About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 7 | Hsiang Hsuan Chen

Working on Two Weaves, as a Tsuzure-Ori Craftsperson and Artist

The final part of the Tsuzure-Ori series is an interview with a graduate. Hsiang Hsuan Chen, who joined Kawashima Selkon Textiles Ltd. in April 2020, and works as a tsuzure-ori craftsperson as well as being an artist. We asked Hsiang Hsuan about what she is working on now, the difference between working on a piece by herself and working on a large stage curtain with others, what is interesting about it, and thoughts on her group tapestry project that she made as a student.

Hsiang Hsuan practicing tsuzure-ori

-Please tell us about what attracts you, and what you are learning about tsuzure-ori at work.

At the moment I am working on stage curtains, but the very first time I was fascinated by tsuzure-ori was when I visited the tsuzure-ori obi production site. When I looked at the craftsperson’s hands, they were pushing down a very fine weft thread with the tips of their fingernails, and I admired how they worked. In tsuzure, everything is fascinating, not just the finished textile, but from the original design to making the weft, weaving, finishing, and the tools.

At work, I am learning general skills related to making stage curtains, not only weaving. In the actual weaving, we practice tsuzure-ori techniques that we have learned through training, and weave a variety of things, from muji-ori (plain weave, in which there is no pattern and the weft travels across the entire width), to patterns. In tsuzure, the woven surface changes depending on the amount of pressure used by the fingernails. At first my weaving was uneven, but now I weave with the right amount of pressure in mind. Our eyes and body learn how to weave each shape through gaining experience, instead of weaving the patterns exactly from the cartoon. There is no textbook, so every day I first ask and learn from my seniors, and then apply those techniques in my work.

-How did you choose the path of being an artist while working as a tsuzure-ori craftsperson?

Actually, I hadn’t really thought about it in a complicated way. I had been thinking that I would be grateful if I could become involved deeply in traditional Japanese culture, so when the job listing came to KTS, I applied, thinking it was a good opportunity.

However, I don’t want to give up creating my own artwork, so even though working as a tsuzure-ori craftsperson is a full time job, I thought I should keep on creating as long as I had time outside of work. I don’t have the confidence to say that I am an artist, but I do have a strong sense of wanting to make the ideas that come to mind. That is how I chose the path I am on now.

mom, i’m fine 4/1/20-6/7/20 "Through the Coronavirus pandemic, I have realized that I exist every day, and felt that strongly.  This piece was made as a record of my changing feelings.” (shown in "Kyoto Art for Tomorrow 2021," Museum of Kyoto )

I imagine that weaving by yourself, and weaving a large stage curtain with several other people must feel different. Please tell us about the differences and what is interesting to you, as someone who also works as an artist.

There is freedom in making a piece by yourself, but you have to decide on everything on your own. Usually I would draw a rough design, and work toward a final design through experimenting with such things like materials. I can change it whenever I want to. When I am weaving, I can weave at my own pace. So I feel it’s fine if you can take the responsibility yourself.

On the other hand, stage curtains are produced through division of labor, and are woven by several people, based on rules. I am still new, so I shouldn’t weave based on my own assumptions. Since it’s not a piece that I designed myself, my goal is to weave as neatly and faithfully to the design as possible. For that I always have to keep in mind that I am “making products of Kawashima Selkon Textiles,” and take responsibility in making items for the customers.

Of course it is fun to make my own work, but I think weaving someone else’s design is surprisingly fun, too. Things or ideas that I don’t have feel like a challenge, and are an opportunity to learn.

-When you were a student at KTS, you worked on a tapestry as a group, and it is still displayed at a facility in Ichihara. It is an elaborate piece, incorporating realistic patterns of the plum tree and expressing the light shining through the branches, and I think it shows the power of the original design, which made the best use of expressing with weaving. Upon making the piece, you drew the original design, and worked on the weaving. I think that right now you are learning many rules for weaving a stage curtain as a job, but when you look back, do you think that there were challenges you could take on because you were a student, or unconventional ideas that were born precisely because you didn’t know the rules?

Yes. I first thought of making an abstract piece, but the people at the facility wanted something more realistic, so we went to observe plum trees, and took many photos. The blossoms on the plum tree that we researched then had not bloomed yet, but on the contrary, I felt a tremendous power from it. How to express the vitality of the plum tree through the tapestry, and how to convey it to people was a challenge.

Because we were still beginners in weaving, it was quite difficult to make a design from the perspective of weaving, but I think we just tried to create the design from what we felt. For example, we emphasized the uniqueness of the trunk in the sunlight, and the vibrance of the sprouts. We had a naive idea, "Once it’s drawn, we will somehow be able to weave it," leaving the reality of if it could be done, and how to weave it, to the side.

I thought it would be uninteresting if it was too realistic, so upon choosing the color for the weft, I chose colors that were in between the real and the imaginative world. As our work progressed, it was especially difficult to express the shades and light of the trunk with weaving. It was also difficult to weave the thin shoots.

-Upon seeing the finished tapestry, the people at the facility said, “I felt a very powerful sense of life. I think that this piece supports the meaning to live, and also shows us the preciousness of life.”

輝樹 (2019)

(First Year Students' Group Tapestry Project)

-At work, are there times when you feel that you are glad to have had the foundation that you learned at the school? If so, could you elaborate on that?

I was able to gain some knowledge about textiles at school, so it was easy to understand when my seniors at work explained techniques and weaving structures. Also, when I do technical work, I'm somewhat used to it, so I think it was a good experience. However, just because you studied it, you shouldn't work based on your own beliefs. Weaving has different terms and techniques depending on the place and people, so it is important to understand what you have been taught without preconceptions.

You can follow Hsiang Hsuan on instagram at @shung_shouko

You can read about how Hsiang Hsuan came to study at KTS in our article from 2020, “About the School: Internationality 8 | Interviews with Graduates -A Connection Across Generations, Learning Japanese and Studying Abroad Long-Term- Hsiang Hsuan Chen.”

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About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 6 | Voices From Members of an Overseas Group -Jenny Gillis

Creating a Little Bit of KTS in Her Studio

At Kawashima Textile School (KTS) where there is a foundation of traditional tsuzure-ori, we arrange tsuzure-ori workshops for groups from overseas. KTS's tsuzure-ori workshop, which is part of a weaving retreat tour organized by textile artist Natalie Miller, has been held continuously since 2016, and is always filled with the enthusiasm of the weavers.

In Part 6, We will bring you another interview with one of the participants. Jenny Gillis, who lives in Australia and works for the state government, while creating a life with handweaving.

"At work on my weave in 2019"

-Could you tell us about your weaving background, and what made you interested in joining a workshop at KTS and to come back?

I have been following Natalie Miller’s Instagram for a number of years. I really loved her work but had never met her and in 2016 I saw a number of photos of a trip to Japan and I was very interested and registered my interest in a future trip to Japan. At the time I was not a tapestry weaver – I am an Australian Aboriginal and my grandmothers and ancestors were known for their weaving using natural grasses, bark and leaves to help them with their everyday life. I had learnt this type of weaving but wanted to learn more about tapestry style weaving. I have also travelled to Japan a number of times for work and leisure and thought this would be a way to combine my interest in weaving and Japan.

In late 2017 Natalie contacted me to see if I was interested in joining her on the first tsuzure-ori weaving course at KTS and I signed up straight away. That first year was a year of many firsts for me – learning about tsuzure-ori, learning to weave on a loom, getting to know the team at KTS, Natalie, Tasneem and the other ladies who were part of the group. I felt a very strong connection to KTS and the people there and loved every minute. Some nights the caretaker even had to tell us it was time to leave – we loved working on our weaves so much. I’ve now returned to KTS three times and was to return last December – I’ve really missed it last year as I love immersing myself in the KTS and Japanese way of life there, catching up with Natalie, Tasneem and finding out what everyone has been up to and planning to weave. The team at KTS under the guidance of Mari-san are always there to help us and I am truly thankful for every visit and the assistance they have given all of us.

"A little bit of KTS and Clouds (2019) in my studio"

-What do you remember most about Kondo-sensei’s way of teaching?

Kondo-sensei is a master and I have learnt so much from him and feel very lucky to have been taught by him and develop my work. He is always in the atelier with us and available for questions and ideas for our weaving projects. He is encouraging, even with my first few wobbly goes at weaving. Sometimes when we forget to follow the technique, he is there to remind us how to do it the right way.

Over time I have been trying to learn Japanese and I know Kondo-sensei understands us more too. It has also been great to meet and work with an interpreter, Harumi-san who has been a wonderful addition to the team.

-How has your experience at KTS influenced you?

KTS has been a major influence on my work. I didn’t know how to do tsuzure-ori or any kind of tapestry weaving and now it is a passion of mine. I weave as often as I can and during the past year during COVID I have continued to weave and even completed an online rug weaving course and use many of the techniques I learnt from Kondo-sensei. I still refer back to the original samples I wove and have used all of the techniques in my weaves. I’ve also created a little bit of KTS in my home studio with tools and wool I purchased there – it makes me feel close to KTS. I look forward to being able to weave again at KTS – I have lots of ideas and can’t wait to return.

"Inspired by KTS"

You can follow Jenny on instagram at @making.it

About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 1/2/3/4/5

About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 5 | Voices From Members of an Overseas Group -Tasneem Tyebkhan

An Enchanting Place, KTS’s Atelier is Like a Tapestry

Tsuzure-ori is a weaving technique that is popular around the world, known as "tapestry weaving." Kawashima Textile School (KTS) can hold Tsuzure-ori workshops with an interpreter for groups from overseas, set according to the participants’ level or experience. The workshops have been well received as a special experience, as students are able to design and prepare a cartoon, and weave their own unique tapestry on a Nishijin-style loom.

In Parts 5 and 6 of the Tsuzure-Ori series, we share interviews with two students who have been participating in the Tsuzure-ori workshop every year through the weaving retreat organized by textile artist Natalie Miller, and ask about how they came to take part, and what left an impression on them at KTS. Part 5 is an interview with Tasneem Tyebkhan, who lives in Hong Kong and works as an interior designer.

Ever since I majored in Interior Architecture at Rhode Island School of Design, I have always had an interest in textiles due to the richness and depth that it presents. I am fascinated how textiles can be made part of an object and how it can be formalized into a third dimension. My journey into textiles was rekindled with my attending two workshops by Natalie Miller. This brought back my desire to pursue my interest in this discipline after many years. With Natalie, I learned how to weave on a hand loom using various types of yarns such as wool, cotton, and mohair, in different thicknesses and weights. I was able to explore free weaving of organic lines in a balanced composition of colours and textures.

My mother’s love of Sogetsu Ikebana, followed by my education in design, greatly influenced my deep appreciation and love of Japanese works in architecture and furniture. I have always been in awe of the mastery of balance, composition, timelessness and quietness in Japanese works. When Natalie organized the first workshop to Kawashima Textile School (KTS), I leapt at the opportunity to attend. I was able to visit Japan as a student to learn the Japanese way and to experience Japanese culture first hand. I am truly honoured, humbled and most appreciative to have had the opportunity to learn the Japanese technique of Tsuzure weaving, and with it, patience, attention to detail and creation of balance and harmony.

Rocks 2: Deep Water Bay, HK. (2019)

I visited KTS for three consecutive years in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Each trip, the short but intense training I received from Kondo-sensei of learning how to focus on a single weaving technique before moving on to something new was an invaluable lesson to me. He taught how to create depth and texture, while also imparting knowledge of composition. Kondo-sensei has taught me patience, to stop, to be careful, to look at something, to take time and to notice details, all of which are important disciplines.

KTS is truly an enchanting place. In addition to the unique training from Kondo-sensei, the ambience of the studio filled with large wooden looms evokes a sense of structure and stability, which is comparable to how a tapestry is formed. The architecture of the school’s buildings, the surrounding quaint village, and the dense blanket of pine trees all add to the charm that drew me back to the school year after year. I greatly missed spending time at KTS in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I yearn to return in 2021 to continue my journey at this most mesmerizing place, and to further my learning under the masters of Japanese weaving.

Rocks 1: Kyoto, Japan. (2018)

You can follow Tasneem on instagram at @tasneem_tyebkhan

About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 1/2/3/4

About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 4 | Voices From Members of an Overseas Group -Textile Artist Natalie Miller

Visiting KTS Every Year With Passionate Weaving Friends, Falling in Love With the Location

There is a group of artists who continue to visit from overseas, who say they are inspired by, and find value in the space to immerse themselves in weaving in the environment of the Rakuhoku area, filled with nature, and the experience of weaving on traditional Nishijin-style tsuzure looms. They are Natalie Miller, an Australia-based textile artist who works on a global scale, and the members of her group.

Over three weeks starting from Part 4 of the Tsuzure-Ori series, we will be sharing interviews with Natalie and two members of the group who have been participating since the very beginning, on how they came to participate in the workshop, and what left an impression on them at KTS. We start with an interview with Natalie.

-Could you tell us about your weaving background, and what made you interested in organizing a workshop at KTS and to come back?

I am an Architect and textile artist. I have been tapestry weaving for many years in Australia. I teach tapestry weaving and also host weaving retreats around the world where weaving is a large part of the culture. I had organized a weaving retreat in Koh Samui in Thailand where one of the students, Aroonprapai (Prang) Rojanachotikul, had studied weaving at Kawashima Textile school. Prang spoke very highly of the school, and I was very intrigued and knew I had to visit.

So I organized a visit to KTS 6 years ago and was blown away by how incredible it is. All the large tapestry weavings that hung on the walls, the weavings that are in process, the looms, the wool, the colours, the dyeing studio, and not to mention the tapestry factory, it was amazing. I knew I had to share this place with fellow weavers as they would fall in love with it as I did. The first year I organized a trip to KTS and it involved a dyeing experience with the master dyer at KTS. The years to follow, the trips involved dyeing and a week of tapestry weaving. The group I bring are all very passionate about weaving and we are fully emerged in the process. We would spend 6 days weaving sometimes 14 hour days at the beautiful handmade looms creating a highly detailed and intricate weave.

-What do you remember most about Kondo-sensei’s way of teaching?

Kondo-sensei is a talented weaver and has great knowledge of tsuzure weaving and also many types of weaving. His passion of weaving (tsuzure-ori) obi is demonstrated in his intricate woven detail in his works. He has an incredible knowledge of design and detail and taught us many techniques. He is kind and very patient with the students. We were provided with an incredible translator. The translation process is smooth and Kondo-sensei demonstrates all his techniques and visually explains his process which helps immensely to understand the process.

-How has your experience at KTS influenced you?

Every December for the last 4 years I have spent time weaving at KTS, something I very much look forward to each year. Unfortunately, Covid cancelled 2020 and may even stop us from weaving at KTS in 2021. However I’m very much looking forward to spending time again at KTS in the future, as it is just such a wonderful experience. The weaving school is surrounded by the hills of Kyoto and beautiful temples. Snow in the winter, and a local Onsen amongst the Japanese trees. Kondo- sensei has taught me some wonderful techniques that I now use in my everyday practice. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and time spent at KTS in Kyoto, Japan, and the warmth and passion of the staff at KTS make it a truly wonderful experience.

the flowers of the sun (2019)

You can visit Natalie's website Natalie Miller or follow her on instagram at @natalie_miller_design

About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 1/2/3

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

About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 2 | Interview with Tsuzure-Ori Teacher Hirokazu Kondo

Succession -Searching For a Landing Point That Is Just Right

The second part of the Kawashima Textile School (KTS) Tsuzure-Ori series is an interview with Hirokazu Kondo, who specializes in tsuzure-ori. We talked about his encounter with KTS, with succession in mind, his days as a student devoting himself to weaving tsuzure-ori obi, his internship at Kawashima Selkon Textiles, his attitude toward teaching tsuzure-ori, and thoughts on weaving now.

With a student who just finished weaving the group tapestry project. 
“The moment you take a piece off the loom, you can feel the texture, such as the weight and softness in your hands. I feel the reality of what has been accumulated while facing the threads take shape, and am filled with joy and relief, thinking, “you did it,” “you finished it.” Even though I am thinking about all the steps towards finishing the piece, for the time being, I feel like congratulating the students.”

◆ “Feeling a spark” upon seeing a tsuzure-ori obi at a critique

His family runs a kimono store. Kondo-sensei says that the path of succeeding the family business came into view shortly before graduating from high school, when he thought about his future. His grandfather opened the store in Aichi prefecture. He says that the feeling of "wanting to continue the store if possible," grew naturally as he watched his family members continue to run the store, in a town where wearing kimono is not a part of daily life. He came to KTS upon seeing an advertisement in a kimono magazine. The Professional Course for 2006 was already full, so he entered after waiting a year, while taking a drawing class.

He became drawn to tsuzure-ori in a critique in his first year. He "felt a spark" when he saw a tsuzure-ori obi made by a senior. He had made a tsuzure-ori tapestry in class, but felt a special attraction to the delicacy and beauty of the tsuzure-ori obi. He remembered that Kawashima Selkon Textiles, which founded KTS, also specialized in tsuzure-ori. He found the significance of studying tsuzure-ori at the school, proceeded to the second year, and set his mind to weaving tsuzure-ori obi.

◆ The rhythm of moving the hands and feet are different

In the second year, he practiced tsuzure-ori techniques such as muji-ori (plain weave, in which there is no pattern and the weft travels across the entire width) which is said to be “difficult,” worked on his own pieces, familiarizing himself with the sense of his hands when weaving fine tsuzure-ori, and in the third year, experienced an internship in the Production Department’s Tsuzure Office at Kawashima Selkon Textiles. “At the production site, people act with productivity as well as quality in mind. I learned from seeing the efficient ’actions,’ such as how precise the ratio was when weaving a circle, how the craftspeople’s hands and legs moved differently whether they were weaving the ground or pattern, tips for weaving in the weft neatly, and getting advice from the craftspeople there.” The tempo of weaving with an accurate and constant rhythm, is unique to the production site. “The sound of weaving is also characteristic, so for tsuzure-obi, the rhythm for beating is ‘throw, beat, throw, beat,‘ and you beat only once, so the sound is stronger and louder.“ He then incorporated the skills he learned through physical experience into his work at the school.

He studied for another year, and went on an internship again. This time, he learned how to create designs, from an in-house designer at the Traditional Fashion and Accessories Development Group, and trained to draw smooth lines suited for each motif. At the same time, at school he wove a marble pattern that he designed himself, in a tsuzure-obi, and deepened his own expression skills.

marbling circle (2010)

“A tsuzure Nagoya-obi is in a rank where it can be styled with a Houmongi (visiting kimono) or Iromuji (single-colored kimono), but on the other hand, can be hard to style with a more casual kimono, so I designed this while paying attention to the balance of such things as the colors.”

◆ A landing point that is just right, to preserve weaving

Four years of devoting himself to tsuzure-ori. When he graduated in 2011, KTS was approaching the time of succession to a younger generation. He became a full-time teacher, hired in recognition of his skills and attitude pursuing tsuzure-ori. He has been in charge of tsuzure-ori classes in general, including the Professional Course, workshops, and workshops for overseas groups. In 2012, he was involved in the restoration of the "Chōjū Monyō Jinbaori [bird and beast pattern battle surcoat]" (Important Cultural Property), which is said to have been used by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598), and was responsible for weaving the base using a technique called "shokusei," which is a type of tsuzure-ori.

What he keeps in mind when teaching is “That there is an accumulation of history, as Tsuzure-ori is a traditional skill of Kawashima Textiles, and has been taught from the opening of the school. To be aware of passing on the skills that have been inherited, and to teach the basics correctly.” He also has these thoughts. “I have only been a teacher for 10 years. Even as a weaver, learning never ends. In the traditional world, it is said that it takes many years to become full-fledged. But for those who want to take their first step, emphasizing the time it takes raises the bar, and could limit the scope, and I feel that would be a shame. When I look at the students, I see that they have ideas that come to them precisely because they don’t know weaving very deeply, and that they have fresh eyes that can take away fixed ideas, which some can easily get caught up with. If there is something they want to do, I want to help them with my knowledge, and support them to take on the challenge. In addition to that, the students from the overseas workshop group often use freestyle methods, even though it is the same tsuzure, and I feel their tsuzure-ori is for enjoying weaving. Their taste in colors and designs are very free, which inspires me, too.

"My feelings about preserving weaving grew stronger through my time teaching at KTS. I feel that way looking at my family, the school, and the textile industry. I want to convey the goodness of things that are made with time and care, and I want many people to take on weaving. What can I do for that to happen? As a teacher I want to respect the tradition, and at the same time broaden the scope and become an opportunity to ask, or start, without reserve. Every day I am searching for a landing point that is just right." says Kondo sensei.

"I chose a marble pattern because the naturally occurring lines are beautiful. I actually made a number of marble patterns, floating pigments on water and transferring them onto paper, and repeated trial dyeing and weaving."

-What does weaving mean to you?
"To straighten up*"

"When I sit at the loom, I feel the need to straighten up. If my heart is not at peace, I cannot face weaving, so I need to prepare myself. When I concentrate, I can immerse myself in a state of nothingness, which is also similar to how I feel when I am weeding (laughs). In both cases, I enjoy the time being immersed in it and just moving my hands. The reality is that it is difficult to make time for such things in our modern, busy, daily lives. That is why that time means so much to me."

*Eri wo tadasu = straighten one’s collar. An idiom derived from an account in Shiji, or Records of the Grand Historian

About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 1

About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 1 | What Makes the Tsuzure-Ori (Tapestry Weaving) at KTS Special?

This is the Tsuzure-Ori (tapestry weaving) segment of a series introducing Kawashima Textile School (KTS). In this segment we will introduce what the school's tsuzure-ori is today, through looking at the foundation of the school's tsuzure-ori, an interview with the teacher, voices from workshop participants from overseas, and an interview with a graduate who now works as a tsuzure-ori craftsperson. Part 1 is about the tsuzure-ori at KTS.

Tsuzure-ori is a weaving technique that is popular around the world, known as "tapestry weaving." In Japan, it is called "tsuzure-ori," and has evolved in a unique way in the Nishijin district of Kyoto, through production of obi, kimono accessories, and in later years, stage curtains. Tsuzure-ori is a traditional weaving technique which the founder of the school, Kawashima Textile Manufacturers Ltd. (now Kawashima Selkon Textiles Co.,Ltd.), specializes in, and is also one of the pillars of the school.

Underlying that is the depth of the history of tsuzure-ori that started at Kawashima Textiles Manufacturers. Back in the 19th century, second generation president Jimbei Kawashima II traveled to Europe and stayed at Manufacture des Gobelins (The Gobelins Manufactory) for several days. He noticed that the techniques used in weaving Gobelin tapestries were the same as those used in Japanese tsuzure-ori, and was inspired, with the idea that great results could be achieved by making the most of delicate Japanese handwork. By realizing the true value of tsuzure-ori, he improved the manufacturing method and designs, and in addition to obi, expanded the tsuzure-ori product line with interior decoration fabric and stage curtains, devised a unique gradation technique, developing tsuzure-ori into delicate and artistic textiles.

Those traditional skills of tsuzure-ori have been passed on to the school. Ikuo Takamuki, who had taught over 20 years since the opening of KTS (1973), had been a tsuzure-ori craftsperson at Kawashima Textile Manufacturers. The textbook he created to "accumulate techniques" and "share the information that had been handed down" are still incorporated in the classes today. In addition to such traditional skills, at the school, each student's artistic expression is valued, and the fact that they can create their work from both perspectives is a characteristic of the tsuzure-ori at KTS.

The weaving sample and explanatory drawing of the cartoon (the design placed underneath the warp for the weaver to use as a guide) that Takamuki-sensei designed and made for his classes. The fact that it covers the basics, and that students can learn the techniques step by step in this one piece, is why it has been handed down with care as teaching material, and is still made use of in classes today, after more than 40 years.

In the tsuzure-ori classes in the Professional Course, students can learn systematically, starting from basic techniques, to preparing cartoons and acquiring picturesque weaving skills through their individual project, to a group project creating a tapestry for daycare centers and elderly care facilities. Workshops are held regularly. There is a beginners’ course in which students make a frame loom and weave small tapestry pieces on it, and a basic course using a Nishijin tapestry loom. There are also workshops with an interpreter, for groups from overseas, organized according to skill levels and experience. The contents of hand weaving taught at the school has changed in various ways according to the times, but even so, the basics of tsuzure-ori has continued to be taught without interruption. Even the looms, which are special tsuzure-ori looms used by the Nishijin craftspeople, have continued to be used.

Additionally, what is the feature of making artwork at the school, which differs from making products at the company? It is to have the opportunity to expand one’s potential, by using the space, and time, to take on challenges. The degree of freedom and profoundness of tsuzure-ori becomes visible precisely because one develops their expression ability on a foundation of solid skills, and is still popular among students today. There is a group of artists who continue to visit from overseas, who say they are inspired by, and find value in the time and space to immerse themselves in weaving at KTS in Kyoto, and the experience of weaving on traditional Nishijin-style tsuzure looms.

The depth of tradition and the space to take on challenges. Wide, and profound. The fact that the school has a solid foundation, on which students can realize that about tsuzure-ori, is what makes the tsuzure-ori at KTS special.

"A large tsuzure loom in the Meiji era (1868-1912), which made large pieces possible. This was improved and devised by Jimbei Kawashima II, who was inspired by Gobelin weave. (Sugimoto 116)"
Jimbei Kawashima II toured silk weaving factories in Lyon, France, and stayed at Manufacture des Gobelins (The Gobelins Manufactory) in Paris, for several days. There, he noticed that the techniques used in Gobelin weave, such as how the weft was woven in so as to hide the warp, how the weft yarn would be turned back in the opposite direction without passing the whole width of the warp following the cartoon to create a pattern, was the same as Japanese tsuzure-ori.

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Works Cited
Takamuki, Ikuo. 「綴織あれこれ」『SHUTTLE かよい杼染織技法の公開』 [Notes on Tsuzure-Ori] [SHUTTLE Kayoi-Hi Sharing Dyeing and Weaving Techniques]. Kawashima Shuttle Club, 1987. pp60-73
Sugimoto, Masatoshi. 「錬技抄」川島織物一四五年史 [Rengishō Kawashima Textile Manufacturers 145 Year History]. Kawashima Textile Manufacturers Ltd., 1989. pp103-14, 116
Topic Column, LETTER FROM KAWASHIMA TEXTILE SCHOOL No. 34 July-August 1993. Kawashima Textile School, 1993.