Encountering a Thousand Years of Kyoto - Ito Yuki
Passing the thread of life to the future: Kyoto's activities connected by pure domestic silk

Features of this Plan

• ◇A white fabric manufacturer in Kyoto that continues to preserve pure domestic silk

  Founded in 1931, Itoyuki Co., Ltd. is a long-established Kyoto manufacturer that specializes in white fabrics for kimonos.

  Inspired by the aesthetic sense of our founder, Kojiro Ito, who was also a Japanese painter, we have continued to create unique designs that transfer the flow of the brush strokes into patterns.

  In 1996, Matsuoka Hime, a domestically produced silk brand that is consistent from cocoons to white fabric, was established. In an age where purely domestic silk accounts for less than 0.2% of the total domestic distribution, Matsuoka is one of the few companies that continues to produce under contract with JA silk farmers.

  At the same time, they were also one of the first to expand into the interior design field, with products that combine silk and glass, such as "silk glass" and "silk shoji screens."As they expand their challenge to combine traditional techniques with modern spatial beauty, they are promoting the value of silk culture both domestically and internationally.

   

  

  Domestically produced cocoons, the raw material for "Matsuoka Hime" (Image provided by Itoyuki Co., Ltd.)

   

   

• ◇ A place to learn about silk and promote local culture

  The Silk White Fabric Museum, which is located next to Itoyuki's head office, has a history of over 10 years and is not a place for business purposes, but rather a cultural facility that draws attention to "silk itself" as a material.
  The exhibits are available in both Japanese and English, and the museum attracts many visitors from overseas. As a cultural resource for the region, it is a place of learning where residents and tourists can "find out the stories behind the materials."

  Furthermore, as the amount of abandoned farmland continues to increase, we feel a strong sense of mission to continue protecting the mulberry fields.
  "It takes about 250 square meters of mulberry land to create one kimono. The rhythm that humans and nature have shared together is the very essence of sericulture culture," says Kitagawa.

  Preservation of the local landscape, a continuing relationship with artisans, and a production system in harmony with nature.
  Each and every one of these conveys Itoyuki's corporate stance of "living together with the community."

   

  

  The Silk White Fabric Museum, located within the company's headquarters (Image provided by Itoyuki Co., Ltd.)

   

   

• ◇A new form of harmony woven together with artisanal skills and modern wisdom

  Since its founding, Itoyuki's white fabric production has begun with hand-drawn designs.
  日本画の筆先が生むごくわずかな揺らぎや余白を“味わい”として生かし、手描きの図案をスキャン。デザインソフトを経て、織物専用プログラムへと変換することで、伝統技法と現代技術を滑らかにつないでいます。

  During the refining process, the silk thread is boiled in hot water for three hours to remove the starch, bringing out its natural tension, and this, combined with the detwisting of the tightly twisted thread, creates the unique wrinkles (unevenness) that make up Chirimen. This natural appearance is proof that the material and the handwork have harmoniously blended together.
  "There is no answer to the question of which fabric is best. Each fabric is suitable for different occasions, and it all depends on the customer's wishes," says Kitagawa.

  Behind these processes lies a network of skills and sensibilities passed down through generations of artisans.
  Silkworm farmers, silk factories, twisting, dyeing, weaving, gold leafing, designs...
  Before a bolt of white fabric is produced, many small businesses and skilled hands are connected, creating a "regional value chain" that trusts each other.

  As the Japanese clothing market shrinks, Itoyuki has created new demand for interior materials in order to keep this value chain going.
  "Silk glass" and "silk panels," which are made using white fabric and dyeing techniques, are used in hotel and inn spaces, creating soft colors that harmonize with Kyoto's landscape regulations.

  To increase opportunities for traditional craftsmen to utilize their skills.
  To create an economic system that allows that technology to be passed on to the next generation.

  The accumulation of these efforts represents Itoyuki's "cultural inheritance in the modern era," and represents our role as a Kyoto company weaving new forms of harmony.

   

  

  A scene of a design being drawn with a brush (Image provided by Itoyuki Co., Ltd.)

• Welcoming young people to continue the cycle of culture into the future

  In the field of traditional crafts, a lack of employment opportunities for young people and a decrease in the number of workshops are serious issues.
  At Itoko, young people with diverse backgrounds are active, including employees who went on to study traditional crafts after graduating from Waseda University, and students with roots overseas who are accepted for training. However, CEO Kitagawa says that in order to utilize this talent, it is essential to "create demand."

  "There are many young people who want to learn, but if there are no users, it won't continue. That's why the inbound market is such a great hope."

   

  In fact, the number of wealthy visitors from overseas is increasing year by year, and a "cultural guidance" customer service system in cooperation with interpreter guides is being put in place. Demand for custom-made silk robes is also growing, and prices are now transparent so that anyone can purchase them under the same conditions. Creating such a system is rethinking the issues with traditional distribution and is also helping to restore trust in the kimono industry as a whole.

   

  Even if it's not noticeable, a strong relationship of trust will continue.

  It is this accumulation of efforts that will support Kyoto over the long term and become true sustainability.

   

  

  A workshop for overseas customers (Photo provided by Itoyuki Co., Ltd.)

• Summary: Connecting the thread of life to the future

  The silkworm continues to spin silk for more than two days and creates a cocoon that is 1.2 km long.
  After receiving the thread of life, we carefully process it into white fabric.
  It then passes through the hands of craftsmen and users and becomes a culture.
  Itoyuki's work is imbued with a deep respect for this "invisible cycle."

  Touching on the current situation where there is almost no domestically produced silk left, Representative Kitagawa said:
  “Once you reach zero, you can’t make a ”1“. But if you still have a ”1’, you can expand it to a 2 or a 3.”
  This phrase expresses the importance of "preserving" domestic techniques such as sericulture, silk reeling, and weaving so that they are not completely interrupted.

  The charm of Kyoto is not just its visible beauty,
  It is an accumulation that is difficult to see on the surface, built up over a long period of time by nature, people, and technology.
  Through this accumulation, Itoyuki protects the thin yet strong "thread of life."
  We continue to weave economic and cultural systems that will be passed on to the future.

   

  

  白生地（画像提供：株式会社伊と幸）