A Woven Record: The 1975 Portfolio of Traditional Japanese Textiles
In 1975, a remarkable project quietly captured Japan’s rich and regional textile traditions in a form as enduring as the weaves themselves. Commissioned by Senshoku to Seikatsusha and published by Tanaka Nao Senryōten in Kyoto, this limited-edition portfolio brought together 150 textile samples from ten distinct regions across Japan, stretching from Kyushu to Okinawa. Supervised by textile scholar Shoichi Goto and edited by Kiyotaro Tsujiai, the collection served as a visual and tactile record. It's also very much a cultural preservation effort—meticulously letterpress printed and mounted on handmade washi paper. Only 750 copies were ever produced, making the set a rare and poignant archive of living traditions, some of which have since faded from active practice.
Each plate in the portfolio features an actual mounted fabric swatch, paired with letterpress-printed text naming the textile, region, and artisan or weaving association.
These samples represent a staggering range of materials and techniques: indigo-dyed tsumugi, bast fiber weaves like fuji-fu (wisteria), and resists such as Arimatsu-Narumi shibori. Many swatches showcase natural dyes—shikon-zome (gromwell root), akane-zome (madder), and locally-grown indigo—alongside structural traditions like Hakata-ori, Ōshima tsumugi, and Tanba-fu.
Several of the featured techniques have been designated as Important Intangible Cultural Properties by the Japanese government, underscoring their value to the nation’s collective heritage.
This portfolio is a testament to the layered relationships between place, material, and human hand. Each region’s weaving tradition developed in response to climate, available fibers, trade routes, and local customs. As such, the collection doesn’t just showcase beautiful fabrics—it tells a story of community adaptation, innovation, and survival.
Weavers often worked with wild or cultivated bast fibers like shina, kuzu, or ramie to make cloth suited for humid summers or rugged travel. Others refined silk production into exceptionally fine handwoven garments that became symbols of social standing and artistry.
Today, viewing these plates feels like leafing through a textile time capsule. Many of the techniques remain vibrant and alive in the hands of skilled craftspeople, while others have slipped into near-extinction. The 1975 portfolio preserves them all with quiet dignity and reverence. Whether studied for their technical brilliance or admired for their artistry, these textiles offer a profound invitation: to slow down, look closer, and honor the generations who spun, dyed, and wove their worlds into cloth.
Here is a sampling of the pages. The photo of the original plates is shown first, and the second page has the translations super-imposed on it.
No. 1
No. 2
No. 3
No. 4
No. 5
