March 2, 2021

About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 3 | The Group Tapestry Project, The Culmination of a Year of Study

At the end of the first year of the Professional Course, each student works on an individual project and a group project as the culmination of a year of study. In Part 3 of the Kawashima Textile School (KTS) Tsuzure-Ori series, we will introduce the tsuzure-ori group tapestry project. The project is also an opportunity to connect with the local community, and in recent years, the tapestries have been displayed at daycare centers and elderly care facilities in cooperation with the school. For the students, designing and making a piece for a specific space, not just for self-expression, is a worthwhile experience.

Students weaving on the vertical loom (2015)


Students working hard on tsuzure-ori tapestries on a vertical loom approximately two meters tall and three meters wide, or a large horizontal loom, is a sight that can be seen every winter. Understanding the users’ feelings, and creating a piece that makes them happy. Students spend about seven months, from learning the philosophy of the facility, deciding on the theme of their work, designing for the space it will be displayed in, drawing the genga (original drawing), taking a class by an expert from Kawashima Selkon Textiles Co., Ltd. to make the cartoon, and weaving while getting advice from the teachers. Making a large piece requires a great deal of space and time, which is why there is an aspect that it is a challenge that can be taken on especially during one’s student days. Two to three students form a group, and make the best use of their strengths and help each other. Making a tapestry together as a group comes with its challenges at times, but the students are all the happier when they finish. Comments from people at the facilities, such as, “it heals my heart,” “the warmth makes me feel at ease,” have been encouraging for the students.

夢を抱いて (2017)
Ichiharano Children's Center


The tapestries made by the first year students of the 2020 school year have just been finished. After the finishing process, they will be displayed in a nearby welfare facility, and the entrance of the school this spring. Prior to that, they will be unveiled for the first time at the Graduate Exhibition to be held at the Kyoto City Museum of Art Annex from Wednesday, March 10. We plan to share photos during the exhibition on instagram and facebook. We hope you enjoy seeing them!



About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 1/2