Kojima, home to a concentration of textile-related businesses, is Kurashiki’s representative “textile town”
Kojima captivates fans in Japan and abroad as a “textile town.”
Here, we introduce the diverse textile products made in Kojima, along with the companies that make them.
Sanada-himo, Kojima’s oldest narrow-width woven fabric
Of Kojima’s textile products, Sanada-himo has the longest history.
Sanada-himo is said to be the narrowest woven fabric in the world, and is characterized by its strength—it will not stretch even when supporting heavy objects.
In the past, it was used as protective gear to fasten samurai armor, as cords for hanging swords, and as a non-slip material. It was also apparently used by ordinary people to tie tea utensils together and as an obi clasp.
Records show that Sanada-himo was first made in Kojima in 1789, in Tanokuchi Village.
Sanada-himo became popular as a souvenir for pilgrims visiting both Mt. Konpira and Yuga Shrine, laying the foundation for Kojima to become a textile town.
However, as times changed, the number of businesses manufacturing Sanada-himo declined. As of 2025, Sakamoto Orimono Co., Ltd. (hereafter, “Sakamoto Orimono”) is the only company still making Kojima Sanada-himo.
Kojima’s Sanada-himo also nearly disappeared for a time due to a lack of successors, but Sanae Sakamoto, current executive managing director of Sakamoto Orimono, ensured that its precious techniques and the power loom essential for weaving Sanada-himo were passed down.
To meet modern needs, Sakamoto Orimono focuses on producing original Sanada-himo in small batches and offering a colorful range of beautiful products.
Tatami-beri, still evolving and No. 1 in domestic market share
Production of narrow-width woven fabrics such as Sanada-himo was especially active in the Karakoto area of Kojima.
In addition to Sanada-himo, narrow-width woven fabrics include tatami-beri. Tatami-beri is the woven fabric used along the two edges of tatami mats. It is a building material that protects the mats and holds them together.
Tatami-beri itself dates back to the Nara period, but production in Okayama began in the Taisho period (1912–1926). Okayama’s tatami-beri earned a reputation for its high quality, and the region became one of Japan’s leading production centers.
Among the producers, Takata Orimono Co., Ltd., founded in 1892, still accounts for 40% of Japan’s tatami-beri market as of 2025.
Takata Orimono originally made Sanada-himo, but began producing tatami-beri in the early Showa period in response to changing times. Today, its corporate vision is “From traditional culture to pop culture,” and it offers not only traditional tatami-beri but also a diverse selection of tatami-beri designs.
In 2014, it also opened FLAT, a directly operated store that delivers tatami-beri straight to end users without going through tatami shops.
Takashi Takata, the company’s president, says, “Because many people in Kojima, where the textile industry thrives, knew how to use sewing machines, the value of tatami-beri as a handmade craft material increased.”
The company now also collaborates with other businesses, holds handmade workshops, and produces tatami-beri for inbound visitors, bringing its appeal to new audiences.
As one of Japan’s leading tatami-beri production centers, Takata Orimono works to raise awareness of and increase the value of tatami-beri.
Sewing techniques for three-dimensional items are honed through tabi and school uniforms
During the Taisho period (1912–1926), tabi also began to be produced in inland areas.
In addition to Kojima, Chayamachi also became a tabi production center. The “sewn-on jika-tabi,” with rubber attached to the sole, was also developed.
Marugo Co., Ltd., which created jika-tabi, is a long-established company that continues to make tabi in Chayamachi, where it is based, and has done so for more than 100 years.
With the start of tabi production, many textile companies acquired sewing techniques for three-dimensional items.
The Taisho era was a time of transition from Japanese clothing to Western-style clothing.
The custom of wearing school uniforms was also gradually adopted in Japan. As demand for school uniforms grew, the garment-making skills for three-dimensional items that had been developed through tabi production came into their own.
Seeing the school uniform boom as a business opportunity, many textile companies in Kojima switched to manufacturing school uniforms.
With the start of the Showa era, school uniform production in Kojima reached its peak. About 90% of school uniforms nationwide were produced in Kojima, with annual production reaching nearly 10 million garments.
After World War II, the birthplace of “Japanese-made jeans”
After World War II, American secondhand jeans began arriving in Japan, spurred by the black market that operated in Ameyoko Shopping Street in Ueno, Tokyo.
The sales representative of Maruo Clothing (now Big John Co., Ltd.; referred to below as “Big John”), which made school uniforms in Kojima at the time, came across jeans being sold on the black market.
When Big John became the first company in Japan to manufacture and sell jeans, Kojima’s name spread as the “birthplace of Japanese-made jeans.”
Companies that had previously made school uniforms faced many challenges in making jeans.
For example, denim is a thick fabric, and it is said that the needles of the sewing machines used to make school uniforms could not pass through it. The people of Kojima began making jeans by modifying their sewing machines, and went on to develop the area into one of Japan’s leading jeans-producing regions.
As the jeans industry expanded, sewing machine shops and businesses specializing in buttons and zippers also increased in number in Kojima.
In 1970, Betty Smith was launched as Japan’s first women’s jeans brand, taking on the challenge of manufacturing and selling jeans designed for women’s comfort.
As of 2025, Betty Smith does more than manufacture jeans. It shares the appeal of jeans in many ways, including contributing to local elementary schools’ social studies field trips through the opening of the Jeans Museum and offering new ways to enjoy jeans through hands-on jeans-making experiences.
The company also focuses on developing talent for the textile industry, and many of Betty Smith’s craftspeople hold the Textile Meister qualification.
To ensure Kojima continues to shine as a textile town, Betty Smith will continue to pursue new value in jeans.
In this way, many textile companies in Kojima continue to take on challenges to preserve the traditional culture and techniques behind a wide range of textile products and pass them on to the next generation.
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