Showa-mura Karamushi Weaving
Tucked away in the mountains of Aizu, the small village of Showa-mura
is making efforts to preserve a traditional craft, possibly the last of
it's kind in Japan - the weaving of 'karamushi' garments. (Karamushi is
a plant in the hemp family)
In the past, the inhabitants of Showa-mura would carry bundles of karamushi
over the mountains to Niigata, where it commanded a high price. Karamushi
products have the advantage of being light and breathable, and for this
reason were highly valued among the wealthy. In the past, a famous karamushi
craftsman and his wife were even invited by the Russian government to
teach the art of karamushi weaving. These days, with the creation of synthetic
clothing materials, the demand for karamushi has fallen considerably,
but the residents of Showa-mura are working hard to preserve this tradition.
The karamushi plants are planted in the spring, harvested and dried in
the autumn. Over the long, cold winter, the people of Showa-mura stay
indoors, separating the karamushi fibres one by one with their fingernails.
The karamushi is then laid out on the snow to shrink and tighten the fibres,
before it is woven using a special loom. The woven fibres are then fashioned
into garments. It takes a year in total from raising the plants until
the finished product can be produced, but the residents of Showa-mura
carry out this ritual year after year. While much of the population is
elderly, efforts are being made to pass on these traditional skills to
the younger generation.
So if you're passing by Showa-mura, stop and take a look at the Karamushi
Museum. You can see the effort and dedication the villagers put into their
throughout the year, and even try on a kimono made from karamushi. A range
of garments is also sold on site, and a karamushi kimono can cost in the
range of 1 million yen! (Though for the painstaking work that goes into
the process it's almost understandable)
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