Nanbu Sakiori is a hand-weaving technique passed down mainly in Towada City, Aomori Prefecture, in which worn-out cotton cloth is torn into narrow strips to use as weft thread, woven together with hemp or cotton warp thread to create a reborn fabric. In the Edo period, cotton cloth was extremely precious in the cold Nanbu region, so worn-out cloth that could no longer be worn was torn into thread and rewoven into kimono fabric, kotatsu covers, and other items as a way to use every last scrap. After the Cannabis Control Act was enacted in 1948 (Showa 23), hemp cultivation for warp thread became impossible, and the technique nearly died out. In 1975 (Showa 50), Eiko Kanno, a native of Towada City, founded the Nanbu Sakiori Preservation Society and opened workshops, reviving the craft by rediscovering and spreading its techniques. This method of transforming worn-out cloth into new fabric without waste is now drawing renewed attention as a sustainable craft.
Origin
Nanbu Sakiori originated in the Edo period in the cold Nanbu region, where cotton was unsuited to cultivation and cotton cloth was extremely precious. Rather than discarding worn-out cloth, farming women tore it into narrow strips to use as weft thread and wove it together with hemp thread as warp, developing the wisdom of remaking it into sturdy kimono fabric, kotatsu covers, and aprons through their handwork.
History
The enactment of the Cannabis Control Act in 1948 (Showa 23) banned the cultivation of hemp used for warp thread, and Nanbu Sakiori faced a temporary decline. In 1975 (Showa 50), Eiko Kanno, a native of Towada City, traveled to study old sakiori techniques, founded the Nanbu Sakiori Preservation Society, and opened workshops, rediscovering the craft's techniques and passing them down to the present day.
Features
Its defining feature is that it is a regenerated textile using weft thread made from narrow strips of torn old cloth, giving each piece a one-of-a-kind texture since no two fabrics are alike. It has a sturdy, warm feel and was once used daily for work clothes and kotatsu covers. This method of reviving cloth that can no longer be worn into new fabric is drawing renewed attention at home and abroad as a sustainable craft.
Materials Used
Production Process
- 1
Tearing the cloth
Worn-out cotton cloth is torn into narrow strips to prepare the string-like torn fabric used as weft thread.
- 2
Weaving
Using a jibata (traditional low loom) or takabata (raised loom), the torn-cloth weft is woven into the hemp or cotton warp thread.
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Artisans & Workshops
南部裂織保存会
A preservation society founded in 1975 by Eiko Kanno. Based at the Takumi Kobo 'Nanbu Sakiori no Sato' workshop in Towada City, it continues to teach sakiori weaving on jibata looms and produce woven goods.
Official site →How to Buy
- 南部裂織 official shop
- The official online shop run by the Nanbu Sakiori Preservation Society. Table centers, coasters, and other items are available for around 1,815 to 4,400 yen.Where to buy →PR
Hands-on Experiences
匠工房「南部裂織の里」
青森県十和田市大字伝法寺字平窪37番21号（道の駅とわだぴあ内）
Using a jibata loom, visitors can weave a table center (20cm x 25cm) in about an hour. Costs around 2,500 yen; open to participants from 4th grade of elementary school and up (reservation required, Tue-Sun 10:00-15:00).
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