Garakumi, Nishijin-gasuri

Nishijin-ori is a characteristic Japanese woven fabric, made in Kyoto. There are 12 different types: this one, using pre-dyed yarn, is called “Nishijin-gasuri”. Although textiles woven with pre-dyed yarn (kasuri-ori) are produced all around Japan, Nishijin-gasuri stands out for its colourfully dyed silk yarn.

Garakumi is the process where the yarn spun around the drum is arranged according to the design. The number of warp threads range from several thousand to over 10,000. The sheer number of threads is one of the factors behind the delicacy of the patterns.