Learning wisdom, techniques and "spirit" from our ancestors
In Japan, each region possessed its own wisdom and techniques for folk clothing.
The cutting method was straight, efficient, and allowed for ease of movement without waste.
Behind this lies a "spirit" of living in harmony with nature.
We are learning this wisdom, techniques, and spirit that were on the verge of being lost.
- Ms. Koeko Itoshiro (born in 1933) who taught us how to make "tatsuke" pants
We are creating clothing based on the traditional garment shapes found in Itoshiro, a village located on the border of Gifu and Fukui Prefectures.
In May 2012, grandmothers in their 80s, born and raised in Itoshiro, taught us how to make "tatsuke" pants.
Even though they said it had been nearly 50 years since they last made tatsuke, they remembered the fabric cutting methods and even the precise measurements. Furthermore, since it's based on "wasa" (Japanese sewing) techniques, all cutting is done in straight lines, resulting in absolutely no fabric waste.
When I tried on the finished product, I experienced a level of comfort I had never felt before, along with ease of movement. And as my body became free, I felt my mind also being liberated.
Our ancestors, who lived within the limited blessings of nature, efficiently and carefully used the precious fabrics they created by hand. We believe that the "spirit" of people who respected the natural environment and lived actively is embodied in these forms.
We continue to create products daily, learning from the folk clothing inherited in Itoshiro, adding modern creativity, and aiming to pass it on to the next generation.
The folk clothing we learned from
In Itoshiro, five types of straight-cut, straight-sewn garments (for both top and bottom) have been passed down. This folk clothing has been meticulously designed for ease of movement through straight cutting and straight sewing. By cutting in straight lines, fabric waste is minimized, which means the environmental impact is also reduced. This can truly be called the "culmination" of wasai (Japanese sewing) cultivated by the Japanese people.
At Itoshiro Clothiers, we are bringing back the wisdom and techniques accumulated over a long history and proposing ways to incorporate them into daily life.
Tatsuke Hakama Karusan
Echizen Shirt Sakkuri
Tatsuke
"Tatsuke" were made in Itoshiro as pants worn by everyone for farm work. They are roomy around the hips but tapered at the ankles, making them easy to move in and ideal for any type of work.
These are straight-cut, straight-sewn pants born from trial and error, created to be easy to move in with minimal fabric, using precious hand-spun, hand-woven hemp cultivated in the fields.
Hakama
"Hakama" are loose, wide-leg pants. They are made with ample fabric to accommodate various body types, suitable for both going out and as relaxed loungewear. In the past, they were worn over kimonos like raincoats, with the kimono tucked up. All parts are made from square shapes.
Karusan
"Karusan" are a shape that lies between tatsuke and hakama. We revived them by borrowing the precious pants of Itoshiro's Matsu-obasan (Grandma Matsu). It is believed that elderly people or those with unique body types who found tatsuke too narrow and restrictive made creative adjustments to wear them as daily attire. These pants achieve both the ease of movement of tatsuke and the relaxed feel of hakama.
Echizen Shirt
The distinctive feature of the "Echizen Shirt" is that one side is slit due to the fabric arrangement, and like traditional Japanese clothing, it has triangular gussets at the sides. While preserving the original design of the Echizen Shirt, we've created a blend of Japanese and Western styles to make it easy to pair with tatsuke and modern clothing.
Sakkuri
"Sakkuri" refers to a woven fabric made from a blend of hemp waste fiber and ramie fiber, hand-spun into thick threads. We create clothing based on garments made from this fabric, calling them "sakkuri." The photo shows an upper garment with twisted sleeves, woven and tailored by a grandmother herself, and finished with indigo dye. We apply this to shirts and dresses, making them entirely from straight-cut fabric sewn together.