Koyaguchi Region

The sole pile fabric producer in the world

Koyaguchi is the only textile region worldwide that specialises in pile fabrics, which have been produced in the Koyaguchi-cho area of Hashimoto City in Wakayama Prefecture ever since the Meiji Period (1868-1912). By pile fabric, we mean a specific type of hairy cloth, with a base cloth incorporating woven or knitted pile yarns, which is widely applied to apparel, fake fur, car seats and bedding items alongside other interior furnishings.

Pile fabrics have their roots in handicraft-like chenille fabrics, which feature the use of chenille yarns once finely cut out of fabric. Chenille fabrics were developed around the time of Meiji and were popular exports, even as far as the USA. Eventually, a way was found to mass-produce pile fabrics during the Taisho Period (1912-1926), followed by the implementation of German-made face-to-face pile looms from the Showa Period (1926-1989) onward, which were acclaimed both domestically and overseas. Equally, materials gradually became diversified from cotton/wool to synthetics, with wider applications such as bedding and interior furnishings. An independent textile exhibition, ‘KOYAGUCHI PILE FABRIC Exhibition – PUWA PUWA‘ was also organised by the regional textile association as part of their activities.