Nishijin brocade is a generic term for yarn-dyed patterned fabrics produced in Nishijin, Kyoto, which are characterized by high-mix, low-volume production. It was designated as a traditional national craft in 1976. Currently, 12 weaving techniques are designated as traditional crafts: "tsuzure," "tate-nishiki," "yoko-nishiki," "donsu," "shuchin," "shoha," "fudori," "hemp yarn weaving," "honshibori," "velvet," "kasuri weaving," and "pongee.
Kyoto City is located in the southern part of Kyoto Prefecture, the capital of the prefecture, and is designated as an ordinance-designated city. In the center of the city, Oji-oji streets run east-west, north-south, and south in a grid-like pattern. 14 World Heritage Sites, including the former detached palace Nijo Castle, and over 2,000 Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples are scattered throughout the city.
In addition to being a historical city, it is also a tourist destination that attracts visitors from all over Japan and the world, an academic research city with a concentration of world-class research institutions, including universities and junior colleges, and an environmentally advanced city that offers a model for low-carbon, recycling-oriented urban development.
In Kyoto, there are various festivals held in various regions and at various times of the year, including the three major festivals of Kyoto, the Gion Festival, the Aoi Festival, and the Jidai Festival, as well as the Gozan Okuribi (Bon festival), which is said to have spread from the Muromachi period (1336-1573) as an event to send off spirits during the Obon festival, and the Kurama no Hi-Matsuri (Kurama Fire Festival), which fills the Kurama village in the fall with excitement. Kurama is known as the "Bonfire of the Five Mountains.
Please consider commemorative gifts using“Nishijin Brocade”.
We accept a variety of requests,
including letterhead sets and Japanese paper accessories,
as well as items such as the souvenir example.
The origin of Nishijin textiles is believed to date back to the Kofun period. Around the 5th or 6th century, a family of the Hata clan settled in the area around present-day Ohata, Kyoto, and introduced sericulture and silk weaving techniques. The capital was eventually moved to Heian-kyo.
The government office called "Oribe-no-Otsukasa" was organized for the silk weavers who inherited the silk weaving techniques from the Kamigyo Ward, Kuromon-Kamichoja-machi area.
The town of Oribe is said to have been founded in the same year. It was also around this time that the technique of takahata, which came from the continent, was introduced, making it possible to weave patterns and colors using yarn that had been dyed earlier. In this way, the foundation of Nishijin silk weaving, a high-class silk fabric, was laid, and Nishijin was established as a production center for it.
The name "Nishijin" comes from the fact that after the Onin War (1467-1477), which lasted for 11 years during the Muromachi period (1336-1573), textile artisans who had been scattered to various regions returned to Kyoto and resumed weaving in the area where the Western Army led by Yamana Munetada was stationed during the war.
From this time, the area in the northwestern part of Kyoto, which had prospered as a textile town before the war, came to be known as Nishijin.
Later, while receiving protection by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and others, the Nishijin textile industry became a representative of the silk weaving industry in Kyoto and the rest of Japan, producing excellent fabrics by adopting Ming dynasty (1368-1644) Chinese techniques. In the Edo period (1603-1867), Nishijin became even more prosperous.
In the Edo period (1603-1867), the Nishijin silk fabric industry flourished even further, leading to the development of chirimen and stripes. However, after the mid-Edo period, Nishijin textiles suffered severely from repeated famines, the Shogunate's ban on luxuries, two major fires, and the emergence of new silk textile production areas such as Tango and Kiryu, as well as the relocation of the capital to Tokyo.
However, the Nishijin textile industry, which had been active and flexible in introducing advanced foreign technology, was quick to respond to the opportunities presented by civilization's opening to the world. It succeeded in modernizing by introducing technologies such as Jacquard weaving from France.
In the Taisho and Showa eras, the Nishijin textile industry promoted the popularization of high-end silk fabrics, and at the same time, worked hard to advance traditional hand-weaving techniques and refine designs and patterns, thereby ensuring its position as a synonym for "Nishijin textiles" when it came to high-end textiles.
Today, Nishijin textile products are used not only in traditional products such as obi fabrics and kimonos, but also in ties, shawls, kimono accessories, and a wide range of other highly prestigious and excellent products. The company is innovatively expanding its fields of activity.
Please consider commemorative gifts using“Nishijin Brocade”.
We accept a variety of requests,
including letterhead sets and Japanese paper accessories,
as well as items such as the souvenir example.