About Arimatsu
A town where the Edo period lingers,
and shibori culture lives on
Arimatsu lies in Midori-ku, Nagoya, about 20 minutes from Meitetsu Nagoya Station on the Nagoya Main Line.
The town was opened in 1608 (Keicho 13) by Takeda Shokuro and seven others, as the Tokugawa shogunate laid out the Tokaido highway. Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori, without which the town could never have grown, is said to have begun when Shokuro took his inspiration from the tie-dyed cloth worn by artisans who had come from Bungo in Kyushu for the construction of Nagoya Castle in 1610 (Keicho 15). It went on to become the foremost specialty of the whole Tokaido.
The story Arimatsu has lived was certified as a Japan Heritage in May 2019 (Reiwa 1).
What is Japan Heritage?
Japan Heritage recognises cultural properties and living traditions — together with their historical background and the customs and lore handed down across generations — as a single "story". Certification and support are provided by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
More about the Japan Heritage story (Japanese) 
Highlights
What to look for in Arimatsu
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A townscape drawn in ukiyo-e
Lined with Edo-period houses — tiled roofs, udatsu firebreak walls and nurigome plasterwork — the streets of Arimatsu are designated a national Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. The scenery once drawn in ukiyo-e prints can still be seen today.
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A shibori culture loved for over 400 years
Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori is designated a national traditional craft, and more than 100 techniques have been devised since the Edo period. Beyond kimono and tenugui hand towels, it now reaches clothing and homeware that bring a contemporary sensibility to the craft.
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A festival you feel with your whole body
Every October the Arimatsu Tenmansha Autumn Festival — the Arimatsu Dashi Festival — fills the streets, with karakuri puppets dancing atop three festival floats to the sound of flutes and drums. The floats came to appear at the rites as a symbol of the prosperity the shibori industry brought to the town.
Organizers
- Aki no Arimatsu Meguri, organized by
- City of Nagoya / Nagoya Railroad Co., Ltd. (Meitetsu)
- Experience programmes operated by
- Arimatsu Chushin Yamori LLC
- Contact
- Please get in touch via our contact form.
This page is an English reference translation of the Japanese original; the Japanese version prevails in the event of any discrepancy.