A Rare Common Thread: Ise Cotton

Written by Ren Wong

The story of Ise cotton, or Ise momen, begins over a thousand years ago when brocade weaving was introduced in the 8th century. Ise, at the eastern tip of modern-day Mie Prefecture, became renowned for weaving silk and hemp. When cotton seeds were introduced in the Muromachi era (1336-1573) Ise’s fertile soil produced the best cotton in the country. The area’s silk and hemp producers adapted to this new cloth, creating fabrics such as the “White Cloud Weave” and “Ise Sarashi” that swept the country, and the name of “Ise cotton” became known far and wide. Until then, although the wealthy could swaddle themselves in silk, common folk had only hemp to stay warm in the chill of winter. Ise cotton profoundly changed the lives of ordinary people. 

From the 14th to the 20th century, some said that Ise cotton was the “most popular textile of choice” in Japan, riding a cotton wave that impacted lifestyles, fashion, industry and the global economy and as in the 1930s Japan became the top cotton spinning country in the world. Production of Ise cotton continued to grow, with more and more factories opening, with postwar reconstruction. However, the appearance of modern cheap, mass produced chemical fibers spelled doom for domestic producers until today, only one Ise cotton company still stands: Usuishokufu in the temple town of Senjuji in Tsu City. 

Senjuji

The workshop housed in Usuishokufu’s traditional Japanese townhouse has continued making fabric in the same fashion since the Meiji era. Ise momen’s secret lies in the usage of “single” yarn wound in only one direction creating a fine, fragile thread called tanshi. Tanshi is made from the world’s finest San Joaquin cotton spun by the Kurashiki Spinning Company (now renamed Kurabo Group) under their “Mitsu-uma” brand, famous throughout Asia as one of Japan’s first modern exports. One by one, these threads are cleaned of dirt and oil in a painstaking, chemical free process before being dyed with chestnut peels, tea leaves, indigo, or other natural materials.

The thread is strengthened by a starch coating before being wound on age-old wood bobbins stacked by the hundreds next to the loom. Often 250 spools are used simultaneously, constantly replenished with up to 1200 spools used for one piece of fabric. Each piece develops with care under the watchful eye of veteran technicians who constantly fine tune the spacing between threads, as each minute another 3 cm of lustrous cloth emerges. The gradual, careful weaving of these fragile yarns creates a soft, air filled textile. Tanshi is too delicate for modern mass production so in Usuishokufu’s factory, Ise cotton is still woven with the same looms used since the Meiji era (1868-1912). These machines, no longer in production today, are themselves masterpieces of industrial design created by Sakichi Toyota, whose son established the world-famous carmaker.

Worn and washed over time, the starch dissolves and the tanshi yarn gradually opens, returning to its natural cotton state, becoming softer, breathable and more lustrous while retaining its shape. Unlike conventional cottons which harden with repeated washing, Ise momen ages with grace, becoming more pleasant to the touch as time goes by. 

What is the future of Ise cotton in the Fast Fashion era? Naruo Usui, the President of Usuishokufu, observes that today more people “seek true quality items over mass produced goods” and a growing number of young designers are taking interest in the unique quality of Ise momen. Whatever may happen, this industry, like the thread at its core, may be fragile, but also enduring. For the few skilled technicians who watch over the weave, as for the many fans who appreciate its craftsmanship and comfort, it is hoped that the thread of time, like tanshi itself, becomes more lustrous with each passing day.