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Yuki-Tsumugi, Silk Fabric Production Technique


Language: English

Yuki-tsumugi is a Japanese silk-weaving technique found principally in Yuki City and Oyama City, along the Kinu River, north of Tokyo. The region boasts a warm climate and fertile lands, which are ideal for the growth of mulberry trees and sericulture. The Yuki-tsumugi technique is employed to produce pongee silk (also called raw silk) - a light and warm material with a characteristic stiffness and softness, traditionally used to make kimonos. Production of the material includes several stages: silk floss is spun into yarn by hand, with patterns added by hand-tying bundles of yarn before dyeing the yarn with indigo, then the silk is woven using a back-tension loom. The silk floss for the yarn in Yuki-tsumugi weaving is produced from empty or deformed silkworm cocoons, otherwise unusable for the production of silk yarn. This recycling process plays a significant role in supporting local sericulture communities. The traditional techniques to produce Yuki-tsumugi are transmitted by members of the Association for the Preservation of Honba Yuki-tsumugi Weaving Technique. This association is directly engaged in maintaining traditions of spinning, dyeing and weaving, passed down from generation to generation within the community. It promotes transmission of Yuki-tsumugi through exchange of skills, training of young weavers, and practical demonstrations.


on this subject: Nomination file/ Dossier de candidature (culture.unesco.org)


Topics and Tags
Place/region: Japan, Asia and the Pacific
Series: Inscriptions on the Intangible Heritage Lists
Type: Documentary
Duration:
Production and personalities:
Director: Naoya Iwasaki-Naoya Iwasaki
Published in:
Rights: Ibaraki Video Pack
 

Original: DVD
Location: EV only
UMVS reference: AVFONDS-CLTITH-2010-0040600003
Source ref.: DOC:0040600003 - CAND:00406
Rights holder: UNESCO ; Ibaraki Video Pack