Nishijin Textiles In Kyoto's 1200-year history, Nishijin weavers have not ceased in their quest to create ever more elegant and opulent silk weaves. I talked to master weaver on the handloom, Mr Eijiro Kitamura, about his love for the art of Nishijin Ori. Elegant silk obi (from a Nishijin pamphlet) Technique and beauty born of the court One cannot talk about Nishijin Ori weaving divorced from the Heian court. When this center of politics was born, all the most gifted artisans and the finest materials came together in Kyoto to cater to the elegant lifestyle of the courtiers in this city renowned for its natural beauty. The elegant tastes of the aristocracy along with the aesthetic sensibilities that shown in the fine arts of noh drama, tea ceremony and flower arranging were all combined in the creation of the opulent Nishijin Ori brocades. Only the most skilled craftsmen But the luscious brocades are not the only textiles being woven in Nishijin: the term Nishijin Ori weavers also covers silk velvet, tapestry, ikat, and pongee weaves. The maru-obis that Mr Kitamura weaves are of an especially high grade. Maru-obi are the most elaborate of all obi sashes, being the same that are worn by geisha or as formal wear at weddings or tea ceremonies. The so-called fukuro-obi of everyday use does not have both sides woven and has one side plain, but the maru-obi is completely covered in design on the front and back. It is twice the width of the fukuro obi and has a length of 4 meters 50 centimeters. An ordinary obi usually employs 8000 threads while a maru-obi requires 9600. A single maru-obi takes an experienced weaver like Mr Kitamura 3 months. "This very complex weaving cannot be done by machine -- it requires an artisan's hand. For example you need to be watching to see that the gold or silver threads do not become twisted or overturned, and that the color of the thread does not change. You also have to keep up a constant rhythm or the weave becomes uneven. And if you are not careful parts of the loom might get caught and snap the threads." It became clear that you need a great deal of experience to use the loom. Holding a magnifying glass, Mr Kitamura checked the weave meticulously and carried on with his rhythmic shuttling. Mr Kitamura explains the processes eloquently. Six lengths of weaving combined to create one maru-obi. Modern sensibilities I could see how wonderful Nishijin Ori brocade is but it occurred to me that such an opulent craft may be beyond the means of the younger generation. Mr Kitamura responded that that might be so, but a Nishijin Ori obi sash, for example, is something that one would pass down from mother to daughter to granddaughter and this is possible because an obi can be adjusted to fit any size or shape. Nevertheless, he did note that they have increased the standard length of an obi these days by 25 centimeters because modern women are a little larger. He said they are also adjusting the colors and patterns. "We can't just stick to the old designs," he says. "An artisan must have the flexibility to be able to give the modern woman what she wants in terms of color and design while using the traditional techniques." Profile Kitamura Eijiro Started weaving at 15 and has been weaving by hand for 55 years. He was named a Kyoto Craftsman of Excellence in 1999. Jacquard loom cards At the end of the Tokugawa period in 1868, when the capital was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, the Nishijin weaving district went into temporary decline, but this was changed with the advent of the Jacquard loom, which was imported from France after the Meiji Period. The Jacquard system, which uses perforated cards to designate which warp threads are to be raised, brought about a revolution in Nishijin weaving by making it possible for quality figured weaves to be made in large quantities. Until the Jacquard system was introduced someone had to sit up on top of the loom to pull the strings by hand.