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 In
the old days, there were a lot of textile manufacturers around here.
I think our pamphlets and others things would be somehow of a hint, so I'll
get that ready later. Textile goods have so many manufacturing processes.
In our case, it's the textile industry. We buy raw silks like this, make
them into threads, degum them, dye them, hand them to people called oriko,
and they weave the threads up into products. We take the process like that.
We buy the good materials from Gumma-ken, and we make the patterns of the
strings like this. In the old days, there were a lot of textile manufacturers
around here. But today, only my brother in law and I do this job. Today
there is a youngster's club in an association of textile goods collaboration,
and there are young people working hard on making clothes, and for the coming-of-age
ceremony, packing small goods made out of Ooshima(pongee) in the town of
Musashi-Murayama. (For memorial goods?) Yes. They wanted something from
their own land. And I was the one who started to work on that. For the elementary
kids, we made the Ooshima into graduation photo-holders. Making these things
from their own land costs a lot of money, but we brought them up and it's
about out hometown. (Are those more expensive than plastics?) Of course.
Clothes themselves cost nearly 100000 yen. (You handle clothes and small
goods?) Yes.
The skill itajime, where the string is placed in between
the boards to be dyed.
(What kind of skill is itajime?) A white string is pressed between the
boards and pushed from both sides. Then the boards are dipped in the dying
liquid, and the liquid flows inside the bezel. There would be parts that
are dyed and that aren't, and then we weave adjusting it vertically and
horizontally to make it into a product. But in the origin, Ooshima island,
there is a skill called "shimebata", and like weaving a tatami floor, they
tie the threads once with a cotton string. When I was a kid, I used to jot
inks onto the tatami floor, and then I untangled the tatami into shreds.
What happens then is, you know that before, some part of the fibers were
dyed with the ink and the rest weren't dyed. The origin, Ooshima used that
theory. Murayama Ooshima uses the skill itajime, where the dying liquid
dyes the ˘¨boards˘¨ by going in between them. This was introduced from the
end of Meiji Era to Taisho Era. (What do you mean by "introduced"?) Murayama
is the place where the weaving originated in the Yayoi Era. Of course, the
silk weaving began many years later, but they made fibers like scrap cloths
into textiles. There is a Sayama hill right behind here, and that was a
place where our predecessors lived from early times. That place is warm
because it is a slanting slope to the direction of south and water is there
too. Hunting was possible too. So that was a land where people could actually
live. And this stone "sui", which is a thread spinning tool used during
the Yayoi Era, was excavated. (So that skill was established at that period
of time?) No, just the basis was formed. Then during the culture of the
common people in Edo Era, a kimono with a splashed pattern, made out of
knot dying was introduced. There is a record in a place called Nakatoh,
which is a little ahead of from here, saying that this woman called Watanabe
came up with the idea. It was obvious that during those periods of time,
such job of feudal clans would not flow out, because they had been earning
tax from that, right? So the such splashed patterns of that of Kurume and
Iyo had been introduced at that time. The time had made its way into the
Meiji Era, and silk clothes became popular because all people had been allowed
to wear silk from that time. The weaving skill had developed, and therefore
we followed the time being by using both cotton and silk here in Murayama,
but the workers wanted more unique products with higher added value, and
so they brought in the "itajime" skill from Isezaki. The workers in Isezaki
had been suffering from unemployment, and they must have come down hearing
the news that production place of Murayama sought after a skill revolution.
They must have fled by night to come, and they had gradually formed the
shape of Murayama Ooshima. Murayama Ooshima will leave these shape boards
behind, so we were able to bring the cost down by reusing them. That is
why the mass production was regulated. But from 1980 came the age of uniqueness,
with less amount but more variety. So the time has been deviated from the
mass production, and rather than producing the same things, making slightly
different ones with different skills had been more valued.
 He
had my ears pulled and I was brought and dragged down.
(Do you make the shape board by yourself?) Boards are made by craftsmen.
Board craftsmen. This is the same board as the one with the sashimono (furniture)
skills, and it is made out of mizume-zakura, a kind of a birch. They are
ingredients used for folkcraft furniture and sashimonos. (Are there not
so many craftsmen who with such skills?) We are about the only ones who
are doing itajime, nationwide. Dying is also done only by us. (You have
to leave them behind somehow?) Yes, I think so. (What about your son?) He
is in university right now. Yes, he helps me sometimes. (Have you helped
the work when you were young?) Yes. Since the age of discretion, I was made
to to do many things, and my grandfather was pretty strict too. You saw
the strings there, right? They are piled up there. He had my ears pulled
and I was brought and dragged down when I got on top of them. So we don't
let anyone do those basic things, like walking over the strings. We eat
and make our livings out of these strings, so we have to have respect towards
these objects, or else they won't be good. When I was young and came into
this industry at the age of 18, and the merchants were throwing their clothes
around, because the economy was looking really good. I was always thinking,
"What are they doing? How rude!" The chief had the authority those days,
and he was thinking that it was obvious to throw them around, because the
quantity was important. But I thought someone like that would never succeed,
and he did fail soon. Things are like that. (They just see their goods as
"things"?) We must believe that their goods are like living things, and
should thank that we are fed from them, or else they won't be of a good
quality.
 In
the old days, they were no means of good ladies if they could not weave
with machines.
What i am doing now is called "natsuzome," or textile printing, where
we color the parts that were not dyed in the black-white itajime, and add
brightness or quietness to the clothes to make them stand out. All manual
works are something like that. But with skill, itajime in the case of Murayama-Ooshima,
there is a characteristic that it is able to repeat the work when we make
basic things, but in the old days, they were no means of good ladies if
they could not weave with machines. They go out into the farms during the
farming seasons, and they make money by weaving during the off seasons.
And when they get married, they weave themselves white clothes, and take
things dyed in kyoto. (What do you use black dyes for?) We use a dye called
hematin, which is taken from a plant called rockwood. They are dyes originated
in the Meiji Era, which are really stable, so they are used for kyoto's
black dying, color-adding of soy sauce in the old days, and coloring of
a plain wood for sashimonos. Yes, they are the most stable dyes for black-dyings.
(Is rockwood a tree?) Yes. They are trees found in Mexico, India, and near
the equators. You can tell from their name and they do mean "tree of rock,"
and they are really hard. And these are the juice from the tree. They are
usually imported from France. And we use them basically here in Murayama
Ooshima. They are more durable than the chemical dyes, and they go deep
into the small gaps of the board. The particles are really detailed. (Are
dyes mostly from plants?) The color you saw a few minutes ago was from chemical
dyes. Basic blacks are from plants dyes.
 Good
cocoons were exported, and used scrap cocoons for ourselves.
There was a time when the silk strings export in the Meiji Era had earned
foreign money, right? Battleship Mikasa was bought at that time. It was
a policy of national enrichment and security. Good cocoons were exported,
and used scrap cocoons for ourselves, instead of throwing them away. That
is the basic origin of the pongees nationwide. But as the time passed by,
people started to feel that they want to wear the clothes they weaved, and
that idea was taken in. People started to say, "If that has such a characteristic,
I want to wear that" and "I want to try to sell these," and such time of
change happened from Edo Era to Meiji Era. When I see the timetable, there
was an article saying "Pongees are bigger boom than the Omeshi(chirimen)
in Mitsukoshi, Nihonbashi" in the year Taisho 3. So these just match with
that. Murayama-Ooshima was originated at that time, and various pongees
were made, and they had the endurance. In addition to that, they were simple
yet refined, and they had the basis of casual wears and jeans nowadays.
As a craftsman, my dad was the second, and I am the third
generation.
(Were your father the first generation?) The first generation was my
grandfather, whose name was Fusakichi Tashiro, and we took his name and
named ourselves Tafusa Dying and Weaving. As a craftsman, my dad was the
second, and I am the third generation. Next door to my house is an open
space, but there used to be a factory there. That was the original maker,
and we were the branch. There are many Tashiro's around here. We are all
one family. They used to be weaving shops, but now, we are the only ones
who do these things. (Is that because kimonos aren't sold?) Yes, that's
about it. And another thing is that it became important in how we deliver
our products to the customers. Today, it's not just making the products,
but we also have to produce them until the end. So the craftsmen who are
left today, have such passion, but I think there are many who are thinking
how they should process their work. Unlike the bubble economical times,
things unwanted are not needed, so the biggest importance lies on how we
emphasize the characteristics of the product as the time passes, and how
we keep the price down in order to satisfy the needs of the customers. So
the products, in which the makers think that they are the best, will never
be successful.
If I can't make a good pattern even if I spend 100000,
200000 yen, I would throw them away at once.
(Do you make the shape board if the patterns change?) Yes, of course.
They are valuable articles today, so we are not able to make many patterns,
but before, there were times when the patterns were made one after the next,
because the pattern was what was significant. (Do you still use those old
boards today?) Yes, preservation is important too, and they should be used
frequently. But if I can't make a good pattern even if I spend 100000, 200000
yen, I would throw them away at once. That's same with cars, isn't it? You
put so much effort into the production of a car, but if they don't sell
good, that's the end of it. I think Japan and its people should understand
is an "unimproved improvement." Just the improvement is not enough. If you
draw improvement as a circle, they take a round and come to where it started.
So what I really feel is that with these jobs, it is really important to
hand the culture down to generations after generations. It is not possible
to make two ends meet on this job. There are many people working on this
job because they have the passion, or the will to continue the work their
predecessors have left behind. It is really a family job, with a craftsman,
my father, my wife, and I. We work privately. (Isn't it hard that there
are so many processes?) In the old days, we tried many things, like gathering
people to work, but I think it is important to do the work by ourselves
and not to depend on the others outside, and we can't afford the wages.
So we really work on our own, privately.
People who can actually support these craftsmen are families.
I use my basic skills to work on these manual jobs, but I think there
are differences in each individual in how they work on the device of the
products. Even if we make same kirikos(facets), there would be slight differences
in the touch and how the craftsman contrive the work. Those are the pride
of craftsmen, and components in where they can be confident on their skills.
That is why the dispositions and the perfectionism of the craftsmen are
really considered. (There must be craftsmen who keep on maintaining their
skills since the early times, but on the other hand, aren't there people
who think that it is obvious for craftsmen to always think up and use new
ideas and skills?) I think all craftsmen are working, always thinking about
that. Many seem to be working casually, but I think workers who think hard
about many small things, are the ones who are really putting effort into
their jobs. It is very brave and important to try to accomplish the "unimproved
improvement" today. GNP isn't in any means important. There are many countries
in Europe, in which I want to ask when the people actually work. People
are having a good, happy life in Japan, and they have nothing to show to
the world. People who can actually support these craftsmen are families.
It is significant in how we make the family bond tighter and stronger, for
example by making kids help their work, in our case my kids help me in organizing
frameworks, and I also ask them to go to places I order them to. I put most
of my effort in that, and transferring such culture to the next generation
is very important. That is because an unrelated person wouldn't help us,
unlike a big enterprise. (Are there times when the sons of the craftsmen
come back to this job after working in the society for 2, 3 years?) Yes,
but that is a natural flow. They prefer to stay in their own homes rather
than in the society. There is passion in our work too. In the old days there
were many various kinds of work, therefore there were differences in between
them. But they said that if it makes no difference in any job they work
on, it would be better for them to choose a job with passion.
They try to learn and take in the cultures from other
countries in a strange way.
(What does the "improvement" mean in the phrase "unimproved improvement"?)
That is, for example, when you climb a mountain, it is important to have
the courage to go back, right? I came half the distance to the top, but
then a thunderstorm comes, and then I decide to go back. Something like
that. So I think an improvement that doesn't actually take its step forward,
but rather an improvement that stays at the same place, should also be considered
good. So it's not just the improvement of the number of sales, but things
more internal, something like a mental level-up. Just like the victims of
the preparations for the entrance examinations recently, and they say that
there is now an original education, but there is no originality at all.
So an improvement that doesn't sought for a step forward, I know I am contradicting
myself, but that is how shape of today could look like, and it must be like
that. In Europe, people are living in brick homes that are built 300, 400
years ago, so they don't need to build a new house to live. Japanese might
wonder about when they actually work, but for example, Italy is a powerful
country. So the fact that 55% - 60% of the food in Japan are all imports
would be a huge damage when Japan goes into a war, because that would mean
that our life line would be cut. So I think these components are deeply
related with manual jobs, like ours. Like in Italy and Germany, there are
many manual jobs that are taken in and they seem to have much in reserve.
But Japanese are individual race, so they feel that they always have to
take a step forward. I think that's the way it is. (Even the European countries,
which have less income than Japan, take 1 month summer holiday. Japan is
a hard-working country, but there are no ease and comfort!) Yes, that's
the point. They try to learn and take in the cultures from other countries
in a strange way, but on the other hand, the real Japanese cultures and
taste have disappeared.
It's an individual who wears the kimono, so she should
wear it as she likes.
(What are these recent kimono monitor frauds?) Well, those happen obviously
because how they sell is really absurd. (Do your products go to those places?)
Not at all. Those products are mainly formal, like "furisode" and "tsukesage",
and ones used for the coming-of-age ceremony. (Are pongees foppish?) Yes,
they are basically casual wears, so there are people who have no interest
in them at all. Pongees are like that. (What should be kept in mind when
people wear them?) There are many various restrictions in wearing kimonos,
right? But please don't worry about them. People hate kimonos because of
all these restrictions. And it doesn't matter how the "obi" (sash) is tied.
It's an individual who wears the kimono, so she should wear it as she likes.
People wore kimonos like that in the early times. (So people today are prepossessed
with the restrictions?) Yes, yes. You know that today, there are many kimono-wearing
class and "soudou". When you put "dou", it gives an image of a clique, like
Omote-senke and Ura-senke. That wouldn't do any good. "Dou" might be well
used to up-grade a class of something. (Aren't kimonos difficult to take
care?) We need to hang it all day, brush down the dirt, and if that is gone,
then it can be quickly put away. Drying is important. But taking care of
kimonos should be thought as one of the fun parts. (Do the orders come by
the patterns?) These kimonos have never been ordered by their patterns,
since the early times. There are times when the customers want this certain
pattern, but kimonos should actually be seen and compared in order for them
to be bought. (The actual thing?) The actual thing, yes. (Which generation
goes well with the sober patterns?) From the 40's and the 50's, I guess.
But there are young people who like these simple yet refined colors. Today,
many people coordinate their clothes well, so they try these sober colors
and decide on their own. On the other hand, old people wear these red ones
with no hesitations.
These are geometrical patterns, which are the basis
of the Ooshima designs.
(Are there names to the textile fabrics?) These are geometrical patterns,
which are the basis of the Ooshima designs. Besides the geometrial patterns,
there is only about an design of Ichimatsu left. Well, I think the "basic
designs" and the "original designs" are good and enough. This is called
Onitsumugi of Mawata, and my dad recovered this pongee that had existed
in the old times, and he weaved the thick pongees inside. (What is Mawata?)
Mawatas are cocoons of a silkworm, which are untangled into cotton, and
are finally made into threads. Making things into threads is called "spinning."
And we still use the name "tsumugi" (pongee), and we use threads called
"yoriito." That is why we are able to weave these detailed patterns. (Do
people used to do the spinning at home?) Yes, yes. (My mother used to do
that too!) Where does she live? (Hatano in Kanagawa.) Oh, Hatano has an
old history. Hata tribe used to cross the Komagawa river to get to the other
side. Komagawa was the place where people of Kourai, or Koukuri in the Korean
peninsula, were naturalized. The three lands of Kourai, Kudara, and Shiragi
were in struggle, and people of Kourai crossed the Japan Sea, arrived at
Niigata and Noto, and descended down to warm lands. The place they settled
down was Komagawa. Komagawa was cultivated pretty early because of the warmth
and the river that's there. It's not just that the people of Kourai were
naturalized there, but Komagawa was also a place filled with homesickness
because its lay of the land was similar to their hometown in Korea. There
were no letters and telephones back then, so they have always memorized
their hometown, I think. And they descended down south, taught their weaving
skills, and crossed the Tamagawa river. Tamagawa has its origin of word
as "Tabagawa," which comes from this village called Tanbayamamura, a place
in between Yamanashi and Tokyo. The river flows from there, so it took its
name as "Tamagawa." You can cross the bridge in a flash of 20, 30 seconds
by a car today. But before, the river had about 700, 800 meters of width,
right? They crossed it, descended south, and the place the Hata tribe settled
down on was Hatano-shi.
There were many head clerks at wholesale stores, who
could understand the worth of the products they touched.
Today, we sell our products at our own place, at department stores and
at the kimono dealer's place. Or else we won't be able to sell well. That
is because there were many head clerks at wholesale stores, who could understand
the worth of the products they touched. They were the ones who understood
the wellness of our products and knew that slight gap of the cloth's splashed
patterns was not a flaw. The reason why these people have been cut from
their jobs is because they are too old to make the contrast of the sales
to the month before. So those people are gone now. People today know how
to estimate the conventional sale numbers very well. But how they sell is
really irresponsible, because they don't even know where the products they
handle come from. That made the whole matter worse. That is why there are
many places where they cultivate their own merchandise. |
