Commitment to fabric making OUR FACTORY

Commitment to deep colors and textures

We plan and manufacture fabrics with a focus on Japanese-style fabrics. We are particular about the tasteful deep colors, the texture that is comfortable to use, and the fabric that is sturdy and can be used for a long time.

About Bushu Ai

The beginning of Bushu Ai

The current Kita-Saitama area was once called Bushu. Eiichi Shibusawa was the model for the NHK Taiga drama "Seiten wo Tsuke", and the area along the Tone River was suitable for growing indigo and cotton.
The area around Hanyu City in Saitama Prefecture, where Kojima Dyeing and Weaving Industry is located, was also a very active place for indigo dyeing from the Edo period to the Meiji period, and at its peak it was the second largest production area for indigo dyeing after Tokushima Prefecture. Housewives of farmers spun cotton threads, dyed indigo, and woven fabrics during the off-season after the autumn harvest. became.
Then, we will switch to a full-time konya (indigo dyeing company).

The heyday of the Meiji era

At the beginning of the Meiji period, a tabi manufacturing factory was built in Gyoda City, nearby.
With the introduction of foot-operated sewing machines instead of manual sewing, and the addition of power sewing machines, production increased dramatically.
Backed by the production of blue-striped and white cotton fabrics, it has become a key industry in northern Saitama, including Gyoda, Kazo, and Hanyu. It is said that there were more than 200 konya in its heyday.
Around the 30th year of the Meiji era (1897), the railway began operating, and along with the transportation of people, it is said that sales channels in the Tohoku region were developed as a means of transporting tabi socks.

Bushu indigo that changes with the times

The land that was once cultivated for cotton and cotton has been transformed into vegetable gardens. With the spread of synthetic fibers, the demand for traditional clothing, such as those used for farm work, dwindled.

However, the indigo-dyed textiles of Bushu are still used as a material for kendo wear because of their deep color, durability and high density. Currently, the number of producers has decreased, but as the only production area for kendo wear materials in Japan, the Bushu Textile Association continues to protect the tradition and value of the regional trademark Bushu Sei-Aizome.

Variation of Bushu Ai

What is dyed and woven in the Bushu district is called Bushu Sei Aizome. Many of them are yarn-dyed fabrics that are dyed from the yarn.
There are other techniques of indigo dyeing, and each dyeing and weaving factory carries out its own craftsmanship.

Dye at the thread stage
[Bushu navy blue] Used for kendo uniforms, etc.
A rustic and simple fabric with only old-fashioned shades of indigo.
[Bushu Tozan] Karasuori and indigo dyeing, in which cotton threads are woven in vertical stripes
combined. Impressive striped pattern with depth.

Make it into a cloth and then dye it
[Bushu stencil dyeing] After placing the paper and pasting it, it is dyed with indigo.
When the glue is removed with water, the pattern remains white.

About the indigo of Kojima Senshoku Kogyo

Our company is a production factory for Bushu kanori, which is dyed at the yarn stage and then woven. Indigo can be expressed not only with natural dyes but also with chemical dyes.
In the long history of our company, we still cherish the vintage feel of the deep colors and unique discoloration that are unique to skein dyeing.
With the original dye formula and original equipment created to express this, we carefully dye and weave even the core of the thread today.