is a variety of

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

cloth produced in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, chiefly in in Prefecture. It is designated as one of the

Important Intangible Cultural Properties of Japan An , as defined by the Japanese government's Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties (1950), is a part of the Cultural Properties of Japan, Cultural Properties of high historical or artistic value such as drama, music, and craft techniques. T ...

, and has also been inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...

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 The 1873 Vienna World's Fair () was the large world exposition that was held from 1 May to 31 October 1873 in the Austria-Hungarian capital Vienna. Its motto was "Culture and Education" (). History As well as being a chance to showcase Austro- ...

, 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 ''Bombyx mori'', commonly known as the domestic silk moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of '' Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. Silkworms are the larvae of silk moths. The silkworm is of ...

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. I ...

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 ...

. Dyed patterns are added to the cloth with

ikat ''Ikat'' (literally "to bind" in Malayo-Polynesian languages) is a dyeing technique from Southeast Asia used to pattern textiles that employs resist dyeing on the yarns prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric. In Southeast Asia, where it is th ...

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 ...

with a

loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...

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

. The was established in 1976 and helps promote and transmit the craft.

High School A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

in has a club. In 2010,

inscribed on its

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 Textile arts of Japan

History

Production method

Cultural Heritage

See also

References

External links