Nibutani-attushi is a fabric made from tree bark. Nibutani originates from the Ainu word (Niputai) translating to 'a land where the trees grow thickly' apparently.[1] The bark fiber is grown and harvested next to Biratori, Hokkaido by Ainu communities.[1] The bark is harvested and fiber contents scrapped from the interior layers of wild Manchurian elms in length strips. These strips then are left to dry and boiled with wood ash. The contents are removed in a sinewy like density, into thin strips of fiber content from the boiled bark and left to dry for 2 weeks.[1] These fiber contents are then left into very thin sheets and turned into 2mm threads. These tiny fiber contents are then woven into thread using a Attushi Karape which is a type of weaving loom perhaps, which uses a lot the dynamics of gravity to put weight on the warp and weft threads when weaving.[1] This is different from Honshu looms, as 2 people are required to operate the weaving process, and is a descendant of the Koshibata (back strap loom).[1] This craft has been produced as a traditional heritage craft since the early 20th century, around the first quarter of the 1900s.[1] The fabric is used for Kimono, Hanten (short coats), aprons, and accessories.[1]
Nibutani-attushi was originally made as a durable fabric for family members of the Ainu, this is most likely centuries before the 18th century when the first recognition of the craft was known to local literary languages. Later on down the line, Japanese merchants adopted the fabric and it became known throughout Honshu by the 18th century.[1] Formal written records date this to around 1792.[1] By this time, the Ainu seem to have been due to a lack of access to the sea perhaps, going to the land to produce goods to sell to make their living.[1] This state of affairs would continue into the 20th century, when the craft was recognised by the Heritage Craft associations of Honshu, and then began to boom as an artisan production by the middle of the century. Nibutani crafting became a viable business in the 1950s and the craft went into mass production. These fabrics were some of the first tangible properties in Hokkaido to be designated as such in 2013.[1]
Bibliography
[1] https://kogeijapan.com/locale/en_US/nibutaniattoushi/
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