A length of Karami cloth holds a history that cannot be explained by the movement of a loom alone. People introduced techniques, renewed equipment, and kept production going through organisational change. Their work built the ability to weave that we inherit today.

Bringing Kiryu’s knowledge to Noto

The history of Tazuruhama Orimono began in 1956. Kitayama’s father-in-law introduced traditional weaving knowledge from Kiryu and began producing Karami cloth. In those early years, production relied on shuttle looms.

Karami weaving crosses warp threads around the weft. Kitayama’s father-in-law established a system for producing this intricate structure on automatic looms, bringing inherited weaving knowledge into daily production.

He was also the founder of the former Shio Orimono. According to the history passed down, he contributed to the idea of stretch fabrics made using covered yarn. Behind these different kinds of cloth was a continuing interest in what yarn and weaving could make possible.

From shuttle looms to rapier looms

In 1997, Tazuruhama Orimono changed its equipment from shuttle looms to rapier looms. This transition led to the production system carried forward today.

Equipment changes, but the work of understanding yarn, adjusting machinery, and keeping a weave consistent continues. Passing on a craft involves maintaining the ability to use accumulated skills with the equipment of each generation.

Five operations come together in 2004

The former Kishi Shoji group included textile operations with different equipment and roles. In 2004, the following five were integrated to begin operating as TECHNOWIN:

  • Shio Orimono: stretch fabrics
  • Tazuruhama Orimono, formerly Kanamaru Orimono: production on Karami looms
  • Good River, formerly Yoshikawa Orimono: production on water-jet looms
  • Hokkoku Orimono: production on water-jet looms; now the TECHNOWIN head-office factory
  • Hokkoku Sen’i: a spinning mill

Karami weaving was one of the skills carried into this new organisation. The knowledge developed at Tazuruhama Orimono remained in the daily work of the people operating its looms.

Hokkoku Gosen’s false-twist texturing operation, also part of the former group, followed a separate path from this five-operation integration.

What we pass to the next generation

The founding in 1956, the equipment change in 1997, and the integration in 2004 each changed the shape of production. Through those changes, weaving knowledge and experience passed from person to person.

We inherit that accumulated work. Our responsibility is to restore buildings, maintain and renew equipment, and pass on the skills that allow the next generation to keep weaving. Through SHALO, we aim to bring those skills to new users, carrying the ability to weave into the next length of cloth.

English company names are transliterations or renderings of the Japanese names.