[VILLAGE Report vol.38] Tsumugi Listed by UNESCO | Ibaraki Prefecture

Ibaraki Prefecture’s nationally designated crafts are Yuki-tsumugi silk, Kasama ware, Makabe stone lanterns these 3 items.

Three conditions

Yuki-tsumugi silk was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010.

To be included in the inscription, all three conditions must be met. The thread is hand-spun, the patterns are hand-tied, and the weaving is done on an izari loom.

Hand-spinning is a method of drawing thread out by hand from mawata, or spread-out cocoons. Because no twist is added, the thread contains air. This is why Yuki-tsumugi is light and warm.

Hand-tying is the process of tying the areas that should not be dyed with thread. For fine kasuri patterns, the number reaches tens of thousands of times for a single roll.

Izari loom is a loom used while sitting on the ground, with the warp held taut by the weaver’s own waist. Because the body adjusts the tension, the thread is not strained.

All three remain not because “machines cannot do them, so they are done by hand,” but because “doing them by hand makes something different.”

Following Ojiya-chijimi in Niigata (vol.33), Honmino-shi paper in Gifu (vol.26), and Hosokawa-shi paper in Saitama (vol.36), Another craft registered with UNESCO has been added.

Not using pure white clay

Kasama ware clay is rich in iron.

The porcelain production areas we have seen in this series--Arita (vol.03), Tobe (vol.16), and Izushi (vol.24)--all pursued whiteness.

Kasama does the opposite. It leaves the color of the clay, applies a thick glaze, and values the character that emerges through use.

In Kasama, there is no strict style that says, “This is Kasama ware.” That is why young artists from outside can enter easily. This is said to be why it remains a production area with many artists even today.

Mino ware in Gifu (vol.26) also spread by “not having a fixed style.” Not deciding the form can sometimes become a strength.

Stone lanterns

Makabe stone lanterns are stone crafts made with granite quarried in the Makabe district of Sakuragawa City.

Following Shimane’s Izumo stone lanterns (vol.12) and Kyoto stone crafts (vol.22), this is another stone craft.

Stone lanterns were originally lights for temples and shrines, but with the spread of the tea ceremony, they became garden ornaments they became.

When the use changes, the form changes. It is a movement we have seen many times in this series.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is Yuki-tsumugi from Ibaraki or Tochigi?
A. Both. The production area spans Yuki City in Ibaraki Prefecture and Oyama City in Tochigi Prefecture across the Kinugawa River, and it is designated as a nationally recognized production area in both prefectures.

Next issue, we go to Tochigi.

References: Ibaraki Prefecture, Yuki City, Kasama City, Sakuragawa City, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries

—The Value Village Editorial Team

Photo: Σ64 / CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)