Yūki Weaving

Concept

A study of Yūki-tsumugi, a UNESCO-listed silk-weaving tradition from Yūki, Japan — known for hand-spun silk thread and ikat resist dyeing. The project traces the full process from cocoon to cloth, and asks how historical techniques can seed new hybrid textile processes that bridge craft tradition and contemporary design tools.

Design brief

Experience and document the complete Yūki-tsumugi process first-hand, then identify where low-tech or digital interventions could support both the preservation of the craft and its evolution. The project positions ethnographic learning as a design research method.

Skills

Ethnographic research Craft documentation Traditional loom operation Ikat resist dyeing Material experimentation Cross-cultural collaboration

What was studied

Tradition

Yūki-tsumugi process

Hand-spinning silk from cocoons, ikat resist dyeing before weaving, operating a traditional floor loom. Each step shaped by centuries of regional practice.

Research lens

Hybrid potential

Where can low-tech or digital tools extend or support the craft without displacing its character? What does this tradition offer contemporary textile design?

Outcomes

Full process documented

Cocoon to cloth — every stage of Yūki-tsumugi recorded as first-hand research

Craft as method

Ethnographic immersion used as a design research tool, informing the Sliver Fiber Printer and KI MONO projects

Cross-cultural exchange

Collaborative learning with local weavers, situating design practice within living craft knowledge