Kawamata Region

Kawamata Region

Challenging the world with unrivalled quality

Textiles in Fukushima Prefecture are synonymous with Kawamata City. Legend has it that 1,300 or so years ago, Otehime; the then Sushun Empress, finally reached Kawamata City, after searching for her missing son, planted mulberries, then instructed those in the region to engage in sericulture and weaving. Textile fairs were also a regular feature of the city and used to showcase raw silk, known as habutae (literally silk fabics) in the Edo era (1603-1868). Later on, in the Meiji Period (1868-1912), the region progressed as far as mass production, whereupon Kawabata habutae silk textiles became a household name throughout Japan. The region produces white silk materials used in silk scarves, ‘doura’ (undergarments used to line kimonos) and ‘hakkake’ (linings for kimono cuffs and hems) alongside pocket handker-chiefs.

In 2012, a super-fine yarn-dyed silk fabric, ‘Fairy Feather’, achieved globally unrivalled thinness (diameter of eight denier, one-sixth of a human hair) and was honored with a double prize, namely the ‘Monozukuri Nippon Grand Award’ and ‘Good Design Award’. This ethereal silk fabric was developed by Saiei Orimono Co., Ltd, a local weaving firm, and is widely applied by overseas brands. There is no better example of a local innovation establishing a global presence with premium quality and unrivalled technicity.