Did you know that the thread from a single silk cocoon is a
mile long and that ninja spies used to transport the silk?
Don’t worry, I didn’t either until today.
As we turned off a bustling, very modern, street in Tokyo,
we found ourselves in a picturesque courtyard from another era. Sheltering the
gravel drive were grapevines bursting huge clusters of purple grapes, pushing
against a low, rickety looking building.
As we stepped through the low threshold we were greeted by a
rustic looking room where silk was being artistically dyed using the same
techniques that have been used for centuries.
Long low wooden tables held lengths of silk waiting to be hand
painted, tie dyed, or silk screened.
I was with a group from the embassy. A few people paid the
extra fee to create a beautiful floral design with on black fabric. Artisans
deftly instructed them how to coat a glue-like substance on the fabric to
create the pattern. I was intrigued by the timelessness of the place and the
photographer in me went a little crazy snapping pictures.
After completing the projects, we removed our shoes and were
taken up a steep flight of stairs to a simple loft covered in tatami mats and
low wooden benches. Yes, the mats were to sit on and the benches were to work
at. I’m fully aware, but my knees disagreed with this plan and a couple of us defiantly
sat on the benches.
Our instructor spoke only in Japanese, but fortunately a
young woman in our group, named Sarah, translated for us. Via Sarah, our
teacher explained that he and his family had been in the silk business for many
years. He seemed excited to share his knowledge with us and eagerly launched
into an explanation of silk kimono and the intricacies of silk and silk
painting.
We were surprised when the instructor asked us how much fabric
it took to make a kimono. I assumed he knew! Just kidding, but he wasn’t. He
virtually lunged towards each person in the room demanding a guess! I started
to fear he would keep making us guess until someone got it right.
It turns out it takes 13 meters to make one kimono. He
continued this same pattern of interrogation with the width of the fabric, and
the length of the thread in a cocoon. It turned out we were woefully ignorant
in such matters.
Did you know that it takes 200 cocoons to make one kimono?
That’s 200 miles of silk! Did you also know that silk worms keep their cocoons
together with spit? Yup. Spit. The only way to unravel a cocoon without
destroying the threads is to boil them in hot water, which dissolves the spit,
leaving the thread loose.
The best part was when he explained that different patterns could
only be made in specific cities. This was established for a few reasons. The
first was a financial monopoly within the silk industry, the second was to
ensure the authenticity of a pattern, but the best reason was because this
meant the Shogun could use Ninja spies, undercover… (Yes! I said it! Ninja
spies! Real ones), to deliver the fabric to each of the cities.
When they arrived,
they would also gather intelligence that aided the Shogun. Just in case I got
some of this explanation wrong, I will admit that I was a little confused about
the whole Shogun thing, but I guarantee that the whole Ninja thing is dead
accurate! Silk seems so much cooler now!
After our lecture we went back downstairs and created our
own little masterpiece. It turns out it takes some skill!
All in all, an exciting day that I would highly recommend if
you happen to have a free afternoon in Tokyo.
