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Kasuri is a weaving technique where pre-dyed yarn is used to create patterns in the warp or weft threads, or both. This technique, also known as ikat, is said to have originated in India and spread throughout the world, coming to Japan through Okinawa. Kurume Kasuri was invented around the year 1800 by a young girl named Den Inoue, a weaver from the former Kurume feudal domain (what is now an area in southern Fukuoka Prefecture that contains towns such as Hirokawa, Chikugo, and Yame). Though there used to be over 300 Kurume Kasuri weavers, today less than 20 remain. These makers employ a wide range of techniques, from traditional hand weaving and indigo dyeing, to production that uses power shuttle looms — this diversity in production a defining characteristic of the modern Kurume Kasuri craft.

Even amongst the small number of Kurume Kasuri weavers operating today, Ikeda Kasuri Kobo has been carrying on the tradition of indigo-dyed, hand-woven kasuri for over 100 years. The workshop possesses a high level of technical prowess, with some members being highly skilled craftspeople who’ve met the strict requirements needed to create Kurume Kasuri important intangible cultural properties. At the same time, the workshop has also made efforts to pass on tradition in new ways, such as opening a gallery shop in 2017 and renovating its premises to include an open, glass-walled workshop so that visitors can also learn about Kurume Kasuri production.

In this program, complete the Kurume Kasuri production process, which usually takes about three months, all in one day. First transfer a design from paper onto yarn, and then hand-tie the thread in areas where the pattern will be made. After dyeing the yarn in indigo and thoroughly drying it, untie the parts that were wrapped before. After a lunch break, separate the kasuri threads and prepare them for weaving. Using a tabletop loom for this hands-on experience, thread weft yarn with the kasuri yarn to create a coaster. If all goes well, the pattern on the completed coaster will match the initial paper design.
※Please note that as the production process has been shortened for this experience, the weaving width, thread thickness, and degree of completion of the final textile will differ from that of usual Kurume Kasuri.

Creating Kurume Kasuri is an extremely time-consuming process that usually requires 30 different steps. In this program, experience each part of the Kurume Kasuri production process from start to finish, including the classic indigo dyeing and weaving processes, but also rarer ones such as tying and untying kasuri yarn. Try your hand at all the major processes that go into making Kurume Kasuri, and learn the principles and structures that underlie textiles’ patterns. Through this hands-on one-day experience, you’ll be able to understand why it usually takes three months to fully weave Kurume Kasuri.