Once the warp has been prepared, we place the warp beam on the loom and begin tying the newly prepared warp threads to the old ones, one by one.
When our weaving factory was still in Hachioji, this kind of work was done by people who specialized in tying warp threads. I imagine they moved from one weaving workshop to another, working wherever their hands were needed.
There was another specialized job as well.
Before metal heddles became common, the heddles themselves were made of thread. After weaving with strong fibers such as Tensan silk, the threads of the heddle could become worn and more likely to break.
When that happened, all of the warp threads had to be removed and drawn through a new set of heddles again. This process was called hikkomi. There were people who specialized in this work too.
There were even families who specialized in replacing the threads of the furui. I still remember taking ours to them several times a year.
Later, the thread heddles were replaced by metal ones, which rarely break. We no longer need to remove every warp thread and draw it through the heddles again. Now, by tying the old warp to the newly prepared warp, one thread at a time, we can continue on to the next cloth.
The old thread heddles and the tools once used to replace them are still kept in the workshop.
Perhaps one day, when we begin making something new, we may find a use for them again.
