— Introducing our family’s textile-making, born from nature’s cycles and handcrafted work.
Spinning thread, dyeing color, and weaving cloth while touching the life of the mountains—
yamamayu textiles are created in harmony with nature.
What “yamamayu” Textile-Making Means
Listening to materials within nature’s cycles
At yamamayu, we value textile-making that begins with raising domesticated silkworms and wild silkworms (tensan).
Although we can’t produce every single thread in-house yet, every material we use is carefully selected by eye and hand.
Within the intersection of nature’s cycles and the time of handwork, we weave only what is needed, with care.
From Plants to Textile: How yamamayu Textiles Are Made
*Click each circle to open a detailed page. Please wait for English pages.
STEP 1: Cocoons & Thread
— Facing the “thread of life” —
Domesticated silkworms feed on mulberry; wild tensan feed on sawtooth oak. Their different habitats yield distinct hand-feel and color radiance in the thread.
After removing the pupa from the cocoon, the shell is gently opened and spread into a fluffy sheet. It is then hand-spun into thread.
By varying twist, thickness, and strength, the textile gains diverse expressions.
STEP 2: Dyeing & Spinning
— Color is the layering of memory and time —
Indigo, marigold, mugwort, plum, amur cork tree… receiving the colors of the seasons.
We carefully choose lower-impact dyes to balance vivid color with fastness.
We spin from floss in small amounts—only as much as needed.
STEP 3: Weaving
— The rhythm of sound and hands forms the textile —
Each thread is set carefully, exactly as designed.
We rely on handlooms without electricity and restore old power looms to use them for years to come.
Toward sustainable creation for the future.
→ “Workshop Experience & Booking (Hachioji / Yamanashi)”
Our Ongoing Efforts for the Future
Pupae and spent dye plants become compost.
Leftover threads are tied into “Mottainai Art.”
Foot-powered looms use no electricity; old machines are repaired and kept in use.
Nature programs for schools and children; silk-floss work opportunities for seniors.
→ Learn more about our Circularity, Reuse, Tools, and Community initiatives
Where yamamayu Textiles Are Born
Our studio is nestled in the satoyama (foothill countryside) of Yamanashi.
Amid distinct seasons, we make textiles with the flow of wind, light, and water.
Inheriting a weaving lineage that began in the Meiji era, we create textiles that reflect today’s life and the nature around us.
→ Learn more about Yamamayu Studio
Forms of Making, Rooted in Small Records
Throughout our days of turning cocoons into thread and then into textiles, we pause to reflect and to listen to materials.
In “yamamayu Daily,” we write about behind-the-scenes making, dialogues with materials, small discoveries, and life in the satoyama.
See yamamayu Textiles
Explore yamamayu textiles born from inherited skills and carefully chosen materials.
山まゆの里染織工房 