SAITO ORIMONO Co.,Ltd.

The desire to create woven ori belts that go well with kimonos dyed by GION SAITO

SAITO ORIMONO was established in 1976 based on this desire of our predecessor, Teiichiro Saito. It started from borrowing a friend’s rice granary in the Saiin area of Kyoto and using one trial loom and two homebased weavers. As the number of homebased weavers gradually increased, in 1989 he established a new company building in what is now the Nishigamo area of Kyoto. In the early days, they brought materials into the empty studio, purchased a loom, and had the artisans assemble it themselves. Now, we work on eight handlooms.

To date, we have created all and every kind of woven fabric from this single studio. This is due in a large part to meeting Hidekazu Kawaguchi, who played somewhat of a woven fabric professor role for SAITO ORIMONO. From the initial days of the new studio launch, Kawaguchi and the founder were inseparable in their attempts to recreate antique kogire fabrics and train the young generation of weavers while hard at work producing.

Thoroughly studying and clarifying the antique kogire fabric elements like structure and materials, and faithfully recreating the essence of Nishijin-ori fabric obi belts. Learning the workings of the loom and making it possible for weavers to make repairs on their own. Providing an environment in which young artisans could freely create, and keep trying techniques without fear of failing.
Being able to work on the loom every day in this wonderful environment is joy to each and every artisan.