Kihachijo
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The name of this fabric means yellow (ki) eight (hachi)jo (a fabric measure
equivalent to 3.787 m); that is, yellow silk made in a piece measuring
30.3m. The island on which the fabric is made, located within the
prefectural district of Tokyo, is named Hachijojima after its famous
product. Kihachijo has a yellow ground with a checked pattern of brown and
black, the yellow coming from a grass called Hachijo kariyasu (Arthraxon
hispidus Makino).
Over ten dyeing processes are required to produce a durable colour, a
colour that is said to be resistant to washing and fading for up to forty
years. The fabric is still woven by hand on traditional high looms, but the
quantity produced is relatively small.
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