What are the teachers like?
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| First year students' Tapestry Weaving class |
Each teacher provides guidance using their own unique skills and experiences. Among them is a skilled teacher who was involved in projects such as restoring fabrics from the Fujinoki Tomb (late 6th Century burial mound) at Kawashima Selkon Textiles Co., Ltd., and another who has been constant in teaching Homespun for nearly 40 years at the school.
There are other teachers who specialize in Tsuzure (tapestry weaving), Kimono, Obi, weaving structures, and Kasuri. What they all have in common is that they are fascinated with, and truly love weaving. They respect that tradition, value weaving beautiful fabric, and support students with care, with hope that each student's life will be enriched through weaving.
The school creates an open, positive atmosphere, balancing between stimulation and stability, by inviting artists, designers, and technical experts as guest lecturers.
About the School Series 1/2/3/4/5/6/7
*This is the final piece in our "About the School" series. Our next series starting on Aug. 18 is "Student Voice (First Year Students of the Professional Course)." We plan to introduce and share interviews with our teachers in the fall.
August 4, 2020
About the School 7
An eight-part series introducing the school in the present as we review the 47 years since its foundation.
In the Professional course, there are students who have just graduated high school or university, who want to make a career change, who are preparing to take over their family business, or who have decided to join after taking one of our workshops. People come from all over Japan, and there are people from other countries who learn Japanese to study at Kawashima Textile School.
Students with various backgrounds that connect through fabric gather at the school, such as Fashion, Architecture, Painting, and Textile Science and so on. This could be an indication of how profound the world of weaving is, and how it spreads in different directions. There is an increasing number of people who, when reconsidering their paths at a turning point in their lives, wish to learn handweaving as lifework, and as something that connects them to the basics of life.
Who are the students, and why do they come to the school?
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| Tomomi Mizuno, who studied fashion and was involved in creating theatrical costumes before coming to Kawashima Textile School. |
In the Professional course, there are students who have just graduated high school or university, who want to make a career change, who are preparing to take over their family business, or who have decided to join after taking one of our workshops. People come from all over Japan, and there are people from other countries who learn Japanese to study at Kawashima Textile School.
Students with various backgrounds that connect through fabric gather at the school, such as Fashion, Architecture, Painting, and Textile Science and so on. This could be an indication of how profound the world of weaving is, and how it spreads in different directions. There is an increasing number of people who, when reconsidering their paths at a turning point in their lives, wish to learn handweaving as lifework, and as something that connects them to the basics of life.
About the School Series 1/2/3/4/5/6
July 28, 2020
About the School 6
An eight-part series introducing the school in the present as we review the 47 years since its foundation.
About the School 1 How did the school start?
About the School 2 What kind of school is it?
About the School 3 Where is the school located?
About the School 4 What is the environment like?
About the School 5 What kind of courses are there?
Students can learn about textiles comprehensively while devoting themselves to weaving throughout the year. In the first year, students study the full process, starting from thread dyeing to weaving, and achieve basic techniques and expression skills through informative foundation classes.
In the second year, students work with a specific goal, and learn how to plan, make, and present their work in their desired field.
In the third year, students can join the exchange program at Handarbetets Vänner Skola in Sweden, participate in domestic and international competitions, and acquire skills to continue to create independently.
About the School 1 How did the school start?
About the School 2 What kind of school is it?
About the School 3 Where is the school located?
About the School 4 What is the environment like?
About the School 5 What kind of courses are there?
What are the classes in the Professional Course like?
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| 1st year students' group project |
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| Our partner school, Handarbetets Vänner Skola in Stockholm, Sweden |
Students can learn about textiles comprehensively while devoting themselves to weaving throughout the year. In the first year, students study the full process, starting from thread dyeing to weaving, and achieve basic techniques and expression skills through informative foundation classes.
In the second year, students work with a specific goal, and learn how to plan, make, and present their work in their desired field.
In the third year, students can join the exchange program at Handarbetets Vänner Skola in Sweden, participate in domestic and international competitions, and acquire skills to continue to create independently.
July 21, 2020
About the School 5
An eight-part series introducing the school in the present as we review the 47 years since its foundation.
The "Professional Course" is the basis of the school. Students deepen their skills each year by studying weaving and dyeing techniques and textile design, starting from the basics, with a goal of creating and working independently in the future. In the "Technical Studies Course," which is for experienced weavers, students decide on a theme and the duration, and create starting from researching weave structures and materials.
For people from outside Japan, we offer the "International Students Course" (held in spring and autumn) and "Workshops in English." For groups, we can organize workshops of different levels, from trial workshops to specialized workshops, according to your preferences.
In our "Workshops," students can acquire a particular technique in a short period of time (1-10 days). Students can learn techniques such as the basics of weaving, weave structures, tapestry weaving, spinning yarn, dyeing (natural and synthetic), and get inspiration from artists and researchers.
What kind of courses are there?
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| 1st year Professional Course students' final project (Kiyoka Ueyama) |
 |
| Technical Studies Course (Momoko Komada) |
The "Professional Course" is the basis of the school. Students deepen their skills each year by studying weaving and dyeing techniques and textile design, starting from the basics, with a goal of creating and working independently in the future. In the "Technical Studies Course," which is for experienced weavers, students decide on a theme and the duration, and create starting from researching weave structures and materials.
For people from outside Japan, we offer the "International Students Course" (held in spring and autumn) and "Workshops in English." For groups, we can organize workshops of different levels, from trial workshops to specialized workshops, according to your preferences.
In our "Workshops," students can acquire a particular technique in a short period of time (1-10 days). Students can learn techniques such as the basics of weaving, weave structures, tapestry weaving, spinning yarn, dyeing (natural and synthetic), and get inspiration from artists and researchers.
About the School Series 1/2/3/4
July 14, 2020
About the School 4
An eight-part series introducing the school in the present as we review the 47 years since its foundation.
The school is located in a peaceful, rural area, surrounded by mountains and beautiful nature. The change of the seasons can be sensed and experienced, birds can be heard singing, and families of deer sometimes appear.
Both the school and dormitory were designed by architect Shozo Uchii. Awarded with the Building Contractors Society Prize in 1975, the facilities are also valuable pieces of architecture. Mr. Uchii elaborately designed a building suitable for the school, taking the spirit of the school, and the situation of the land into consideration. "The search for the starting point of the relationship between people and objects, through weaving a piece of fabric" was the perspective the Atelier was designed from. The beams, which are usually set horizontally, are arched structures that are one with the wall, built across the space in a steady rhythm. The building is built along the slope of the foot of a mountain, respecting the connection to nature. Skylights and large glass windows bring in natural light, and views of green landscapes. Because of the space, warmly surrounded by nature and the architecture, students can concentrate on creating.
What is the environment like?
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| Architecture Model of Kawashima Textile School |
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| Atelier 1970s |
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| Deer (seen from the Atelier) |
Both the school and dormitory were designed by architect Shozo Uchii. Awarded with the Building Contractors Society Prize in 1975, the facilities are also valuable pieces of architecture. Mr. Uchii elaborately designed a building suitable for the school, taking the spirit of the school, and the situation of the land into consideration. "The search for the starting point of the relationship between people and objects, through weaving a piece of fabric" was the perspective the Atelier was designed from. The beams, which are usually set horizontally, are arched structures that are one with the wall, built across the space in a steady rhythm. The building is built along the slope of the foot of a mountain, respecting the connection to nature. Skylights and large glass windows bring in natural light, and views of green landscapes. Because of the space, warmly surrounded by nature and the architecture, students can concentrate on creating.
About the School Series 1/2/3
July 7, 2020
About the School 3
An eight-part series introducing the school in the present as we review the 47 years since its foundation.
The school is located in Ichihara (Sakyo Ward), in the northern part of Kyoto. It is an area in Kyoto City still rich with nature, and is adjacent to the head office of Kawashima Selkon Textiles Co., Ltd.
The area is blessed with rich water resources, and the amount required for dyeing can be obtained from the limpid streams of Kurama River. Due to additional factors such as clean air, and the possibility to acquire a vast piece of land, the head office was relocated from Nishijin and a new headquarters plant was founded in 1964. Kawashima Textile School exists as a place of education with its doors open to students from within and outside Japan, building a new flow of weaving techniques and culture, while staying in harmony with the land.
Kurama and Kibune, which are called the "okuzashiki (back room)" of Kyoto, are only a mountain away, and there are beautiful valleys, clear rivers, and a range of mountains. Approximately an hour away from Kyoto Station by public transportation, there are many opportunities to explore the history, traditions, and cultures of the ancient capital.
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Hannah Waldron is an artist and designer based in the UK. She studied in the Foundation Kasuri Course of spring 2019.
Where is the school located?
 |
| Drawing: Hannah Waldron |
The school is located in Ichihara (Sakyo Ward), in the northern part of Kyoto. It is an area in Kyoto City still rich with nature, and is adjacent to the head office of Kawashima Selkon Textiles Co., Ltd.
The area is blessed with rich water resources, and the amount required for dyeing can be obtained from the limpid streams of Kurama River. Due to additional factors such as clean air, and the possibility to acquire a vast piece of land, the head office was relocated from Nishijin and a new headquarters plant was founded in 1964. Kawashima Textile School exists as a place of education with its doors open to students from within and outside Japan, building a new flow of weaving techniques and culture, while staying in harmony with the land.
Kurama and Kibune, which are called the "okuzashiki (back room)" of Kyoto, are only a mountain away, and there are beautiful valleys, clear rivers, and a range of mountains. Approximately an hour away from Kyoto Station by public transportation, there are many opportunities to explore the history, traditions, and cultures of the ancient capital.
---
Hannah Waldron is an artist and designer based in the UK. She studied in the Foundation Kasuri Course of spring 2019.
About the School Series 1/2
June 30, 2020
About the School 2
An eight-part series introducing the school in the present as we review the 47 years since its foundation.
Kawashima Textile School is a school that teaches textiles, with handweaving as the main focus. For 47 years since its foundation, the school has been operating in its own unique style.
The school's strength is the informative, small group classes, centered on hands-on training. We value creating beautiful fabric based on solid technical skills and expression skills, with each student heightening their creativity using their own artistic sensitivity.
People of different ages motivated to learn weaving gather from all around the world.
What kind of school is it?
 |
| 1st year students' Tapestry Weaving class |
The school's strength is the informative, small group classes, centered on hands-on training. We value creating beautiful fabric based on solid technical skills and expression skills, with each student heightening their creativity using their own artistic sensitivity.
People of different ages motivated to learn weaving gather from all around the world.
About the School Series 1
June 23, 2020
About the School 1
We are starting a new series introducing Kawashima Textile School (KTS). We would like to introduce the school in the present as we review the 47 years since its foundation, starting with an eight-part "About the School" series, with topics such as how it began, the courses, and its contents.
Kawashima Textile School was founded in 1973 to commemorate the 130th anniversary of Kawashima Textile Manufacturers Ltd. (now Kawashima Selkon Textile Co., Ltd.). It was a time when values were shifting, with people reexamining their lives, and pursuing richness of heart and mind, under the economic circumstances of mass production and mass consumption.
We are surrounded by woven fabric in our daily lives, from interior fabrics such as curtains, general goods such as towels, to the clothing that we wear. With woven fabric, which exists so close to us, maybe we could build respectful relationships between our lives and objects, and also through woven fabric, connect internationally. That was the idea behind the founding of Kawashima Textile School.
How did the school start?
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| Entrance, 1973 |
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| Atelier, 1973 |
Kawashima Textile School was founded in 1973 to commemorate the 130th anniversary of Kawashima Textile Manufacturers Ltd. (now Kawashima Selkon Textile Co., Ltd.). It was a time when values were shifting, with people reexamining their lives, and pursuing richness of heart and mind, under the economic circumstances of mass production and mass consumption.
We are surrounded by woven fabric in our daily lives, from interior fabrics such as curtains, general goods such as towels, to the clothing that we wear. With woven fabric, which exists so close to us, maybe we could build respectful relationships between our lives and objects, and also through woven fabric, connect internationally. That was the idea behind the founding of Kawashima Textile School.
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