as promised, here is the other video i mentioned about a traditional form of silk weaving for kimono in japan. these photos are from the unesco site on yuki tsumugi. apparently the silk cocoons used for yuki tsumugi are deformed and would otherwise not be used for normal silk yarn production, so yuki tsumugi plays an important role for sericulture by its recycling of the raw fiber.
every step is fascinating, from the handspinning of the raw silk floss (which it seems is not so much spinning as plucking as there is no twist) to the hand tying and dying of the yarn to the weaving of the textiles. seeing how much skill and labour goes into the creation of the textile, and later the construction of the kimono absolutely renews one`s appreciation for kimono. not only is japan full of unesco world heritage titles, but the sheer number of highly specialized and highly skilled artisans and the quality of their craft and the dedication to their labour is really mind blowing. thankfully yuki tsumugi has been handed down through the generations and not been lost to the age of the machine like so many other hand production techniques that have been overlooked, under appreciated and forgotten around the world. it`s a wonder because the whole process looks so incredibly time consuming and labour intensive. here`s the video by unesco, it`ll make you think;
