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History of Artistic Textiles

The Japanese people, with their excellent artistic talent, have formed an original culture not only by developing indigenous cultural elements, but by deftly assimilating many foreign cultural elements, originating both in the West and the East, which streamed into their country in different ages. The techniques of dyeing and weaving also made great progress in Japan in the Nara era (710-784) under the influence of Chinese culture in the Sui and T'ang periods, during which China expanded into a world power. Thus, Japanese textiles reached a high artistic standard in this era, during which Buddhism was also introduced to Japan.

After the designation of Kyoto as Japan's new capital, craftsmen specializing in dying and weaving settled in the Nishijin district of the city to serve the Emperor's court. They formed a well-organized community led by members of the House of Hata, who possessed the then unrivaled expertise in this field. The community gradually expanded by absorbing commercial textile manufacturers, making Nishijin the center of textile industry in Japan.