Have you heard of “Kurashiki Knotting”?
“Kurashiki Knotting” is a chair mat woven by tying weft threads—each made from a bundle of as many as 160 wool strands—to cotton warp threads. Its name comes from the English word “knot.” It is still carefully made, one piece at a time, by graduates of the Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Institute, founded in 1953 by Tonomura Kichinosuke, the first director of the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft, as “the world’s smallest school.”
An exhibition bringing together works dyed and spun by graduates, including “Kurashiki Knotting,” is currently held at the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft, starting Tuesday, October 29, 2024. We bring you a look at this annual event, where visitors can take home a favorite from among the many works on display, and where both makers and users are filled with excitement.
The information presented was current when this article was published in November 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Association
The Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Institute was founded in 1953 by the late Tonomura Kichinosuke as the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft’s affiliated craft research institute. Even today, women aged 18 and over study the techniques of handweaving, hand-spinning, and traditional dyeing there for a year.
None of the works are made as objects for display; they are made for personal use or at the request of friends and neighbors. They are all examples of what is known as mingei—folk craft—with its “healthy, unpretentious beauty.”
“Kurashiki Knotting” is one of the most representative works, and it is also the first piece made by students at the Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Institute. Its distinctive patterns have been passed down through generations, and its durable construction—so it does not wear out even after decades—is another of its charms.
The Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Association, which is hosting this exhibition, is made up of current students and graduates of the Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Institute. Its members weave works throughout Japan. At the exhibitions held several times a year, they show one another what they have been working on, share the challenges of their work, and continue to learn and improve their skills together.
Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Association Exhibition
The Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Exhibition has been held every year in late autumn since the Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Institute was founded.
In 2024, it is being held for about a week, from Tuesday, October 29 to Monday, November 4, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (until 3 p.m. on the final day), at the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft’s special gallery.
I visited the venue on the afternoon of the opening day. Here’s a report on what it was like.
Photography is prohibited inside the venue, but special permission was granted for this article.
If there’s a piece you’re hoping to find, we recommend visiting early
Some visitors look forward to this exhibition every year and arrive eager to say, “This year, I’m taking this piece home!” It seems that visitors flock to the exhibition on the morning of the first day.
When I visited for this article at around 2 p.m. on the opening day, visitors were arriving nonstop, and the venue was full of energy and excitement.
Living in Kurashiki, I often see “Kurashiki Knotting” at shops that sell folk crafts. But this was my first time seeing works displayed across an entire wall, as they were at this venue.
According to Ishigami Rieko of the Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Institute, the exhibition at the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft is the only one held once a year on this scale, with works displayed and sold.
No works are replaced during the Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Association Exhibition, so if there’s a piece you’re hoping to find, we recommend visiting early.
Plenty of small items that are easy to incorporate into everyday life
Most pieces of “Kurashiki Knotting” cost close to 20,000 yen each.
So perhaps there are people who would like to bring one into their home but find it hard to take the plunge. I’m one of them: I always gaze at them in admiration, then leave the venue reluctantly, thinking, “Maybe someday, one for our home…”
This time, however, there are also plenty of small items on display besides “Kurashiki Knotting,” including scarves, brooches, and coasters.
Some items are reasonably priced, so they seem easy to incorporate into everyday life.
A venue filled with smiles from makers and users alike
What impressed me most at the venue was that everyone—staff and visitors alike—was smiling.
All the staff working at the register and elsewhere are members of the Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Association. In other words, they are the makers of the works.
After makers come from all over Japan to study for a year at the Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Institute, they return to their respective lives. They each dye their own threads, weave, and make works, so this exhibition is also an opportunity for the makers to meet face-to-face once a year.
The makers’ happy expressions as they enjoy chatting with their friends and watch users (visitors) hug the works they have made and bring them to the register. The makers’ expressions of joy when they find the piece they were hoping for.
Both were radiant, and the venue was enveloped in a warm atmosphere.
From the Writer
Because all the cloth is dyed with natural dyes and woven on handlooms, every step is done by hand, making mass production impossible. That is why being able to see so many different works all at once at an exhibition like this is such a rare and wonderful experience.
Admission is free, so if you’d like to see and touch “Kurashiki Knotting” in person, or experience the wisdom, joy, and responsibility involved in making things, why not visit the Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Association Exhibition?
Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Association Exhibition details
| Name | Kurashiki Honzome Handweaving Association Exhibition |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-4-11 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086‐422‐1541 |
| Parking | None |
| Hours | Tuesday, October 29–Monday, November 4, 2024 |
| Payment methods |
|
| Website | Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft website |
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