"Dyeing Oshima tsumugi thread with mud", Honba Oshima Tsumugi Fabric

The origins of Honba Oshima tsumugi fabric back some 1300 years, making it the oldest textile art with a continuous tradition. Even before the Nara period (710-794), Kagoshima was active in sericulture, and hand-spun silk thread was used to make tsumugi textiles. The dyeing technique is based on methods dating to the year 661, during the time of Emperor Tenji (626-671,r 668-671).