To create tsumugi silk, the Kumejima weavers cultivate their own silk worms. Two species are raised — one with a white cocoon, the other with a yellow cocoon.
Silk is spun into fine thread using a zaguri. For pongee, the cocoon shells are stretched and a thicker silk thread is pulled and twisted by hand.
The next step is the design of the project. Specifications for both the warp and the weft must be decided so the correct amount of dyed yarns are calculated.
The dyes are made using natural materials found on the island — such as Garcinia for yellow and Shell Flower for pale pink. Dyeing is sometimes repeated up to 30 times to attain the desired color!
Loom preparation and weaving come next. No mistakes can be made to create a perfect 13-meter bolt of tsumugi silk.
To finish, the textile is beaten with large wooden mallets to soften the silk and enhance its luster. The process of making one bolt for a kimono typically spans many months.
WEAVERS: Yoshie Furugen, Junko Izena, Tokiko Hirata, Masako Nakata, Yumi Nakayama
HIGHLIGHTS OF MY KUMEJIMA DAY
1. Ai showed me her weaving project. The pale silver color was created from ocean hibiscus wood that was burned into charcoal, ground, and mixed with water to create a dye paste.
2. I met Ai’s weaving teacher Teiko Tobaru. Tobaru-sensei took the time to show me her ikat pattern and how she dyed her yarn to get the curved shapes of the mijikumu motifs or cloud water.
3. Ai opened a chest freezer and showed me bags of frozen silk cocoons and plastic bottles filled with botanical dyes. I was surprised at first but then it made perfect sense!
4. I’ve always been fascinated with the concept of mud dyeing. Ai showed me a bucket of local mud used to dye the silk fibers a delicious midnight black.
5. I removed wrappings from yarns that were bundled dyed for ikat weaving. I couldn't ruin anything so I was allowed to help!
My afternoon included driving around the island, lush with sugarcane fields, to see a historic samurai house, stroll down to a scary cave, view unusual volcanic rocks, and walk up to a lookout platform.
It is my hope to include a day trip to Kumejima in the upcoming Textile Treasures of Okinawa tour!
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ABOUT US: Okan Arts, a petite family business, is co-owned by mother-daughter duo Patricia Belyea and Victoria Stone. Patricia and Victoria sell Japanese textiles online, host creative quilting experiences, and lead quilting & textile tours to Japan.
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