Interviews

Makita Shoten: Woven Umbrellas from Yamanashi

We visited Makita Shoten in Yamanashi, a textile house founded in 1866, to see how it weaves jacquard fabric and turns it into umbrellas with the help of its whole weaving region.

Takaokaya: The Art of Relaxing, from a Kyoto Futon Maker

We visited Takaokaya, a Kyoto futon maker founded in 1919, to learn how its craftsmen turned their skills to the art of relaxing, and the secrets of the Ojami cushion.

sufuto: Tsuzure Weaving, Woven with the Fingernails

We visited Kiyohara Orimono in Shiga, the Nishijin weaving house behind sufuto, to learn about tsuzure weaving and the extraordinary fingernail technique of tsume-kaki.

Beret is flamingo: Pure Wool Berets from Kumamoto

We visited the Kumamoto factory of Beret is flamingo, Japan's leading beret maker, to follow the many hands and steps that go into a single 100% wool beret.

SHINTO TOWEL: The Ultimate Towel from Senshu, Osaka

We visited Shinto Towel in Senshu, Osaka, the birthplace of Japanese towels, to learn how a 1907 towel mill created its own brand and three "ultimate" towels.

hirali: The Rare Art of Roller-Printed Tenugui

We visited Takeno Senko in Sakai, Osaka, the maker behind hirali, to learn how its craftsmen reinvented roller printing to dye tenugui in a different color on each side.

Kyo Wazarashi Mensha: Gauze for Restful Sleep, from Kyoto

Kyo Wazarashi Mensha, from a Kyoto bedding maker founded in 1925, makes multi-layer gauze bleached by the slow, chemical-free wazarashi method for truly restful sleep.

Kasamori: Triple O, Jewelry Made Only of Thread

We visited Kasamori, an embroidery company founded in 1877 in Kiryu, Gunma, to learn how its brand 000 (Triple O) makes feather-light accessories from thread alone.

Kamezaki Senko: Hand-Dyed Fishing Flags from Kagoshima

We visited Kamezaki Senko, a dye works founded in 1869 in Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima, to learn how its fifth-generation dyer keeps hand-dyed fishing flags alive in a changing world.

JIKAN STYLE: Hand-Dyed Tenugui from Sakai, Osaka

We visited Sakai, Osaka, to see how JIKAN STYLE tenugui are hand-dyed using chusen, a pouring technique that colors both sides of the cloth, and to hear the story behind the brand's playful seasona...