Today, I visited Matsusaka City, here in Mie Prefecture.
My destination was the Matsusaka Momen Hand-Weaving Center. I had long been interested in trying hand weaving with Matsusaka momen, so I finally went there for the experience.
When people hear “Matsusaka,” they may first think of Matsusaka beef. But Matsusaka has also long been known as a town of merchants. During the Edo period, merchants from Matsusaka were active in many parts of Japan and were deeply involved in the distribution of cotton cloth and kimono fabrics. One of the textile traditions passed down in this region is Matsusaka momen.
The greatest charm of Matsusaka momen is, above all, its beautiful striped patterns based on indigo blue. Deep indigo, pale indigo, white, and gray are arranged in fine lines. From a distance, the fabric looks clean and calm, but up close, it has a surprisingly rich expression.
▼ The entrance to the Matsusaka Momen Hand-Weaving Center. A large Matsusaka momen noren curtain was hanging at the doorway.
Just seeing the noren curtain at the entrance was already beautiful enough. I was reminded once again how much depth can be created with only shades of indigo.
Inside, indigo-colored fabrics and products were displayed, and handlooms were set up. This time, I tried weaving on a traditional-style loom.
▼ The loom used for the hand-weaving experience. The warp threads were arranged in indigo stripes typical of Matsusaka momen.
The warp threads were already arranged in clear stripes, and the weft thread was passed through them. Passing the shuttle, beating the reed into place――the movement itself is simple and repetitive, but the expression of the cloth changes little by little depending on the rhythm and the amount of force used.
As I wove, I felt that stripes are not simply a pattern. The order of colors in the warp, the width of each stripe, the subtle differences in shade, and the depth created as the weft crosses them all come together. At first glance, Matsusaka momen may seem modest, but the more I looked, the more I was drawn in. Its stripes have a quiet strength.
▼ The cloth and shuttle during the weaving experience. The stripes of indigo, white, and gray overlap to create a quiet beauty.
When working with natural dyeing and hand weaving, I often find myself thinking about how to create colors or how to develop techniques. But what I felt again through this experience was that cloth can be deeply expressive without using many colors or bold patterns.
Indigo and white. Shades of color. The spacing of stripes. With only these elements, cloth can gain such depth.
Touching the beauty of Matsusaka momen gave me a strong desire to create. At Hitotsuya, I would like to think more deeply about how indigo, hand weaving, stripes, old looms, and local textile culture can be connected.
After the weaving experience, I had planned to walk around the old townscape of Matsusaka. The city still has traces of its castle town history and the atmosphere of a merchant town. I thought that, after learning about Matsusaka momen, walking through the town might help me see the connection between cloth and place in a more three-dimensional way.
However, the highest temperature in Matsusaka that day was 38°C. A heatstroke alert had also been issued for Mie Prefecture. It was clearly better not to overdo it, so I decided to leave the town walk for another time and return home after the weaving experience.
It was a little disappointing, but this too became part of the summer record. Next time, I would like to visit Matsusaka again in a cooler season and take a slow walk through the town. And when I do, I hope to see once more how the stripes of Matsusaka momen I saw today appear within the scenery of the town.