Craftspeople enjoy an intimate relationship with their tools. As an extension of the human hand, brushes are especially important. These Japanese brushes are beautiful objects, made with traditional skills for a lifetime of service. They also age well - years from now they will speak about you and the depth of your commitment to your work. 

There are only two families left in Japan who are still making these brushes in the traditional way. We are honoured to support them.

See all Brush Shapes & Sizes

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See all Brush Shapes & Sizes

Earth pigments come from clays and oxides and are best known by names such as burnt sienna, umber and ochre.  Maiwa works with small companies who prepare these pigments using centuries-old traditional methods.  Our pigments are ground extra fine for textile use.

Earth pigments are not dyes: they do not dissolve in solution, nor do they form molecular bonds with cloth fibres. Earth pigments are minerals and oxides that are collected all over the world for their characteristic colours. To work on textiles, the pigment is suspended in a medium and the medium bonds with the cloth. Acrylic is a popular media, however, at Maiwa we prefer soymilk. The protein in soymilk binds the earth pigments to the fibres.

At Maiwa we only use earth pigments on natural fabrics; cotton, linen, hemp, wool, and silk.

For more information please see our Earth Pigments instructions.

See the Earth Pigments Kit

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KATAZOME CARDS

BY YUKI BLACKWELL

Shown: Katazome Cards by Maiwa's very own Yuki Blackwell