Iyo Kasuri

Kasuri cotton is woven mainly around Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture. In this region, striped cotton was woven on a local loom as a side job for farmers, but during the Kyowa era (1801-1804), Kagiya Kana of Habumura, Onsen County (present Matsuyama City) tried to make something that imitated Kurume Kasuri, and after various ideas, began weaving kasuri by dyeing cotton thread. During the Bunka era (1804-1818), Kikuya Shinsuke introduced a high-rise loom from Nishijin and improved it for cotton kasuri, and Iyo stripes and Iyo kasuri were produced under the protection and encouragement of the Matsuyama Domain to help farmers. After the Meiji era, it became one of the three major cotton kasuri production areas, along with Kurume and Bingo, and at its peak just after the Russo-Japanese War, annual production reached approximately 2.47 million bolts. Until now, the main uses of the fabric have been for work clothes in rural areas, with some for futons with ikat patterns. Dyeing was originally done only with Shoai, but now it is done with artificial indigo using hydro-dyed weaving, and although some treadle looms are still used, they have been replaced by power looms.

[Kadoyama Yukihiro]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

愛媛県松山市付近を中心に織り出される絣木綿。この地方では、農家の副業として縞(しま)木綿が地機(じばた)で織られていたが、享和(きょうわ)年間（1801～1804）に温泉郡垣生村(はぶむら)（現、松山市）の鍵谷(かぎや)カナが久留米(くるめ)絣をまねたものをつくろうとし、いろいろ考案の結果、綿糸を染めて絣を織り出した。文化年間（1804～1818）には菊屋新助が西陣より高機(たかばた)を導入して木綿絣用に改良、農民救済のため伊予縞と伊予絣が松山藩の保護奨励のもとに生産された。明治以後、久留米、備後(びんご)とならぶ三大綿絣産地の一つとなり、日露戦争直後の最盛期には、年産約247万反に上った。用途はこれまで農村の作業着が主体で、一部にふとん用の絵絣があった。染色はもと正藍(しょうあい)だけであったが、いまは人造藍のハイドロ建てとなり、織機も足踏織機を一部に使っているが、力織機化されている。

［角山幸洋］

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