Kasuri vävning
Weave (p. )
1. Produced in Kurume City Fukuoka Prefecture.
2. Characteristics: Most famous, high quality cotton "Kasuri." Kasuri patterns expressed with the light and shade of indigo and white are beautiful. The fabric looks naive and warm and most designs are geometrical patterns and small figures. One of the three famous Kasuri(Bingo, Iyo and Kurume).
3. Uses: Clothes, working clothes, small articles.
4. History: Cotton fabrics were produced much in this area in Edo Period as the feudal government encouraged frugality and banned people from wearing silk clothes. Kurume Gasuri was first woven by a woman, Den Inoue, who got the idea of Kasuri by weaving dots as designs while she was looking at some used clothes in which faded dots, now white, looked like a certain pattern. Her fabric was called "Kasuri" and welcomed in the market. She promulgated the weaving technique to the people around Kurume, where there was no industry then. With the improvement of looms and technical development in "E Gasuri"(figure design Kasuri) and "Ko Gasuri"(small pattern Kasuri), all by local weavers the Kurume area became a center for "Kurume Gasuri" production in the Meiji Period. "Kurume
With the many processes involved in its production, Kurume Kasuri takes a great deal of time and effort to man. The traditional technique that dates back over years has been handed down over the generations despite the ebb and flow of the ever-changing world of dyeing and weaving. Recognizing the historical and artistic value of the technique, the national government designated Kurume Kasuri as an important intangible cultural property in To this day, Kurume Kasuri, which is used in a wide range of everyday goods such as Japanese clothing, Western clothing, interior goods, and knick-knacks, remains popular with many people as one of Japan’s most recognizable textiles.
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Traditional Japanese Kasuri fabrics are created using a method of weaving together threads that have a pattern dyed into them. The patterns are created using a resist dyeing technique known as Ikat. This resist dying technique is combined with traditional indigo dye making to create the distinctive blurry edge patterns that make Kasuri textiles so unique and beautiful.
Kasuri textiles made their way to Japan from China in the 8th century. Some of these extraordinary early examples of Chinese Kasuri are preserved at the National Shosoin Repository in Japan. But it wasn't until the 18th century that Kasuri dying and weaving really took off in Japan. The combination of an abundance of cotton and an impoverished farming community help lead to a thriving rural production of these beautiful handmade fabrics.
Much of the Kasuri produced in Japan was woven by farm women at home using backstrap frame looms. The fabric was used to make kimonos as well as futon covers, clothing, and quilts. The fabric is traditional about thirteen inches wide and about twenty nine feet long. This is the traditional size of fabric for making a kimono.
Here is a great video that shows the process of Kas