Last week, I went to Nishiwaki for a meeting about a new fabric.

 

Every time I enter the factory, it always strikes me anew that even with all the changes in the world, the actual work on the factory floor remains completely unchanged.

 

With the recent boom in "local production areas," phrases like "sparing no effort or time..." are commonplace.

 

But seeing is believing.

When you actually witness it, you're constantly thinking, "Wow, is all of this done by hand?!"

 

When you hear "making fabric," the process you imagine is probably something like:

 

[Dyeing yarn] → [Weaving] = Done!

 

Isn't it? It seems like it could be finished in about five days if you put your heart into it.

 

In reality, it takes a month and a half.

 

My writing skills are nowhere near enough to fully describe it all, but... before Banshu-ori fabric is completed, it passes through at least four factories:

Dyeing factory → Sizing → Weaving mill → Finishing/Processing factory

 

And in all of those, I want to convey that there are SO MANY intricate steps!!!!!!!

For example, the initial yarn dyeing process.

 

The raw yarn that is sourced is wound very tightly, so it can't just be dipped in dye as is.

 

There's a process (soft winding) where the yarn is re-wound loosely onto a special cylinder, creating gaps so that the dye can properly penetrate to the core.

Whether it's wool, cotton, or linen,

whether it's thick or thin.

 

To wind it softly with minimal stress on the yarn, the knack and tension for each type of yarn are crucial.

 

It's no exaggeration to say that this step determines whether the dyeing will turn out beautifully.

 

This process is carried out by the intuition of experienced older women, also known as skilled craftsmanship.

This is just the very first step, the beginning of yarn dyeing.

Imagine a continuous series of such processes from here on.

 

Like other production areas, Nishiwaki faces a serious problem of successor shortage,

and it is barely sustained by the individual skills of these people.

 

In other words,

When these older women retire, the quality will decline.

 

It's an obvious fact, yet when I'm in Tokyo, I tend to forget it.

That's no good.

...I think about this reflection every time I go on a business trip.

 

Since I don't seem to be growing much, I decided to record it in a blog this time.

See ya~