Imabari Region

Branding towel products

The Imabari towel-producing region, which centres on the namesake city in Ehime Prefecture, first came onto the radar with its cotton production success during the Edo Period (1603-1868), particularly the ‘Iyo-Kasuri’ variety, popularity of which peaked during the Taisho Period (1912-1926). The ‘IIyo-Kasuri’ (Kasuri of Iyo; a former province located in Ehime Prefecture) is a beautiful Kasuri fabric with contrasting tones of navy blue and white and woven with a method known as ‘Sakizarashi Sakizome’ (dyeing strings first), which was applied to Imabari towel production. It is said that Heisuke Abe (the Imabari towel founder) remodeled a cotton flannel weaving machine to manufacture Imabari towels in 1894, marking its advent of this success story, followed by the production of luxury jacquard woven towels during the Taisho Period.

In 2006, the region launched the ‘Imabari Towel Project’, in response to a rapid influx of imported overseas towels. Guided by Producer Kashiwa Sato, the Imabari towels were successfully branded under a concept of ‘safe, secure and superb’ products, boosting awareness nationwide. The region also got proactively engaged in multi-faceted CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) issues, including the establishment of human rights policies and work to preserve the environment, the scope of which included ‘Imabari Towel and Mizu-no-Mori’ (water forest) alongside the ‘Imabari Towel Child-rearing Support Program’.