The material of silk

No.310442

En-mon Byakko Sujaku Nishiki

(Brocade with Design of White Tigers and Phoenixes in Roundels)

(Small Pattern on Red-colored Ground)

The design of this warp-patterned brocade depicts a pair of white tigers and phoenixes, the imaginary animals to protect the west and the south direction respectively according to the ancient Chinese thought, appeared in roundels of the style of the Sassanid Persian Empire (224~651 A.D.). The original design was left on the fabric handed down in Horyu-ji temple since the 7th century. The arabesque patterns in the roundels are also typical in that period.

"Every design of TATSUMURA'S fabrics has its own history."

Tatsumura Textile was founded by Heizo 1st Tatsumura (1876~1962) who received the Imperial Award from the Japan National Art Academy in 1956 and the Medal of the Purple Ribbon in 1958 for his inventions and improvements in the field of textile weaving. The long tradition of the company in the study of ancient fabrics and the reproduction of these fabrics based on the result of such researches have been handed down and further developed over the generations, to Heizo 4th Tatsumura at present, so that Tatsumura Textile Co., Ltd. are now producing and merchandising artistic fabrics well known in the world.

What is warp yarn (warp-pattern) brocade?

Warp patterned brocade is a silk brocade of which design is produced by the warp patterned that are dyed beforehand whereas the designs of the usual fabrics are made by the colored weft yarns. The excellent weaving technique of the warp yarn brocade was flourished in the Han Dynasty, China (206 B.C.~220 A.D.). Tatsumura Textile have been researching such technique of the ancient fabrics over the generations, and now producing silk fabrics suiting to the modern taste in the colors and the designs.he silk fabric is the ideal material for the fancy private goods like the one.

To know the ancient art is a "must" to create something new

In 1924, Tatsumura Textile firstly studied the treasured silk fabrics kept at Shoso-in repository since 8th century, A.D. to reproduce some items by the request of the Imperial Museum. Since then we have repeated the reproduction of the ancient fabrics throughout the world. The ancient fabrics usually do not show the original figure at present so that the precise examination on the construction of the fabric becomes necessary. We have to check the weaves using a microscope, determine the materials, make the point paper plans, and estimate the original dyeing and weaving techniques to produce as close as to the original. Test weaves must have been carried out many times in order to represent the original beauty of the silk fabrics that is required the energetic works.

Only the study of the ancient culture, history of the sense of beauty and the weaving technique to reproduce the ancient beauty will make it possible to reproduce the modern beauty of textile.

The material of silk