The perfect canvas for traditionally dyeing techniques

Produced in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, Hamachirimen is not only made from 100% raw silk, it is Japan's oldest woven silk fabric. Hamachirimen is used primarily as the base fabric for kimono. Handed down and improved over generations, it dyes well and is well suited to delicate patterns, making it the perfect canvas for kimono. Hamachirimen is said to date back to 1751, and even today, it is the preferred silk for the Kyo-yuzen and Kaga-yuzen schools of kimono dyeing.

The quality is in the texture

What sets Hamachirimen apart from the rest is the delicate, rippling grain of its surface. This grain is what gives the fabric its glowing sheen and soft touch to the skin; it also yields deep, rich colors when dyed.

From silk thread to woven fabric

The process by which Hamachirimen is produced differs greatly from those processes used in other silk-producing regions. Except for degumming, the entire process, starting with silk thread and culminating in woven fabric, is conducted by a single producer. This means that one producer can carefully manage the production of silk, keeping a close eye on the thread and the number of weft twists, based on how it will dyed and what it will be used for. After a series of several sub-processes, it takes about 50 days to create a finished product. Each piece of fabric is hand-made, and each process is painstakingly checked to make sure that customers only receive the highest quality products.

The secret is the water

Nagahama silk is a product of nature. The silk factories in the Nagahama region use all-natural well-water fed by the snowmelt from Mt. Ibuki—the highest mountain in Shiga and one of Japan's famous mountains. Groundwater is used when applying strong twists to the weft, and a high level of quality can be maintained because the water temperature remains constant year-round. Nearby Lake Biwa also provides an inexhaustible supply of soft freshwater, and the Nagahama region's location among lakes, mountains and rivers, creates a level of humidity that is just right for textile-making. In this way, Hamachirimen production is intimately tied to the local water resources.