{"id":41844,"date":"2018-11-07T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2018-11-06T23:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=41844"},"modified":"2022-02-17T09:27:07","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T00:27:07","slug":"yonago-yumihama-gasuri-fabric","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/yonago-yumihama-gasuri-fabric\/","title":{"rendered":"Yumihama-gasuri: Discover the Traditional Crafts of Yonago"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Each Japanese prefecture has its own traditions<\/strong>, culinary specialties,<\/strong> and crafts<\/strong>. Today, let\u2019s head to Yonago<\/strong>, in the Tottori Prefecture<\/strong>, to meet a local artist<\/strong> and discover her unique craft: Yumihama-gasuri<\/strong>, a cotton fabric<\/strong> dyed with indigo and weaved by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yumihama-gasuri, a 300 year old traditional craft<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And let us begin by getting a closer look at the word Yumihama-gasuri<\/strong>, which may seem a little complex when first read, but which makes a lot of sense once deconstructed. Gasuri, or kasuri, simply refers to the name of a traditional Japanese weaving technique, and its prefix, Yumihama, is the peninsula in which it originated, at the western tip of Tottori Prefecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A weaving technique<\/strong> that relies on the creation of a white pattern on an indigo background, thanks to a meticulous dying process. Before even getting to the weaving part, you first have to dye your cotton thread after carefully covering the parts that will create the pattern, in order for those to remain white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yumihama-gasuri,<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

These beautiful weavings with geometrical patterns were originally handcrafted by women from an agricultural background<\/strong>, to produce robust clothes for their families with a touch of happiness. For more than 300 years, this traditional local craft<\/strong>, which was created for personal use, has been passed down from generation to generation until being designated today as a National Traditional Craft<\/strong> and an Important Intangible Cultural Property of the Tottori Prefecture.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organic cotton plants at the foot of Mt Daisen<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But before we head to Chiharu<\/strong>\u2019s workshop, a young local artist, to experiment with these craft techniques, let\u2019s start with the beginning: cotton picking<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We drove to Osamu and Tomiko\u2019s local organic farm<\/strong> where Chiharu picks her cotton for Yumihama-gasuri crafting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n