Heso-age, Nishijin-gasuri

Nishijin-ori is a characteristic Japanese woven fabric, made in Kyoto. There are 12 different types: this one, using pre-dyed yarns, is called “Nishijin-gasuri” (that is, kasuri from the Nishijin area). The fabric is woven by interlacing warp and weft threads. When parts of the warp re hand-tied to shield it from the dye, and then rearranged and moved slightly, the resulting pattern is Nishijin-gasuri.

Once dyeing of threads is complete, threads of the same colour or pattern are bundled
up and twisted around one arm to make a ball. This process, called makitsuke, prevents the
threads from tangling. The artisan then pulls his or her hand out, leaving a
hole in the middle (called heso-age).
The yarn is then spun around a device called “the drum”, taiko.