About Thread

Cloth begins with thread.

At yamamayu, cloth is made by combining several kinds of thread: hand-spun mawata silk born from cocoons raised in the studio, silk filament yarn commissioned from a twisting workshop in Hachioji, and precious tensan silk.

As the material changes, so do the light, softness, tension, warmth, and presence of the textile.
This page offers a gentle introduction to the threads that support yamamayu’s cloth.

At yamamayu, cloth is made from several kinds of thread: hand-spun mawata silk from cocoons, commissioned silk filament yarn, and precious tensan silk. Each changes the light, softness, and presence of the textile.

Threads That Shape Cloth

Even within the same weave, the expression of cloth changes greatly depending on the thread.
Some threads hold air and softness. Others return light with clarity. Some create tension and structure, while others sink more quietly into the hand.

At yamamayu, thread is not seen as a mere material, but as something that shapes the atmosphere of the cloth itself.

Thread is not only a material. It determines how cloth will breathe, hold light, and settle in the hand.

Hand-spun Mawata Silk

This yarn is born from domestic silkworm cocoons raised in the studio, and from cocoons that did not become reeled silk in the silk mill.
The cocoons are softened, opened into mawata, and then spun little by little by hand.

It is airy, light, warm, and able to release moisture. Its expression changes with the amount of twist, and it becomes one of the essential threads at the core of yamamayu’s stoles, kimono textiles, and textile works.

Hand-spun mawata yarn is soft, airy, and warm, with a living irregularity that remains visible in the cloth.

Silk Filament Yarn

This is a commissioned yarn prepared by a twisting workshop in Hachioji according to the needs of each textile.
It expands the range of design, clarity, and strength beyond what hand-spun mawata alone can provide.

It is dyed in the studio using both plant-based color and low-impact chemical dyes, depending on the expression and durability the cloth requires.

Commissioned silk filament yarn gives clarity, strength, and precision. It helps extend the design possibilities of the cloth.

Tensan Silk

A rare silk born from tensan cocoons raised in the studio and in Iwate.
It carries a pale jade-like natural glow and a resilient strength, and is used when the cloth calls for something especially distinctive.

In high-end stoles and exhibition works, this silk gives greater depth to the presence of the textile itself.

Tensan silk carries a pale natural glow and resilience that make it unlike any other silk.

Threads Yet to Come

Cotton is being explored through small-scale cultivation in the field and through research into how it might be spun and woven in the studio.
Kudzu thread, too, is being studied by working from the plant itself toward fiber and then thread.

To move gradually closer to material self-sufficiency, and to connect the gifts of nature more deeply to cloth — this is part of the direction of future thread.

Cotton and kudzu are not yet central threads, but they are part of the future direction — drawing cloth ever closer to the place where it is made.

Glimpses of Thread

Reeling tensan silk in Okaya, Nagano — Reeling tensan silk at a silk factory in Okaya, Nagano

Thread in a Living Cycle

Leftover yarn is tied and reused, silkworm pupae and spent dye plants return to compost, and foot-powered looms and older machines are kept working through repair and care.

Thread is something received within a cycle of materials, and something that must also be returned to that cycle with care.
This way of thinking is part of the making of cloth itself.

Thread is something received from a cycle of materials, and something that must also return to that cycle with care.