Japanese Textile History

https://www.flickr.com/photos/photographic-heritage/15147232057      Japanese spinning has a couple of key differences from the spinning historically done in the west. The spinning wheel used in Japan is the same as that used in India and China and it is believed to have spread to Japan around 1,200 C.E. This is most evident with cotton, in which the entire process mirrors that used in India almost exactly. However, cotton wasn’t introduced to Japan was producing fabrics long before the introduction of the spinning wheel, so some process must have existed before its introduction. Unfortunately I have had very little luck finding any information whatsoever on the spinning processes of ancient Japan. The only spinning wheel anyone associates with Japan is the spinning wheel that is largely believed to have originated somewhere in the middle East. No one seems to be very clear on exactly where and when the wheel was invented, some claim it began to be used in India fro...

     I went to Kobe Fashion Museum. Which is the only museum http://www.cochenille.com/design-inspiration-historic-costumes-cochenille-style/historic-fashions/  in the area that is specifically dedicated to Fashion. As such I was hoping that it would be primarily focused on Japanese clothing, but as it was, the most extensive historical exhibit was dedicated to European and American clothing dating back from around the 1700’s up until the 70’s or so. The dresses were stunning, but didn’t give much any indication of what was worn in Japan in that time period or at all.      The one exhibit that does seem relevant to my study and this blog was centered around a Japanese designer known as Yuki, born as Gnyuki Torimaru from Miyazaki-Ken. He was born in 1937 and studied architecture before becoming a “textile Engineer.” He did work for Louis Feraud, Michael of Carlos Place, and the design houses of Norman Hartnell and Pierre Cardin. He launch...

Silk  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silk_worm_21_days_01.jpg      Silk is one of the highest qualities of fiber and historically only used by royalty and the wealthy few. Due to processing that allows fibers to be spun in long, unbroken strands and the natural strength of the fibers, silk can be used to create fabric that is the strongest for its weight of any commercial natural fiber. The triangular shape of silk fibers gives the threads and fabrics made with them a satiny sheen and it takes well to dyes. https://pixabay.com/photos/kimono-japanese-traditional-fabric-637942/      Silk is taken from cocoons of Bombyx caterpillars which are raised eating mulberry leaves and sometimes Osage Orange. The sheen seen in silk comes as a result of the fibers being triangular (4). Most commercial silkworms in use are a variety called Bombyx mori that originated in China, although over 600 varieties of this silkworm can be found in Ja...

Cotton (7)      Cotton refers to plants in the genus Gossypium. (5) Cotton is a shrubby perennial usually ranging from 1-2 meters that grows best in a warm humid climate. The plants develop bolls which mature 55 to 80 days after the flower first blooms. These bolls burst open when fully mature to reveal clumps of cotton up to 2.5” long attached to 7-10 seeds. These bolls are then ideally harvested by hand, or harvested by machine which results in dirtied cotton and therefore more cleaning and more waste (5). Warmer temperatures are ideal for growing cotton, so after spreading to Japan it was first grown significantly in Ryukyu and other southern regions (6). (4) (2)      After harvest, cotton must be detangled and cleaned before spinning. In Japan this was done with a bow, called wata-uchi-yumi. The string was plucked to vibrate the cotton, fluff it, and shake dust and dirt out. I am including an image of an equivalent process done in Indi...

Ramie  https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:P-fortunei_bit_Ramie.jpg      Ramie is a plant from the nettle family of the bast fiber group, native to China (9). It is also known as grass linen, grass cloth, and China linen. Ramie has many stalks from 1.9-2.4 meters tall and is perenial. Its leaves are bright green on the top, and white with hairs on the bottom. Ramie grows best in well-drained sandy soil in warm moist climates, but benefits from cold winters (8,7), and is harvested by hand when the lower part of stalk turns brown and tips of a new stalk appear (9). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Boehmeria_nivea_-_Jardim_Bot %C3%A2nico_de_S%C3%A3o_ Paulo_-_IMG_0250.jpg       The stalks are cut and then stripped of their leaves before being soaked in water (11). Unlike with some hemp processes this is not to encourage the break down of the skin. They are only soaked to keep the stalks moist. If...

Hemp History and Use in Japan The first fiber used in Japan to create woven fabric was probably hemp. https://pixabay.com/images/search/hemp/      Hemp is the name often applied to tall plants from the cannabis sativa category that are primarily grown for their strong fibers (6). In Asia hemp is grown at latitudes between 20 and 40 degrees North (8). The kind of cannabis cultivated by licensed farmers today is called “Tochigishiro,” which was developed in the postwar period (6) and contains 0.2 percent THC (1). It is not enough THC to cause a high if smoked. Hemp grown for fiber requires well-drained soil and regular watering (8) Farmers usually rely on lots of spring and early summer rain. If the soil is not rich, soft, and moist enough fertilizer is required. Because hemp is a “bast fiber,” rather than merely producing lower yeilds when stressed, stressed Hemp crops will usually fail completely. The seeds are planted in spring, and harvested in summer (6)...