A deep glossy color and a sophisticated texture with a heavy feel

"Koshuori" yarn-dyed fabric from Yamanashi

Boasting a history of over 400 years, Koshu weaving is completed through the hands of many people, including weavers, dyers, warpers, stitchers, and finishers.

The process of Koshu weaving

Koshu-ori umbrella fabric is essential for making Komiya Shoten's umbrellas, including the popular "Two Ply" series. Most of the umbrella fabric is woven in the Fujiyoshida area of Yamanashi Prefecture, through many divisions of labor that have remained unchanged since ancient times.

1. The Dye Shop

The yarn is dyed at a dye house before it is woven (yarn dyed).
A bundle of threads called a skein is dyed using high-pressure steam.

Skein

The dye (disperse dye) that dyes the fabric comes out of these small holes.

The dye is mixed and the skeins are dyed in a kiln.

In this way, the threads used in Koshu weaving are beautifully dyed thanks to the experience and knowledge of the dyers.

2. Warping Shop

At the warper, the dyed threads are prepared into warp threads.
The thread is wound onto a bobbin in a skein shape, and then the bobbin thread is wound onto a drum according to the width, length, and arrangement of the fabric.

At this time, it is important to wind the yarn with even tension, and warping prepares the yarn so that it can be set on the loom.

3. Weaving shop

At the weaver's shop, the weft threads are woven into the warp threads that were just prepared, and then the fabric is made on a shuttle loom.

Narrow-width shuttle looms are very rare, and because the weft thread is driven in with a shuttle and woven while being folded over, selvedge is created at the edge of the fabric. Because there is no need to sew a large piece of fabric to fit the width of the umbrella, there are no perforations, and the fabric looks smart and stylish. Another attractive feature is that you don't have to worry about fraying even if you use it for a long time.

4. The Cleaner

Finally, the cloth is treated by a cleaner to make it water repellent and water resistant.
In this way, Koshu weaving, which is now rare and is made specifically for umbrellas, passes through the hands of many craftsmen in many workshops before finally arriving at Komiya Shoten as umbrella fabric.