From cocoon to cloth, in the mountains of Yamanashi.
This is the story of a family studio continuing its textile practice with nature.
A weaving practice carried across generations, rooted in mountains, cocoons, dyeing, and cloth.
Founded in 1894 in Hachioji, Tokyo, our family workshop began as Nikaido Orimono, weaving kimono fabrics through the Taisho and Showa eras.
As times changed, we shifted from kimono to textiles, and from the 1980s onward developed fabrics for designers in Japan and abroad.
Today, the 4th and 5th generations continue the craft in the mountains of Yamanashi, returning once again to the beginning of the thread.
History & Background
Our second chapter in Yamanashi began in 1998. Captivated by Tensan, the 4th generation, Tetsuji Nakagawara, turned toward natural materials, plant dyeing, hand weaving, and sericulture itself.
With the support of family and the local community, we began raising Tensan, preserving eggs, and weaving in close relationship with the mountain climate.
The name yamamayu carries our wish to work with cocoons within the gifts of the mountains, and to let life inhabit cloth.
A Textile Practice with Nature
We raise both wild Tensan and domesticated silkworms, spin from cocoons, dye with plants, and weave one pick at a time. This work is not only production; it is a way of living with nature.
The time of life within each cocoon, and the hands that shape the yarn, are reflected in every cloth.
Textiles change with the times, yet their roots remain. The path that began in Hachioji in 1894 now breathes in our mountain workshop, woven into the rhythm of daily life.
A Family Craft
Today, the workshop is centered around the 4th generation, Tetsuji and Keiko Nakagawara, and the 5th generation, Risa Nakagawara. In our mountain studio, we take care of each step together, from raising silkworms and making yarn to dyeing and weaving.
Each piece carries the rhythm of our family’s hands and the quiet continuity of a craft passed from one generation to the next.
Members
- Tetsuji Nakagawara — Creator / Weaver
- Keiko Nakagawara — Creator / Dyeing & Spinning
- Risa Nakagawara — Creator / Web & Social
- Shoichiro Nikaido — Support
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For those who would like to learn more about the making, explore the works, or encounter the studio through experience, continue here.
山まゆの里染織工房 