Handcrafted Island Silk: Kumejima Tsumugi

Beautiful Silk Crafts, Produced Sustainably on Kumejima for More than 500 Years.

Through the traditional craft of Kumejima Tsumugi, you will experience the eternal flow of time in the Ryukyu Kingdom, which has been passed down from ancient times to the present day.

Kumejima Tsumugi is a type of silk pongee fabric typically used to make kimono and other types of silk garments. The silk is made using traditional techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation since the Ryukyu Period, more than 500 years ago. In Kumejima, every step of the silk production process, from ancient techniques of sericulture, to thread making, dyeing, pattern design, and hand-weaving, is still carried out by hand. All materials are natural, and most are sustainably sourced directly on the island. Natural dyes made from mud, trees, and plants give Kumejima Tsumugi a full color palette of bold and mellow hues, to suit anyone from the casual wearer to the kimono expert.

Kumejima Tsumugi was designated as a National Important Intangible Cultural Property in February 2004 for its intricate, manual weaving process.

Kumejima Tsumugi was designated as a National Important Intangible Cultural Property in February 2004 for its intricate, manual weaving process. Locals celebrate the anniversary of this honor every year with a "Tsumugi Fair," featuring discounts on Kumejima Tsumugi products, and opportunities to participate in weaving workshops, kimono fittings, and more.

At "Kumejima Tsumugi no Sato, Yuimaru-kan," visitors can learn about the history of Kumejima Tsumugi, shop for traditional crafts, and try weaving coasters and dyeing with plants and trees. You will have a valuable experience where you can receive hands-on experience from a craftsperson who is directly involved in the weaving process at the workshop where Kumejima Tsumugi is made.

What is "Tsumugi"?

"Tsumugi" (紬） is a term used to describe a type of plain weave silk pongee fabric often used to make garments such as kimonos. Regions throughout Japan such as Yuki City in Ibaraki (結城紬）and Amami-Oshima in Okinawa (大島紬) produce their own distinctive Tsumugi fabrics according to traditional methods. Common features include the use of local plants as natural pigments, thread spun by hand from silkworm cocoons, and intricate resist dyeing techniques known as "kasuri." Kumejima Tsumugi's distinctive features include its broad range of natural, locally-sourced pigments, its painstaking hand-patterning technique, and its skilled artisan weavers.

About "Kumejima Tsumugi"

Kumejima Tsumugi is known for its natural colors, intricate patterns, and its simple, supple texture. Pigments produced from local plants and minerals yield a broad color palette, from bright yellows and greens to soothing browns, pinks, and greys. In particular, Kumejima's mud-dyeing technique (known as "doro-zome" in Japanese) is highly regarded for the deep reddish-black color and rich luster of the fabric it yields.

The dyeing process makes use of a type of "ikat" resist-dyeing technique known as "kasuri kukuri." In this technique, individual threads are carefully marked and hand-bound in rope and plastic before dyeing. They are woven together weeks later, after the dyed threads have been unbound and dried under the island sun. This painstaking process can take several months, and requires an individual artisan to have a detailed vision of the final pattern, thread by thread, before ever sitting down at the weaving loom. Weavers create original designs based on a traditional repertoire of more than 80 different motifs, including birds, clouds, money, animals, and tools used in daily life.

Unlike many other regions known for "kasuri" weaving, in Kumejima each bolt of fabric is hand-produced on the island by an individual craftsperson. From spinning the threads, to designing the pattern, to dyeing, weaving, and finishing, each Kumejima Tsumugi product is one artisan weaver's unique masterpiece.

History

The history of Kumejima Tsumugi stretches all the way back to the time of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Historical records tell of an extraordinary figure called Do-no-hiya, who traveled all the way to China in the latter half of the 15th century, bringing knowledge of sericulture back to the people of Kumejima. Since silk production techniques first used in the Ryukyu Kingdom gradually spread northward throughout Japan, Kumejima is often said to be the "birthplace of Tsumugi."

Beginning in roughly the seventeenth century, bolts of Kumejima Tsumugi were offered as tax to the Ryukyu Royal Government. While this enabled the people of Kumejima to keep precious rice crops as food, it placed a brutally heavy burden on weavers. All women between the ages 15 and 45 (except the wives of government officials) were required to weave to strict quality standards and meet ever-increasing production volumes in service of the tax. This period is remembered as a time of great suffering and demand for Kumejima's craftswomen. Tales handed down to the present day through oral tradition tell of women crying every day while weaving or suffering violence for substandard work. However, the improvements made to production techniques during this period are a point of pride among contemporary weavers. Even today, each new bolt of Kumejima Tsumugi cloth is reviewed to exacting standards by a local panel of master artisans before sale.

The tradition of creation is still maintained, manufacturing is done by hand, and patterning and dyeing are done by a single craftsman until the final process. In 2004, it was designated as a national cultural property.

Kumejima Tsumugi Experience at Yuimaru-kan

You can create your original craft to bring back to your country as a memory of Okinawa.
At "Kumejima Tsumugi no Sato, Yuimaru-kan," visitors can experience the most enjoyable process of making Kumejima Tsumugi through weaving coasters and dyeing with plants and trees. You will have a valuable experience where you can receive hands-on experience from a craftsmen who are actually involved in the weaving process at the workshop where Kumejima Tsumugi is actually made. You can observe the daily work process and learn how much time and effort goes into each step of the process. Along with traditional crafts, you will be able to feel the thoughts and feelings of the people who live on the island.

You can choose a plant dyeing course or a weaving course as below in advance. If you choose both experiences it will take about 2 hours(The cost is from 4,700 yen.).

(1) Plant dyeing Experience:

　There are two choices which are bandana dyeing (about 60 minutes, The cost is from 2,400 yen.) and silk shawl dyeing (about 90 minutes, The cost is from 3,700 yen.). Using sticks and rubber bands, the cloth is squeezed and dipped into a dye solution made from natural island materials. You can choose from several choices of dyes, such as Sugar cane, Fukugi tree, etc., and the finished color will be different for each material. Finally, You will find what pattern is created when you unfold the cloth.

(2) Weaving Experience:

　Coaster weaving takes about 30 minutes. The cost is from 2,200 yen. Choose your favorite design from several samples and weave it into a coaster using a loom. You can experience the process of weaving the weft threads using a shuttle on the warp threads set on the loom.

The Yuimaru-kan has interesting exhibits on the history of Kumejima Tsumugi, from sericulture to weaving, and the natural dyes used to produce the color of Kumejima Tsumugi.　Kumejima tsumugi fabrics and products processed from Kumejima tsumugi such as wear and business card cases are displayed and sold.

Kumejima Weaving Pavilion(Yuimaru-kan)　
Website: https://www.kume-tumugi.com
Address: 1878-1 Maja Kumejima, Okinawa
OPEN: 9:00 - Last entry 16:30
Entry Fee: Adult￥200 / Kids￥100
Exhibition, Shop and some weaving/dyeing experience programs available.
Closed: New Year Holiday, Bon Festival of the lunar calendar