HIROTA TSUMUGI

We displayed our 2025 Fall/Winter kimono silk collection at our showroom on 1st and 2nd September.

We constantly focus on the handcrafted high quality textile works made for daily wear kimono (the daily wear, non-formal kimono category is called 紬 “Tsumugi”. The fabrics are stocked from the various local weavers in Japan, such as Okinawa, Shiga, Shinshu(Nagano), Yamagata (Yonezawa), Ibaraki, Kyoto, Ishikawa, Nigata and Kagoshima. Nearly 200 bolts are displayed in this exhibition.

Okinawa Textiles

In the exhibition the textiles are displayed with different sections according to the manufacturing areas. In the first section at the entrance area, we had the Okinawa (Ryukyu) textiles. Okinawa is a southern island used to be governed by the Ryukyu dynasty, where has nurtured the unique culture and tradition different from the Japan mainland one, which reflected deeply on the Ryukyu textiles.

Hanaori is one of the unique hand-weaving techniques seen in Okinawa. This obi is woven in the Yomitan village area, called Yomitanzan-Hanaori. The beautiful pattern is created by combining colorful fine dots to form the overall design, and the dots are basically hand-stitched one by one using different colored silk threads while hand waving it.

Along with Hanaori, Bingata is also the representative traditional stencil dyeing technique in Okinawa. There are the three prominent families, 知念Chinen, 城間Shiroma and 沢岻 Takushi, historically recognized for their mastery and preservation of Ryukyu Bingata.

This obi below is the Shiroma Eijun’s Bingata work dyed on Ojiya Tsumugi silk. Eijun Shiroma (born 1934) is the 15th-generation head of the Shiroma family. Shiroma bingata’s beauty lies in the delicate precision of its stenciling and dyeing techniques, as well as its faithful continuation of the kingdom’s sophisticated artistic sensibility.

 

Those below are the tsumugi fabrics from different parts of the Japan mainland.

Yuki Tsumugi

Yuki Tsumugi is the highest quality tsumugi silk made in Ibaraki and Toshigi prefecture. Due to its quality and rarity, Yuki tsumugi is a coveted treasure among lovers of tsumugi.

Now the first grade Yuki Tsumugi (100% floss silk handspun threads are woven by a back-strap loom) are only produce about 300 bolts yearly. In this 5 years the number has sharply decreased and halved nearly a half, due to the ageing of artisans. Especially, the hand-spinning artisans are retired largely which result in the lack of the floss silk hand-spinning thread.

 

Shimoi Tsumugi

Produced in Iida, a hub of Shinshu Tsumugi, Shimoitsu Tsumugi carries the legacy of Nagano’s weaving tradition while establishing its own identity. Shimoi Tsumugi is woven by a weaving artist, Shimoi Nobuhiko based in Nagano prefecture, who transitioned from textile design to weaving at age 37.

His enthusiasms for silk texture, color-making and weaving design, are exceptional. While we can enjoy the luxurious tsumugi texture, his sensitivity of tsumugi textile design arranging with original earthy colors based on natural plant-dyes and various elaborate weaving techniques, always gives us fresh impression.

Hatasho Tsumugi

Hatasho Tsumugi is woven in Aisho-cho, the eastern lakeside of Biwa lake, Shiga prefecture. The Kasuri pattern is created through the process of comb-print dye on the silk threads. It is the process prior to weaving, so that the pattern are going to emerge through weaving. The comb-print Kasuri is unique to Hatasho Tsumugi, and the Kasuri pattern and its impression are different from other kasuri woven in Japan.

 

Shinshu Tsumugi and Ina Tsumugi

Among many traditional Shinshu Tsumugi (Iida, Ueda, Matsumoto tsumugi), Ina tsumugi would be one of the most popular and beautiful silk textiles.

Ina tsumugi is characterized by its extremely soft texture and warm plant-based natural dye. The traditional craftmanship such as the degumming process removes the excess gum and makes the silk soft and the process of plying hand-spun tsumugi silk yarn from raw silk, dupion silk, and floss silk, are passed down until today. But now only one weaver, Kubota remained in the Ina valley area where used to have over 100 Ina tsumugi weavers in 1970s.

 

Ushikubi Tsumugi

Ushikubi tsumugi is the traditional craft of Ishikawa prefecture, which is a special kind of silk fabric made from double cocoons (tamamayu), which are created when two silkworms spin their cocoons together. Unlike single cocoons that produce a uniform thread, tamamayu yield a unique, irregular yarn.

Ushikubi Tsumugi is known as “Kugi-nuki Tsumugi” (Nail-pulling Pongee)—it’s said to be durable enough to pull out a nail without breaking. Despite its toughness, the fabric is surprisingly lightweight and breathable. It feels soft against the skin, making it very comfortable to wear. It is thanks to their unique craftmanship of the dupion silk thread making. But same as Ina tsumugi, today only one weaver are protecting the Ushikubi tradition.

 

In this post, we have introduced a small part of our 2025 Fall/Winter Kimono Silk Collection. It showcases the incredible diversity and enduring artistry of Japanese tsumugi textiles.

While these traditional crafts face modern challenges, such as the aging of artisans and a decline in production, the passion and skill of the remaining weavers continue to produce textiles of unparalleled beauty and quality. These fabrics are not merely clothes; they are a legacy of Japanese craftsmanship.