is a variety of
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
cloth produced in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, chiefly in in Prefecture. It is designated as one of the
Important Intangible Cultural Properties of Japan, and has also been inscribed on the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
.
History
The traditional history of traces its origin to a crafthouse known as during the reign of the legendary Emperor
Knowledge of the method of silk production, developed by its founder, , was said to have immediately spread out to the district and beyond.
Another account identified the period (14th-16th century) as the period when was developed. It is said that the feudal lord of a farmer family in the
Hitachi Province
was an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hitachi fudoki''" in . It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Shimōsa Province, S ...
sent fabric to a governor called every year as a gift.
Developing from earlier silk techniques, the name was adopted in 1602. Weavers were invited from Castle and the cloth, at first plain, was used as a gift for the .
In 1873, was exhibited at the
1873 Vienna World's Fair
)
, building = Rotunda
, area = 233 Ha
, invent =
, visitors = 7,255,000
, organized =
, cnt =
, org =
, biz =
, country = Austria-Hungary
, city ...
, and became known worldwide. Currently, approximately one hundred and thirty craftsmen practice the craft of production in and .
Production method
To produce the fabric, silk floss is first extracted from
silkworm
The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically imp ...
cocoons and is
spun
''Spun'' is a 2002 American black comedy crime drama film directed by Jonas Åkerlund from an original screenplay by William De Los Santos and Creighton Vero, based on three days of De Los Santos's life in the Eugene, Oregon, drug subculture. The ...
by hand into
yarn
Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufact ...
. Dyed patterns are added to the cloth with
ikat
''Ikat'' (in Indonesian languages means "bind") is a dyeing technique originating from Indonesia used to pattern textiles that employs resist dyeing on the yarns prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric.
In ''ikat'', the resist is formed by bi ...
before
weaving
Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...
with a
loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...
known as a .
The technique involves a tedious process of manually tying thousands of resists before the yarn is dyed, based on the desired resulting pattern or design. The strap around the weaver's waist enables the tension of the vertical thread to be adjusted. It can take up to fifteen days to weave enough plain fabric for an adult garment, and up to forty-five days for patterned fabric.
Cultural Heritage
In 1956, was designated one of the
Important Intangible Cultural Properties of Japan.
The was established in 1976 and helps promote and transmit the craft.
High School
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
in has a club.
In 2010, was inscribed on the
.
See also
*
Sericulture
Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, ''Bombyx mori'' (the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth) is the most widely used and intensively studie ...
*
*
*
Important Intangible Cultural Properties of Japan
*
National Treasures of Japan - Dyeing and Weaving
*
References
External links
UNESCO nomination document
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yuki-Tsumugi
Culture in Ibaraki Prefecture
Important Intangible Cultural Properties of Japan
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Japanese words and phrases
Silk
Textile-related meibutsu