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     TOKAMACHI ‘S KIMONO STORY

Tokamachi (43.000 ab.) Niigata Prefcture, Japan, is famous not only for “Snow Festival”, but also because called “the town of kimono” boasting a millenary textile tradition. Every year in April, Tokamachi presents the new collection of kimono, while in the early May “Kimono Festival” is held spreading all over the streets. Tokamachi is the sister-city of Como since 1975, having the common point of ancient silk process production and high quality silk-made products manufacture. Adua Castagno has been leaving there for more than 2 years, taking care of relations with Como and Italy. Once came back in Turin, she obtained from Tokamachi City-Administration the Patronage and from Textile Association the shipments of kimono and accessories on purpose, for the exhibition that will take place in Autumn 2003.

  Earthenware with fabric imprints found at archeological site near Tokamachi, demonstrate that woven fabric was produced at least 1500 years ago. This can be defined as foundation of Tokamachi textile tradition that leads to manufacture of expensive fabrics called “Echigo-fu”, very famous during Middle-Ages period, because aspired from aristocracy to make their clothes.. The oldest Echigo-fu fabric of Niigata area has been preserved in Shoso-in (ancient historical precious items collection recognized as National Treasure from Government) of ancient capital Nara Todai-ji Buddhist Temple.

After, an improved version of Echigo-fu cloth, called Echigo-chijimi (Echigo-crape) was used for samurai’s summer formal wear during Edo period (1615-1868). Towards the end of this period, Tokamachi started the first silk version of Echigo-chijimi (Echigo-crape) called Kinu-chijimi (silk crape) for manufacturing kimono. During the next period Meiji (1868-1912), characterized by introduction of modern machinery and new technologies of dying and thread-twisting, Tokamachi improved silk-crape cloth and gave birth to “Akashi chijimi” crape used for kimono, which spread all over Japan making the fortune of Tokamachi as an important textile center. Local production of Tokamachi “Echigo-chijimi” continued successfully between the Taisho period (1912-1926) and the beginning of Showa period (1926-1989)

The development of Tokamachi as textile production and kimono-making site was confirmed after the Second World War by elaborating new kind of clothes used for kimono. Tokamachi today’s manufacture provides a wide range of kimono with annual production of 130.000 items, commercialized all over Japan, making it one of the most important and leading city in silk and kimono-making in Japan.                               

Adua Castagno