The thread is spun by hand from raw silk, never twisted: a technique on the UNESCO heritage list since 2010.
In the workshop, the thread is made by drawing out raw silk by hand without ever twisting it, the kasuri patterns are created by tying the thread by hand before dyeing, and the weaving is done on a ground loom where the warp is tensioned from the weaver's hips: these are the three conditions that make a bolt of cloth authentic ‘Honba Yūki-tsumugi’. The Tsumugi no Yakata displays the fabrics and lets you try spinning and weaving, in the warehouse building of the Okujun company.
Honba Yūki-tsumugi is a fine silk woven in and around Yūki since before the Nara period, recognised as an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1956 and inscribed in 2010 on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Okujun company, a district wholesaler founded in 1907, runs the Tsumugi no Yakata in its early Taishō building, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, where traditional trading still takes place today.
ℹ️ Open 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30), closed on Tuesdays. It displays the fabrics, sells goods and offers dyeing and weaving experiences, with a café on site.
🚉 Yuki · 16 min walk
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