Another kind of silk, raised in the mountains and holding a quiet light.
Tensan, also known as yamamayu, is a wild silkworm native to Japan.
It feeds on the leaves of sawtooth oak and other trees. Its yellow-green cocoon gives rise to silk with a distinctive lustre.
Far fewer tensan are raised than domestic silkworms, and turning their cocoons into thread requires considerable care.
This rare material is one of the silks that gives yamamayu cloth its distinctive character.
A Silkworm Raised in the Mountains
Tensan grow by feeding on the leaves of sawtooth oak and other trees.
They pass the winter as eggs, hatch in spring, and shed their skin several times as they feed. Eventually, they spin their cocoons among the leaves.
Unlike domestic silkworms, which are raised under close human care, tensan grow in a deep relationship with the trees, the weather, and their surrounding environment.
Raising Tensan at Our Studio in Ichikawamisato
At yamamayu, we grow sawtooth oak trees and raise tensan at our studio in Ichikawamisato, Yamanashi.
Tensan were once raised in parts of this area, and groves of sawtooth oak can still be seen in the landscape today.
Raising tensan at the studio is not only a way of making material. It is also a way of renewing our relationship with the work that remains rooted in this land.
Silk Born from Tensan
Tensan silk has a lustre unlike that of domestic silk.
Its appearance shifts with the angle of the light, giving it a quiet presence within the cloth.
At the same time, making thread from tensan cocoons is not easy.
Only a small number are raised, and reeling the silk requires considerable care, so the amount of thread obtained is limited.
Its rarity is part of why tensan is a material we handle with particular care at yamamayu.
From Thread to Cloth
The parts that can be drawn out in long lengths become reeled tensan silk.
Those that are difficult to reel are worked by hand at the studio and given new life as spun thread.
Whether the silk can be reeled in long lengths or not, we carry each distinct expression into the cloth.
A Year with Tensan
From hatching and growth to cocoon-making and the next generation of eggs.
Our Studio Journal follows the year as we raise tensan at the studio.
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