Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. This year, our team was fortunate enough to visit the Nishijin district of Kyoto and acquired a thorough understanding of the technique and origin of the Nishijin weave. We are very excited to begin including this lavish fabric in our upcoming collections.

Nishijin is a district in Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan, and (by extension) a traditional textile produced there and famous for Nishijin weaving, more narrowly referred to as Nishijin-ori (Nishijin fabric). Nishijin is Kyoto’s traditional textile center, the source of all those dazzling kimono fabrics and obi (kimono sashes) that you see being paraded about town. Nishijin produces the most sophisticated and lavish Obi you will find in Japan.

The beautiful fabrics woven in the Nishijin district are seen as a symbol of Kyoto and developed over 1,000 years alongside Kyoto's history as the former capital of Japan. Nishijin-ori‘s origins are from an ancient Japanese family, the powerful Hata clan, who immigrated to Kyoto from China around the 5th-6th century. Settling in the Uzumasa district of west Kyoto, they introduced silkworms and the manufacture of silk textiles to the local people. By the 8th century, the royal court had created an official branch to supervise the textile artists and their production. In other words, these were state-owned textile operations.

In the 15th century, Kyoto suffered a long period of civil war, the Onin War, between the East and the West, and many artisans fled Kyoto to places such as the town of Sakai, south of Osaka. When the conflict finally ended, the weavers returned to Kyoto to resume their craft. One group of artisans settled on the site where the western army had been camped during the war. This is the origin of the name 'Nishijin,' which means west position. Nishijin’s literal translation is the West fort. Since then, the name has been used for the method of weaving to create designs and patterns using dyed threads in Kyoto.

Supported by the patronage of both the Imperial court and great samurai lords, the weavers continued to adopt new technology. By the early Edo Period (1603 to 1867), there were some 7,000 looms crammed into an area of 1.6 square kilometers. A combination of disastrous harvests at the end of the 18th century with Japan's capital move from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1869, Nishijin weaving seemed threatened with extinction. But the Nishijin weavers showed an amazing resilience and spirit in preserving their craft. Observers were sent to Europe to study the textile industry there, and advanced Western weaving technology and equipment were introduced from France and Austria, such as the jacquard loom and the flying shuttle. By the 1890's, only 20 years after the shift of the capital, the Nishijin weavers had fully adapted modern technology to their ancient art. By adopting modern technology with their age-old craft, the Nishijin weavers were able to create a stable business in inexpensive machine-woven fabrics for everyday use that supported the production of the elaborate and luxurious hand-woven fabrics that are the purest expression of the Nishijin style.

Nishijin Obi comes in many colors, including gold, and it is glamorously thick and rich, not to mention quite heavy as well. Nishijin Obi is rather expensive items, but one is enough to last for a lifetime. Their quality and craftsmanship are remarkable and orders from famous couture designers around the world are not uncommon. The Nishijin style of weaving uses yarn dyeing, in which yarns of various colors are woven to make patterns. This technique is both time-consuming and labor intensive compared to other techniques, but it is indispensable for creating the elaborate and beautiful hand-woven kimono fabric.

Contemporary designs utilizing the Nishijin Weave is popular amongst couture designers.

Today, the clacking of looms can be heard all around the Nishijin area. The vitality of this district is a testament to the pride and dedication of Nishijin weavers through the ages and the important place that Nishijin occupies in the hearts of Kyoto people.

Author: Aruña Chong Quiroga

At Faburiq, we search Japan for centuries old traditions in fabric making. In our recent trip to Japan, we had the chance and privilege to meet Atsushi Tomita and his son, Takashi Tomita, whose family has been manufacturing Komon kimono fabrics since 1914. Located in the Shinjuku-ku area of Tokyo, their family run factory lies on the upper stream of River Kanda where there is ample supply of neutral river water essential for dye works. Komon means "small repeated patterns" and dyed Komon goes back to the Muromachi period (1333 - 1573) where the samurai class began to use them as daily clothes. In the Edo period (1603 - 1868), Komon was used for kamishimo, the samurai's formal wear. Each samurai family has it's own pattern and the pattern was only unique to one family. As each family competitively created original designs and techniques, dyed Komon eventually developed into a form of craft. Today, Komon dyeing has been adopted into ordinary life. The modern and sophisticated Komon kimono with a 600-year tradition is mostly worn for tea parties and chic casual today.

The process of Edo Komon are divided broadly into 5 steps:

Designing the template and pattern carving. Groups of most skilled pattern-carvers from Ise, modern Mie prefecture, have been specializing in this demanding task for more than a thousand years, probably since the Heian period.

Coloring Adjustment and Paste Mixing. Powdered glutinous rice and rice bran are mixed with water to make a soft dough. The dough is steamed and kneaded with the required dye solution until it looks like paste. Dyes are tested carefully on cloths until the right shade is found. "Ji-iro-nori" is the paste for the area outside the pattern and "Me-iro-nori" is the paste for the pattern itself.

Katatsuke or Pattern Dyeing. The pattern is placed on a white silk cloth on a long board and the "Me-iro-nori" is spread evenly. The patterned cloth is then dried in the sun.

Shigoki or Field Dyeing. When the paste is completely dried, colored paste is spread evenly on the cloth so that it covers the whole cloth. This step is called "Shigoki". Sawdust is sprinkled over the paste-covered cloth to prevent it from adhering to other sheets of cloth.

Finishing which involves steaming, washing and drying. Before the coloring paste dries out, the cloth is put into a steam box for 15 to 30 minutes at 90 too 100 degrees Celsius. This process allows the dye contained in the paste to permeate evenly into the cloth. Until 1963, dyed fabric has been washed in the river Kanda. But now, underground water has been used to splash the paste off the cloth with a machine. Lastly, the cloth is spread onto a board to dry, and then smoothed out with steam and iron.

The Shinjuku dyers along the River Kanda have played a big part in Tokyo's busy kimono industry since the beginning of Japan's modernization. Tokyo became one of Japan's three main production centers of kimonos, with Kyoto and Kanazawa. In recent years, many tradesmen in the Tokyo dyeing industry have been designated as Masters of Traditional Crafts under Japanese laws for preserving traditional crafts. The visit served as a perfect opportunity to scout for new fabrics and get inspired. Shop culture, shop Faburiq.