Nabeshima Dantsu (Nabeshima carpet)

Nabeshima Dantsu is Japan's oldest cotton dantsu (hand-woven rug), originating in Ōgimachi village, Kase district, on the outskirts of the Saga castle town. It is said to have begun during the Genroku era of the Edo period (1688-1704), when a farmer named Koga Seiemon learned the art of dantsu weaving from a Chinese craftsman in Nagasaki and wove the first pieces as 'Ōgimachi mosen.' Although the technique is believed to have traveled from Central Asia through Turkey and China before reaching Japan, Nabeshima Dantsu differs from overseas dantsu, which typically use wool, in that it uses high-quality cotton—such as that produced in Shiroishi, Saga Prefecture—for both the warp and the weft. When Nabeshima Tsunashige, the third lord of Saga Domain, took a liking to its reputation, he granted the weaver a stipend of rice and placed it under the domain's protection, making it an official product of the domain; sale to the general public was forbidden for a long time as a result. General sale began in the Meiji era, and it was even exhibited at the 1873 Vienna World's Fair. Today it is still handed down as a precious craft, woven piece by piece with care by artisans using hand looms that remain unchanged for centuries.