Yonezawa-ori Textiles: Yonezawa city

• Traditional Yonezawa-ori Textiles in Yamagata

  Yonezawa-ori is a weaving technique which is said to have first been developed when the 9th lord of the Yonezawa domain, Uesugi Yozan, instructed the samurai families under his rule to produce Aoso fabric as their side jobs in order to restore the domain’s finances. Later, the weavers of Yonezawa began to produce silk instead, and dyed their fabrics using plants such as safflower and purple indigo. By the late Edo period, Yonezawa became a major silk textile production area known throughout Japan. Since the Meiji period, in keeping with the times synthetic fiber textiles have also been developed, and Yonezawa has now become a well-known general textile center for traditional Japanese clothing including kimono.

• Experience Yonezawa-ori techniques first-hand through dying, weaving and factory tours

  There are many weavers and shops selling Yonezawa textile products in Yonezawa City. Among these, “Origin” (located inside of the Yonezawa Textile Historical Museum) and “Senshoku Kobo Wakuwaku-kan” (located in front of the Uesugi Clan Mausoleum) offer an especially wide variety of products: not only traditional Japanese clothes such as kimono, hakama and obi, but also well-designed modern Western clothing, stoles, and pouches. Make sure to check out these high-quality products!
  At “Senshoku Kobo Wakuwaku-kan”, you can also try your hand at weaving using a traditional handloom and dyeing silk with safflower. (Reservation required)
  Additionally, the weavers of Yonezawa City sometimes hold open production events, so if the timing is right, you can experience Yonezawa-ori techniques up close. The historical looms in operation as craftsmen skillfully weave threads into fabric is truly a sight worth seeing!