Yuki Tsumugi

 

This is a silk fabric woven in the areas of Yuki City, Ibaraki Prefecture and Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture. Yuki Tsumugi is made using the traditional technique of using hand-spun warp and weft threads drawn from silk floss, hand-tying to create kasuri threads, and weaving on a jig loom. It has been designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan. In addition to those woven on jig looms using the designated technique, there are also some woven on taka looms. The intricate patterns of Yuki Tsumugi are made with tortoiseshell kasuri or mosquito kasuri, and the smaller the kasuri, the more complicated the process. There are also plain and striped tsumugi.

 

 

Kihachijo

 

This is a hand-woven silk fabric that has been woven for a long time on Hachijojima Island in Tokyo. Its most distinctive features are its lustrous, supple fabric and vibrant yellow color.

The basic colors are yellow, brown, and black. The dyes used are all natural dyes from plants that grow on the island. The yellow is from the knotweed plant.(Island name Kariyasu), Brown(Island name: Madami)The dye is made from the bark of the Japanese laurel tree, and black from the bark of the chestnut tree. It is woven on a hand loom in plain or twill weave, and most patterns are stripes or checkered. If the base color is brown, it is called Tobi Hachijo, and if it is black, it is called Kuro Hachijo. Raw silk is used instead of pongee thread, and although the basic color is three colors, a variety of colors can be expressed by changing the mordant, combination of threads, and weaving method.

Hachijojima has been a major producer of silk since ancient times. At the beginning of the Edo period, it was reserved for the upper classes, such as the Ooku and feudal lords, but when townspeople were allowed to wear it, it became popular throughout the country, especially in Edo. It is said that at the end of the Edo period, it became popular among wealthy townspeople women who wore it with a black collar.