About “Honba Amami Oshima Tsumugi”

Often called Oshima Tsumugi, it is a silk fabric that is said to be originally produced (original) on Amami Oshima (Kagoshima Prefecture), and the authentic Amami Oshima Tsumugi (Regional Collective Trademark No. 5012251) is produced by cooperative members within the Amami Islands. Authentic Oshima Tsumugi, a traditional craft designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Made of 100% silk, yarn-dyed, and hand-woven with splashed patterns. It is lightweight and warm and will not fall off, and the more you wear it, the more it blends into your skin and is characterized by its comfort and unique color.

【Characteristics of authentic Amami Oshima Tsumugi】
・Made of 100% silk, it is light, warm, and has the finest feel.
・Because it is yarn-dyed, the thread itself is thoroughly dyed, and the ”mud dyeing” dyeing with Amami mud produces colors that cannot be expressed with chemical dyes.
・Tate Yoko Kasuri and Weft Kasuri are processed by hand using a Shimebata machine to create intricate patterns. Alternatively, it is woven using a handloom (tebata) by combining warp and weft kasuri with kasuri.

Kimono has the longest history in Japan, about 1,300 years.

Oshima Tsumugi is a kimono with a history of approximately 1,300 years, as it was recorded in the dedication book of Todaiji Temple in Nara in 734.

Amami Oshima is a suitable place for sericulture, and it seems that silk fabrics have been made since ancient times. Dyeing is done using the same technique as the ancient dyeing that was used on the mainland, using teechi trees and other plants that grow naturally in Amami, and this is the origin of the current authentic Amami Oshima Tsumugi dyeing using teechi trees and mud. It has been with.

Before the Meiji period, it was hand-woven using pongee thread and worn by islanders for personal use, but around 1720 (Kyoho 5), the Satsuma domain issued an order prohibiting the wearing of pongee. Oshima Tsumugi is a kimono that has a history of being made as a tribute to the Satsuma clan.

Oshima Tsumugi, one of the three major textiles in the world, is intricately crafted.

Oshima Tsumugi is said to be one of Japan’s three major pongee textiles, and is also said to be one of the world’s three major textiles, along with Persian carpets and French Gobelins.

The reason for this is not only the fact that it has a history of about 1,300 years as explained earlier, but also its precision. The easiest way to understand it is to hold it in your hands and see it, but the pattern is expressed by the kasuri (dots) of the warp and weft yarns that are yarn-dyed, and this technique allows for the creation of detailed patterns. You can.

Baton-touch manufacturing in which there is a craftsman for each of about 30 to 40 process.

Authentic Amami Oshima Tsumugi kimonos are made by craftsmen in every step of the process, and are handmade by craftsmen in every step.

First of all, we draw the original drawings and blueprints that express the image such as shape and color tone. In preparation for dyeing the threads before weaving according to this pattern, we perform the ”kasuri-jime” process, which requires careful attention, and begin the ”dyeing” process.

Speaking of Oshima Tsumugi’s ”dying”, the most representative one is ”doro-zome”. It is dyed by repeatedly soaking it in a boiled solution of a tree called techi, and then dipping it in mud many times until it is dyed to a naturally astringent black color.

The dyed fabric is then adjusted according to the design to make it suitable for weaving, and then the fabric is woven. Authentic Amami Oshima Tsumugi, which is yarn-dyed, is woven while matching the patterns during the weaving stage. While this allows us to achieve the most precise weaving in the world, it also requires sophisticated techniques honed over many years and time-consuming work to weave while perfectly matching the warp and weft threads. Masu. Oshima Tsumugi is created through the involvement of each craftsman in this series of processes.

Oshima Tsumugi can be worn for a lifetime with a texture that can only be experienced hand.Oshima Tsumugi can be worn for a lifetime with a texture that can only be experienced by hand.

A kimono is something that can be worn for a lifetime, and just as a machine-knitted muffler and a hand-knitted muffler have distinctly different textures, authentic Amami Oshima Tsumugi is all handmade, so it has a soft texture, and the more you wear it, the more it adapts to your body and changes over time. Each time you layer it, your body shape changes and a beautiful silhouette is created. In addition, the colors have a calm and elegance similar to the fashion style of clothes, so as you get older, you will develop a more mature taste. In particular, the mud-dyed black authentic Amami Oshima pongee will make the wearer stand out even more in a dazzling environment.