Nishijin Textile Centre - Kyoto - 1

In Japan craftwork is respected and craftspeople are paid for keeping their skills alive. The following people work in the textile centre above....

He is cutting the fine threads of silver, for presumably embroidery work to silk, the silver has a paper backing. When gold leaf is used, it is applied to red lacquer (which is the glue) and then paper. What happens of course is that the gold flakes away and exposes the lacquer which gives an attractive finish. On silk the gold thread is woven on a loose weft/warp into the required embroidered pattern, so as the silk fabric is woven by the weaver, two other people sit on either side of the loom and weave the gold pattern into it, the gold stitch is then reinforced from the back by extra stitches such brocade can cost a thousand pounds a metre..

Cutting stencils, these stencils are used in on indigo, the stencil area filled with a resistant rice paste when the cloth is dyed.

Colouring in the pattern