Okujun
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Okujun Co., Ltd. (奥順株式会社) is a Japanese kimono and textile manufacturer based in Yūki City, Ibaraki Prefecture.
Founded in 1907, the company has played a central role in the production and distribution of Yuki-tsumugi (結城紬), a traditional silk textile technique designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1956 and listed by UNESCO in 2010 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.[1]
Okujun was established in 1907 as a kimono wholesaler and has since operated as a key regional distributor and coordinator of Yuki-tsumugi textiles. In addition to design development, yarn procurement, and placing weaving orders with local craftsmen, the company also handles finishing processes such as degumming (yudōshi) in-house.[2][3]
Textile collections
Okujun currently offers two main fabric collections:
Honba Yuki Tsumugi
Supreme Yuki Silk is a premium fabric created through more than 40 handcraft processes, based on traditional Yuki-tsumugi techniques. Yarn is hand-spun from floss silk by hand. The cloth is woven using a traditional back-tension loom (jibata), where the weaver controls the tension using their own body.[4]
Ishige Yuki Tsumugi
Yuki Silk is a more accessible line that preserves the essence of handmade Yuki-tsumugi while integrating power-assisted spinning and weaving processes using a mix of hand-guided and mechanical techniques.[5]
Production techniques
Yarn spinning
Floss silk is spun by hand, either entirely manually or using a power-assisted tool, depending on the product line. [6]
Pattern creation
Traditional kasuri (絣) patterns are created by binding threads before dyeing according to a pattern.
Weaving
There are three types of looms used in the production of Yuki Tsumugi.
- Jibata (地機): a back-tension loom tied to the weaver’s waist.
- Takahata (高機): a foot-treadle loom.
- Semi-mechanical looms for broader fabric widths in Yuki Silk.