Nishijin-Ori
About Nishijin-Ori
Nishijin brocade is a high-grade silk textile produced in Kyoto. It is a yarn-dyed patterned textile based on a high-mix, low-volume production system. The process of weaving involves many steps, from planning and design to design paper, yarn dyeing, warping, heddles, gold and silver threads, kasuri processing, etc. Each of these steps is carried out with great care by skilled technicians.
History of Nishijin-Ori
The silk weaving industry had originally flourished in Kyoto since the Heian period (794-1185), thanks to the weaving techniques of the Hata clan, a powerful naturalized people brought to Kyoto before the Heian period (794-1185), and the city developed around the court culture. During the Onin War (1467-1477) in Kyoto, Yamana Munezen, a general of the Western Army, encamped in the west of the city, which gave rise to the current name of Nishijin and the name of Nishijin brocade. In the Meiji period (1868-1912), Tsuneshichi Sakura and three others were dispatched by the Kyoto Prefectural Government to study in Europe, where they introduced Western techniques such as Jacquard from France and greatly improved Nishijin textiles, leading to a new development as a pioneer in the modernization of the Japanese silk industry.
