Cloth begins with thread.
At yamamayu, we make cloth by bringing together different threads: principally hand-spun mawata thread made from cocoons raised in our studio, silk yarn prepared by a specialist twisting workshop in Hachioji, and Tensan silk.
As the material changes, so do the cloth’s light, softness, structure and warmth.
This page introduces the threads that support cloth-making at yamamayu.
Thread gives form to cloth
Even with the same weave, the character of the cloth changes greatly with the thread.
Some threads hold air and feel full; others reflect light with clarity.
Some give structure, while others settle into softness.
At yamamayu, we see thread not simply as a material, but as something that shapes the presence of the cloth.
Mawata thread
This thread is made from the cocoons of domestic silkworms raised in our studio, as well as cocoons that could not be reeled into raw silk at a silk mill.
The cocoons are softened in hot water, opened into mawata, and spun little by little by hand.
It is light and airy, holding warmth while allowing moisture to pass through. Its character changes with the amount of twist.
This thread lies at the heart of yamamayu’s work.
Silk yarn
We commission this yarn from a specialist silk-twisting workshop in Hachioji, according to its intended use.
It brings qualities, strength and possibilities of construction that hand-spun mawata thread alone cannot provide.
We use both botanical and synthetic dyes according to the colour we seek and the purpose of the cloth, creating the light and structure each piece requires.
Tensan silk
This rare thread comes from the cocoons of Tensan wild silkworms raised at our studio and in Iwate.
It has a natural pale jade lustre and strength, and is used in special pieces of cloth.
We use it in stoles and exhibition works when we want to bring the distinctive light and presence of Tensan silk into the cloth.
Threads for the future
We hope gradually to make more thread from cocoons raised in our own studio, carrying what we receive from nature more deeply into the cloth.
This is how we look towards the threads of the future.
A record of threads
Thread within a cycle
Even short lengths of leftover thread are joined again and carried into new thread or cloth.
We also continue to use treadle looms and older looms, caring for and repairing them as we work.
Not allowing our relationship with a material to end when we receive it.
This way of thinking runs through the whole process from thread to cloth.
From thread to cloth
You can look more closely at how thread is drawn from mawata,
and continue tracing its path towards cloth.
Home › From Cocoon to Cloth › About Thread