Japanese Wagashi Paper Blouses and Shawls -  YOSUKE (Shiga Prefecture)

Japanese Wagashi Paper Blouses and Shawls YOSUKE (Shiga Prefecture)

High quality daily wear created from Japanese wagashi paper that carries on the traditions of woven nishijin silk fabrics

Otsu city’s Kiryu area in Shiga prefecture has been known as a region for Japanese paper production since the Edo period. The region is home to many artisanal workshops that carry on the traditions of Kyoto nishijin silk fabric, using woven gold and silver threads cut from ultra-thin gold and silver foil. One such workshop is Furukawa Yosuke Shoten Inc., which was established in 1935. As the Japanese kimono industry beginning to stagnate, the company transitioned to producing raw threads for apparel and decorative Japanese mizuhiki cords, using their ultra-thin “micro slit processing” technology. In particular, the company’s luxury knit material cut from non-woven nylon fabric was being exported to Europe via a trading company, creating significant profits. However, sales sharply declined as orders began to move to China.

“Just when we thought we’d go out of business, one of our craftsmen recalled how — back in the old days — thread could be made by cutting and twisting paper,” says third generation company head Akemi Kawamura. The twisted thread is cut from the highest quality Japanese paper (starting with the Japanese mino washi variety) to a width of 2mm, then woven into delicately textured fabrics. With the completed yarn in hand, Kawamura obtained funding from the prefecture and set off to the Tent London expo in the UK. “We were only showing the raw fabric and thread, without any completed final product, but the buyers were really impressed, saying how amazing it was,” she says. Filled with confidence, Kawamura and company began to gradually build support. Particularly good for PR, the head of the chamber of commerce ordered a wagashi jacket and wore it to business meetings. This led to the media picking it up, and people soon began to want their own. Pushed forward by the response, Kawamura gave this wagashi series a brand name, “YOSUKE,” slowly growing the number of products in the line. “Moving forward, it will be interesting to work with designers and expand ideas for using these textiles.” This story of spinning yarn is just beginning. Recently, new projects are also spreading, related to SDGs.

Furukawa Yosuke Shoten Inc.

3-12-1 Kiryu, Otsu-shi, Shiga
520-2111
Tel.077-549-1321
http://yosukeshiga.com/english/

Extremely thin high quality Japanese wagashi paper; a total of 27,000 meters cut to an ultra-thin width.

Extremely thin high quality Japanese wagashi paper;
a total of 27,000 meters cut to an ultra-thin width.

Cut to a width of 2 mm, the paper is wound into 130 pieces.

Cut to a width of 2 mm,
the paper is wound into 130 pieces.

After being cut, the paper goes through the spinning process, transforming into thread.

After being cut,
the paper goes through the spinning process, transforming into thread.

Japanese Wagashi Paper Blouses and Shawls -  YOSUKE (Shiga Prefecture)

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