Made in ”Nishi jin”
”Hattori Textile Co., Ltd.” is a Nishijin textiles company that has a history exceeding 200 years. The name, Nishijin textile derives from ”Nishi no jin”(western fort) which is just what the name states. During the Muromachi period, there was a war called the Onin war between the East and the West troops, dividing Kyoto into two. The ”nishi” or the west troops were camped on the westward side, later referred to as the nishijin, or the west troop side. Thus the fabric made at ”nishijin” was named ”Nishijin ori”. Although the ”Nishijin” is often imaged as gorgeous kimonos, surprisingly the Nishijin itself is rather simple, being stripes or designs with splash patterns. The luxurious image probably comes with the obi, that is used with the kimonos.
Colorful Glamorous Obi
Hattori Textile also specializes in elegant and luxurious obi sashes for the kimono. The designs incorporate traditional Japanese ”Shosoin Kamon” and even from the French motif, ”Rococo art designs”. The dense hand-woven elaborate obi are as though you are looking at a work of art. Instead of wanting to don it, you would want to enjoy looking at it. This is indeed the pride of Japan.
