DESIGN MUSEUM JAPAN

Tsuruoka / Sagae, Yamagata Prefecture

What does design mean to you?

How can we improve a book?

Perhaps we develop a new type of paper, and use that.

Beyond visual elements, design is about creating an overall flow.

Nakui is in Sekigawa, a small community in Tsuruoka.

The winters here are snowy and challenging.

There's a traditional product: an unusual thread.

You go like this,

and keep adding to form a thread.

So pretty!

It's strong and supple, with a natural color.

The raw material comes from a tree that grows locally.

The soft inner bark is what's used.

It's dried and boiled for two days, then separated into thin layers.

More than 20 processes are required over a year's time to create the yarn.

Here, it's still too thick.

You tear it so that it's the right thickness for yarn.

The inner bark of a tree, torn and twisted into thread.

The yarn is woven into "shina" fabric.

It's a unique product, developed in a harsh environment.

I thought I knew what yarn was.

So I was surprised to see that anything can be turned into thread.

Yamagata's textile tradition has led to the production of world-class yarn.

Ah, they're so colorful.

And cute.

Wait. Really?

Nakui notices how thin it is.

It's made from ultrafine mohair, less than half the usual thickness.

Let's see how the ultrafine mohair thread is made.

If you pull it, it comes apart.

So we twist it, while keeping it taut.

That stretches it into fine thread.

Another key element can be seen in the spinning mill.

Let's take a close look at the machinery.

core thread
mohair thread

Mohair is wrapped around a core thread.

This is brushed, creating strong, soft and thin mohair yarn.

It was made in 1958.

Amazing!

The yarn can only be made using this 60-year-old machine.

A machine that has been running for 60 years is impressive.

Working with the same device for that long produces incredible results.

Design comes from a desire to make constant improvements.

Here, I saw that for myself.