Traditional craft
Tama Ori
多摩織
Silk from Hachioji, once called the city of mulberries, woven in five distinct styles and known for understated cloth that grows softer the more it is worn.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 3 March 1980
- Type
- Woven textiles
- Region
- Kanto
- Official name in Japanese
- 多摩織
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 八王子市、あきる野市
Five weaves from one town
Tama Ori is made in Hachioji and Akiruno in western Tokyo. It covers five weaves: omeshi crepe, tsumugi, double-layered futsu-ori, kawari-tsuzure and gauze-like mojiri-ori. The cloth is traditionally sober and practical, now with fresher designs.
Crepe kneaded in hot water
For omeshi, the weft is first lightly twisted, then rubbed by hand with bracken starch and paste and twisted again, left and right, on a hatcho twisting machine. After weaving, the cloth is kneaded in hot water so its fine crinkle rises, then stretched to width.
Silk since the 12th century
Silk has been woven around Hachioji since the end of the Heian period. The Hojo clan encouraged it as a local industry in the late Muromachi period, and new techniques after the Meiji era laid the base for today's Tama Ori.
Good to know
- Coats and haori jackets in Tama Ori are made to be worn often: the makers say the texture improves with every wear.
- Hachioji is on the JR Chuo Line from Shinjuku, on the way to Mount Takao, so it is easy to combine with a hike.
Questions travellers ask
What kinds of cloth are called Tama Ori?
Five weaves: omeshi, tsumugi, futsu-ori, kawari-tsuzure and mojiri-ori.
Where is Tama Ori made?
In Hachioji and Akiruno in western Tokyo.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.