Kiryu-ori is a luxury textile made using the sakizome nishiki-ori (pre-dyed patterned weaving, Jacquard technique), where threads are dyed before weaving to create designs. This gives it a rich texture and a distinctive high-quality finish. The Kiryu region has a long tradition of sericulture and weaving, and along with Nishijin in Kyoto, it was renowned as one of Japan’s foremost textile centers, expressed in the saying “Nishijin in the West, Kiryu in the East.” Kiryu-ori has over 1,000 years of history, with records from 714 (Nara period) mentioning textiles called Kihachiginu being presented to the Imperial Court. A legend tells that Shirataki-hime, a court lady skilled in sericulture and weaving, married a man from the ancient province of Kozuke (now Gunma Prefecture) and introduced silk-weaving techniques to Kiryu, giving rise to Kiryu-ori. By the early 19th century, under the protection of the Tokugawa shogunate, Kiryu began producing high-grade textiles such as kinran-donsu (gold brocade) and ito-nishiki (silk brocade). These traditions continue today. The seven representative techniques of Kiryu-ori—Omeshi-ori, Weft Brocade, Warp Brocade, Double-sided Weave, Floating Warp Weave, Kasuri Patterned Weave, and Twisted Weave—were designated as a Traditional Craft by the Minister of International Trade and Industry in 1977.

Photo courtesy ofPhoto courtesy of Kiryu Textile Cooperative Association