The Yuki region of Ibaraki Prefecture has a long history of sericulture, and during the off-season for farming, silk was produced as a by-product, and was already being supplied to the imperial court during the Nara period.
It is said that the name YUKI Tsumugi (Pongee) became established after the Yuki clan, who were the lords of this land during the Kamakura period, and who worked to protect and nurture this industry. In the early Edo period, Tadatsugu Ina, who became the local magistrate, introduced techniques from Shinshu and Kyoto, further enhancing the reputation of YUKI Tsumugi (Pongee). In modern times, the techniques have been improved, and in particular, advances in ikat weaving have led to the production of the highest quality Tsumugi silk.

• Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques

  1. The textile must be woven using one of the following techniques or methods:
  (1) The fabric must be plain weave, either pre-dyed or pre-processed.
  (2) A "claw loom" shall be used for weaving.

   

  2. The dyeing method for ikat threads in ikat textiles is by "hand-tying".

   

  3. When removing wrinkles, the weft yarn used for the base yarn should be "curled" and "treated with hot water".

   

  raw materials

  The yarn to be used must be hand-spun silk floss yarn.

• Work scene

  Work scene

  The production of authentic Yuki YUKI Tsumugi (Pongee) involves several steps. Let's take a look at the main steps.

  Step 1: Applying the silk floss

  Each cocoon, boiled in baking soda, is spread open by hand, and 5 to 6 layers are stacked to create a single bag-shaped floss. There is a demand for floss that can produce finer, stronger threads, and it takes experience to be able to make good floss, as the saying goes, "8 years of cotton handling, 3 years of spinning."

  

  Step 2: Spinning the yarn

  The silk floss is wrapped around a tool called a "tsukushi," and the thread is spun by hand and placed into a bucket called an "oboke." The warp and weft threads must be of different thicknesses, and the threads must be spun without any inconsistencies in thickness. While most threads, such as those called "Buddha threads," are strongly twisted to make them strong and reinforced, YUKI Tsumugi (Pongee) threads are unique in the world as untwisted threads. Mastering this technique requires several years of training. It takes two to three months to spin enough thread for one bolt of fabric.

  

  Step 3: Winding the pipes

  This is the process of winding Oboke spun yarn onto a bobbin using a spinning wheel. If you wind it too fast, the yarn inside will get tangled, and if you wind it too slowly, it will become slack, so you have to wind it at just the right speed.

  

  Step 4: Threading

  This is the process of winding yarn onto a skein to make it a consistent length. It is done to make the yarn easier to handle.

  

  Process 5: Machine laying

  Ten or so strands of thread are wound onto a weaving frame and trimmed to the length needed to weave one bolt of yarn. Some people do this for several bolts at once.

  Step 6: Design Creation

  During the Meiji era, YUKI Tsumugi (Pongee) featured stripes and simple vertical and horizontal ikat patterns, but in the Taisho era, pictorial ikat patterns using horizontal threads became popular. Then, in the early Showa period, "craft ikat" was devised, utilizing small ikat patterns such as tortoiseshell. Designs are drawn on special graph paper, and care is taken to create new designs that suit the times while preserving tradition.

  

  Step 7: Kasuri tying

  To prevent the dye from seeping into the areas that will form the ikat pattern, the ikat threads are tied with cotton thread. There are four classes of fabric, with 80, 100, 160, and 200 tortoise shell patterns within the width of the bolt. In the simplest 80-tortoise shell pattern, 160 threads are tied in one width, and in the 200-tortoise shell pattern, as many as 400 threads are tied. Generally, the ikat tying alone takes about three months, and for more elaborate designs, it can take an unlimited amount of time.

  

  工程8： 染色

  The unique dyeing method for YUKI Tsumugi (Pongee) is called "tataki-zome" (beating dyeing). This method involves twisting the ikat-tied threads onto the end of a stick and beating them against a table to allow the dye to penetrate. Doing it too much can cause the dye to soak into the tied parts of the thread, while doing it too little can result in uneven dyeing. It is a tense process with no room for error.

  

  Step 9: Gluing

  Because spun yarn is cotton-like, it is starched to suppress fuzzing and to make it stiffer and easier to handle when weaving.

  

  Step 10: Reed threading

  The reed is comb-shaped, and two warp threads—the upper and lower threads—are inserted into its 680 teeth using a spatula called a yahaz. This is the process of loading the spun yarn onto the loom.

  

  Step 11: Winding the yarn onto the machine

  The warp threads, which have been passed through the reed, are wound onto a "thread winder" from the end they were passed through. This thread winder is then attached to the loom, and the weft threads are woven.

  

  Step 12: Weaving

  YUKI Tsumugi (Pongee) is woven on a traditional loom called a "jibata," the most primitive type of loom. Amazingly, this method has remained unchanged for 1500 years. It's a laborious and time-consuming process, but the warp threads are tied to a waist support, allowing the elastic softness of the hand-spun yarn to be utilized without applying excessive tension during weaving. Meanwhile, the weft threads are beaten with a reed, and then further beaten with a shuttle made of oak, weighing 600 grams and measuring approximately 55 centimeters in length. This is how the unique texture YUKI Tsumugi (Pongee)—strong, light, and warm—is created. For a fast weaver, it can take about a month to weave one bolt, while high-quality Yuki Tsumugi can take over a year.

  

  Step 13: Shimaya (strip shop)

  Once the woven silk fabric is inspected and passes the inspection, it is brought to wholesalers in Yuki City, where it is traded for cash. These wholesalers are called "shimaya" (striped shops), a name derived from the fact that in the past, striped patterns were overwhelmingly common in YUKI Tsumugi (Pongee).

  

  Step 14: De-gluing

  Before tailoring the Tsumugi silk into a kimono, the final step is to pre-wash it. This process removes the starch applied before weaving, leaving a small amount in the core of the threads, resulting in a unique softness and texture. The subsequent washing and stretching further enhances the texture, and the color becomes more vibrant and the kimono conforms to the wearer's body with each wear.