Traditional craft
Isesaki Gasuri
伊勢崎絣
Hand-made silk ikat from Isesaki in Gunma, the cloth behind the bold Meisen kimonos that were the everyday fashion of early 20th-century Japan.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 10 May 1975
- Type
- Woven textiles
- Region
- Kanto
- Official name in Japanese
- 伊勢崎絣
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 伊勢崎市、太田市 埼玉県／本庄市
Silk ikat, three ways
Isesaki Gasuri is a silk kasuri, or ikat: the pattern is dyed into the threads before weaving. Makers use tied ikat, board-clamped ikat and printing on the warp, and often combine two or more on one bolt, from simple marks to very fine patterns. It is made in Isesaki and Ota in Gunma and in Honjo in Saitama.
The Meisen boom
The production area took shape in the late 17th century. From the Meiji to the Showa era the cloth was known across Japan as Isesaki Meisen, the bright, affordable silk kimono many women wore every day.
Because so many steps are done by hand by different craftspeople, two pieces of the same design never come out exactly alike.
Good to know
- Vintage Meisen kimonos are popular with collectors. Look for the slight blur at the edge of each motif, the mark of real ikat.
- If you like the technique, compare it with Kiryu Ori, the brocade from the neighbouring silk town of Kiryu.
Questions travellers ask
What is Meisen?
Meisen was the trade name of the colourful, affordable silk kimono cloth from Isesaki and nearby towns, popular from the Meiji to the Showa era.
Where is Isesaki Gasuri made?
In Isesaki and Ota in Gunma, and in Honjo in Saitama.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.