Works by Itohen-universe, 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.
In its heyday in the 1930s there were about 300 specialists making
Nishijin-gasuri. Now there are only seven. With only one of them aged
below 50, and the remaining six quite elderly, the lack of younger artisans to
continue the tradition is a concern. Efforts
are now focused on new ideas that will enable us not only to protect the
tradition, but to broaden the use of Nishijin-gasuri fabric into the future.
In the face of aging and the lack of successors among craftspeople, people have begun to create new products using Nishijin-gasuri in order to protect its tradition and expand its application. In addition to the traditional applications of Nishijin-gasuri silk fabric for kimonos and obi, products such as bags or glasses cases made of cotton fabric used in daily life are also being created using Nishijin-gasuri technique.