Hashigo, 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.

The process is where warp threads, prepared using the garakumi process, are vertically separated to make the pattern is called hashigo-kake or “laddering”. Nishijin weavers use a tool called hashigo (a ladder), to pass the threads through metal rods set at varied heights to accurately separate the yarn.