Mawata

When the air in the mountains changes, the atmosphere of the studio changes too.
Touching mawata in the clear morning air gently loosens the mind.
Mawata is part of the rhythm of our life.

Mawata is made by softening the cocoon, removing the pupa, and opening it into thin silk layers.
From there, it can be drawn into thread by hand and carried slowly toward cloth.

This page is not only about the material itself, but about the time, touch, and quiet presence of mawata in the life of the studio.

Mawata and the Mountains

As the seasons shift, the movement of the hands changes too.
In winter, slower. In spring, lighter. Each time mawata is opened and a thread is drawn from it, it feels as if the breath of the mountain meets the breath of the body.

Memory in the Hands

What was passed down was not “skill” alone, but trust in touch.
A little irregularity often carries more life than perfect evenness. Thick places, thin places, and the feeling of the day all remain in the thread.

When the hands follow the rhythm of the material instead of forcing it, the yarn begins to hold a gentler expression.

“When I leave mawata on the desk, even a busy day becomes a little quieter.”

Seasonal Colors, Everyday Colors

The colors gathered from plants near the studio never dye in exactly the same way twice.
That is part of their beauty. The color of rain, the color of sun, the color of a freshly cut branch.

These are colors that feel close to the landscape of everyday life.

For Children

There are times when children touch mawata in schools and forest kindergartens.
The moment it becomes thread, their eyes brighten. There is no single correct result — only touching, trying, and laughing.

Those moments feel like one way this handwork continues into the future.

Tensan and Friends

Cocoons raised by friends in Iwate, cocoons raised in the Yamanashi studio — thread is born where human life and the rhythm of nature overlap.

The pupa returns to the soil. The plants used in dyeing return to the soil as well. Within that cycle, the cloth continues to grow.

Time for Doing Nothing

In workshops, there are times when we deliberately make space for doing nothing.
Just sitting, touching the mawata in the hands, listening to sounds outside. Some days, that is enough.

There is no need to hurry. No need to decide too quickly. Mawata belongs beautifully to stillness.

Born from living beings, mawata seems to carry a quiet power to soften the heart.

The Quiet Beauty of Mawata

One of mawata’s most distinctive qualities is its gentle luster.
It absorbs light and reflects it softly, creating a quiet glow that changes with the angle and the hour.

Because of this, mawata yarn and cloth carry a sense of depth that does not need to announce itself.

Leno weave textile made with hand-spun mawata silk — **Hand-spun Mawata Silk Leno Weave**

At yamamayu, mawata is something we hope to carry into the next generation — through cloth, objects, and workshops, as a gift from the natural world that has become less familiar in daily life.