companies left in Ochiai.

 

In order to preserve the unique art of dyeing kimono fabric, the Shinjuku Ward authorities have opened a Mini-Museum in Ochiai – the Some-no Sato Futaba-en (Hometown of Dyes Futaba Garden) . Here visitors can see how the craftsmen used different techniques to create elaborate patterns and designs. The same dyeing techniques are used here as those used in the Edo era. The mini-museum is located a short walk from Ochiai Station.