PURE HARMONY - The making of KYO CHIJIMI

Twisted threads.
Pure mountain water.
A lightness to the touch.
Vivid tones.
Time unrushed.

An elemental harmony between humans and nature shapes HaaT’s KYO CHIJIMI collections. Each unique piece comes to life through a blend of centuries-old weaving craftsmanship, progressive dyeing technology and the energy of nature. The result is a textile tinged with a deep natural beauty. It's organic and textured, light and breathable, irregular and ever-changing with time, in a rich spectrum of shades – just like in nature. The story starts in Takashima, a small city on the western shores of Lake Biwa, a serene, still expanse of water wrapped in mountains, just north of Kyoto in Shiga Prefecture. Here, life revolves around water. The peaceful region is steeped in stories, rituals, myths, traditions tethered to the lake that nourishes it.

Lake Biwa is fed by flows of spring water, purified through deep layers of ancient mountains. For centuries, this water has fuelled a rich daily landscape in Takashima – from the cultivation of a local hemp known as Omi jofu to fishing traditions and seasonal festivals. The spring water has long been used by local chijimi fabric weavers. The water’s purity has countless benefits – from prevention of thread breakages to the natural control of temperature and humidity when worn. Pure water is elemental to the beauty of HaaT’s KYO CHIJIMI. Artisans skilfully weave the cotton textile with countless twists and gaps in the weft thread, fuelling a lightness to the touch with minimal skin contact. Spring water is carefully passed through the fabric, causing it to shrink by half. This creates a unique puckering and organic pleating effect with an unevenness more typically found in nature than manufactured items.

Color is also key. The journey continues at a specialist dyeing factory, surrounded by the majesty of the Tateyama mountains in Toyama Prefecture, a central region overlooking the Sea of Japan. Here, artisans follow a meticulous dyeing process again deeply entwined with nature. Water from a well is cleaned in an outdoor purification system exposed to the elements (skies, sun, wind) before being used to dye the textiles. Artisans use beakers to formulate cocktails of colors, transforming blends from up to 70 inks into an infinite range of one-of-a-kind shades (there are more than 10 different blacks alone). These colors are softly gradated with an unusually intense depth, mirroring the changing seasons of the natural world.

The dyeing process itself is slow, unrushed and carefully nurtured – just like a mother tending her baby, as local artisans say. Textiles are first touched and hand-checked for tangles and wrinkles before being bleached. Then, as dyeing begins, craftsmen adopt a mindfully slow pace. The dyebath is set at an optimum temperature and submerged textiles are checked regularly to ensure the colors smoothly permeate all its uneven textures. These elements combine to create the original beauty of KYO CHIJIMI textiles – pure and natural, unique and vivid, each one rooted in nature and harmonized with a human touch.