Shiozawa Tsumugi TextilesPhoto：Niigata Prefecture

  • Woven textiles
  • Niigata

Shiozawa Tsumugi Textiles Shiozawa Tsumugi

Shiozawa Tsumugi is woven from hand-spun floss silk yarn and raw silk, creating finely detailed kasuri patterns such as tortoiseshell and cross motifs. Its appeal lies in the subtle texture of tsumugi, its light and supple feel, and its refined, subdued colors. It was designated a Traditional Craft by the Japanese government in 1975.

Description

What is Shiozawa Tsumugi Textiles ?

Shiozawa Tsumugi is a traditional silk textile produced mainly in Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture. On February 17, 1975, it was designated as a Traditional Craft by the Japanese government.

The Shiozawa region has long been known for Echigo Jofu, a highly refined ramie textile. Shiozawa Tsumugi developed in the late eighteenth century by applying techniques used to create kasuri and striped patterns in Echigo Jofu to silk weaving.

Under the nationally designated traditional techniques, Shiozawa Tsumugi is woven in a plain weave using yarns that are dyed before weaving. Raw silk or tama-ito is used for the warp, while hand-spun silk-floss yarn is used for the weft.

Kasuri yarns are resist-dyed using techniques such as tekukuri, or hand tying; tesurikomi, in which dye is rubbed into selected sections by hand; and itajime, or board-resist dyeing. During weaving, the kasuri sections of the warp and weft are carefully aligned by hand, and the weft is inserted using a hand-thrown shuttle.

Representative patterns include extremely fine ka-gasuri, as well as cross-shaped and tortoiseshell kasuri designs. These precisely aligned motifs give the textile its restrained and elegant appearance.

The combination of smooth raw silk or tama-ito in the warp and hand-spun silk-floss yarn in the weft produces a fabric with a gentle silk luster, softness, and the subtle texture characteristic of spun silk.

The Shiozawa region also produces Hon Shiozawa, distinguished by the crepe-like texture created with highly twisted yarns, and Natsu Shiozawa, a lightweight silk textile developed for summer wear. Each has its own distinctive materials and techniques.

History

The Shiozawa region has a long history of textile production. Hemp and ramie fabrics woven in this area during the Nara period are preserved in the Shosoin Repository, and the region later became renowned for the highly developed textile tradition known as Echigo Jofu.

Shiozawa Tsumugi developed by adapting the kasuri and striped-pattern techniques of Echigo Jofu to silk weaving. According to Minamiuonuma City, its origins are traditionally placed in the Meiwa era in the latter half of the eighteenth century.

The textile developed around the use of raw silk or tama-ito for the warp and hand-spun silk-floss yarn for the weft. The yarns are dyed before weaving and carefully aligned to create detailed kasuri designs in plain weave.

The sophisticated patterning traditions associated with Echigo Jofu were carried into Shiozawa Tsumugi through motifs such as fine ka-gasuri, cross-shaped kasuri, and tortoiseshell patterns.

Production continued through the Meiji period and beyond, and Shiozawa Tsumugi became one of the representative silk textiles of the Shiozawa region alongside its long-established hemp-weaving tradition.

On February 17, 1975, Shiozawa Tsumugi was designated as a Traditional Craft by the Japanese government.

Today, craftspeople in Minamiuonuma continue to preserve techniques such as hand tying, hand rubbing of dyes, board-resist dyeing, manual kasuri alignment, and weaving with a hand-thrown shuttle.

Production Process

  1. 1. Designing and planning A pattern drawing is made by referring to a rough draft drawing or sample and marking the position of each pattern on graph paper. The length of the threads and the positions of the kasuri patterns have to be planned before preparing the threads for weaving. As the fabric is woven based on this pattern drawing, this is an essential step.
  2. 2. Making threads Shiozawa Tsumugi uses hand-spun yarn made from floss silk, dupioni raw silk, and raw silk. Hand-spun floss silk yarn is made by boiling silkworm cocoons for a few hours before untangling and layering strands by hand. In order to ensure an even thread thickness, floss silk has to be opened with one hand while the other carefully draws out each strand for winding. The exact thread thickness is decided by how strong one hand pulls the strands. Dupioni raw silk is thread reeled from double cocoons that are made together by two silkworms. As threads become entangled and knotted because there is more than one silkworm in the cocoon, it is also called a knotted thread. Several dupioni threads are spun into one and thickness and strength are evened out by twisting the threads. Raw silk that is used for the warp is sorted by purpose and then twisted to create a uniform thickness and strength.
  3. 3. Marking and fastening the threads Shiozawa Tsumugi has fine patterns woven with pre-dyed kasuri threads. For this purpose, the threads have to be marked first. A specialized ruler is used and pattern placements have to be marked in ink on weft threads stretched on a holding base. Marked places are tightly fastened with cotton thread so that they are left undyed. It is important to fasten the threads firmly to prevent the dye from penetrating as failure to do so would spoil the pattern.
  4. 4. Dyeing threads With a specialty bamboo spatula, dye is brushed over top of the ink mark stencil on the weft thread. After dyeing is complete, the threads are placed in 100℃ (212℉) steam to help the colors settle and then left out to dry.
  5. 5. Preparing for weaving When the threads are ready, preparation for weaving begins. The warp threads have to be firmly wound onto a paper roll in alignment with the pattern drawing so that the patterns are positioned correctly. Each warp thread is passed through the heddle eye of the loom and two threads are passed through the reed. The heddle eye and the reed move up and down so that the threads are also pulled up and down. A weft shuttle upon which the weft thread is wound is passed back and forth. On average, approximately 1260 warp threads are used for Shiozawa Tsumugi.
    After the threads have been sorted, the weft thread is wound on to a tube used for spinning. Base threads are divided into right-twist and left-twist and each of them is wound on to a different tube.
  6. 6. Weaving Weaving is done carefully on a takahata loom, so that kasuri patterns made by the warp and weft threads are exactly at the correct position. The takahata loom, which has two heddles and one reed, is operated by the weaver's feet with a pedal and has been used since the Edo period (1603-1868). The heddle eye and reed move up and down and the warp threads that are put through the heddle eye and reed are pulled to make space for the weft threads to be put through. Because of the delicacy of the patterns, the weaving process requires the utmost patience.
  7. 7. Finishing process and inspection When a bolt of cloth is finished, the fabric is washed to remove any dirt and starch before there is an inspection to check cleanliness and any irregular weaving. After passing the inspection, the fabric is ready for sale.

Facility Information

Shiozawa Tsumugi Pavilion

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