Second best part of my trip to Saga: I got my doll!
My praise to Mr Saganishiki for his creative design.

Mr Saganishiki had quite a time getting my loom and warp back in proper working order.
I was weaving way to tight and the warp was getting smaller and smaller.
By using the koyori, he was able to spread the warp out.




It took a few koyori to get everything well spaced.
Making the koyori is a skill that takes much practice. It is simply using a strip of paper and rolling it tight. Easier said than done!





There are many ways to make heddles but I like this one.
The heddle that comes with the loom from Echizenya is metal with paper warp holders. The soboko I got from Tokyo is nice and easy to use but is expensive and cannot be used for pattern heddles.


Materials are prepared to make the heddle.




Heddle done.
Ready to weave!

Returned from a great trip to Saga, Kyushu Prefecture, Japan. I took lessons from Mr Saganishiki. What a wonderful person who taught me so many 'tricks of the trade' in Saganishiki. My previous lessons were good to get me started but he enlightened me with the rationale of why things are done a certain way. He also showed me lots of shortcuts that will save me time.
What I liked about him was his desire to bring Saganishiki more in line with today's lifestyle. His Balloon lamp and dolls are creative and exquisite.
I still like the traditional uses for the fabric such as the jewelry and dolls.
We visited two sites that promote the weavers in Saga.
Some of my favorites:



The skill of these weavers is amazing. There are about 160 weavers of Saganishiki in Saga.
There is not an organized guild for weavers as we have in the US. Nor is there an organization such as Handweavers of America. There is not the same style of sharing and learning of skills/techniques that we depend upon to learn and promote the weaving craft here.

Some non weaving photos in Saga and Arita:

Current project
Pattern inspired by Mr "Saganishiki"-sama: http://saganishiki.iza.ne.jp/blog/entry/897757/
I did this pattern on the 30 cut and now this is the 45 cut:



I initially did each row by pickup. Now I have 3 pattern rows on 'soboko' to make the weaving faster. There are 16 rows per sequence.




Two pattern rows occur 2 times in the sequence. All others, only once each. Lots of pick-up!



It is a nice looking weave structure and not too difficult for this beginner.



I thank Mr. "Saganishiki"-sama and his blog for great ideas and patience in his teaching.

I recently acquired a Saganishiki loom. It appears to be old but I cannot find much information about where it came from. The woman in New York (an accomplished weaver, but not of Saganishiki) said she purchased it from a friend who bought it at an estate sale. The estate sale was for a woman, recently deceased, who collected unique looms. The box the loom came in was labeled "Obi Loom".

These were two of the warps that were included. One is gold and the other silver. They are packaged so that they are creased at the fold. One drawback with this is that the crease may show in the finished fabric. I don't know if this method is still used. If not, I wonder when it was stopped?

Today, the warp is left at full length, wrapped in stiff paper, then gently folded so that no crease is formed.

The knobs are interesting in that a round metal plate with protrusions is attached to the wooden disc. They fit into the holes in the metal plate. The knobs are used to advance the paper and then locked into place to prevent movement when weaving.

I have asked a fellow weaver in Japan and one in Texas if they know anything about this particular design. I believe it is important to identify the origin of a loom: made in USA or Japan. If Japan, what Prefecture. So much information about Saganishiki is unavailable in the US due to language barriers, lack of published weaving information in Japan, and limited number of people who do this type of weaving.

Saganishiki weaving equipment

The Saganishiki loom is relatively small, approximately 17" by 13". It is made of very light weight wood. The wood on each end is 5" in height. Underneath are two rollers that protrude on both sides. Rice paper

Various sized sticks are used in the weaving process.
The largest is a beater stick.

The second one is used to pick up warp threads when weaving a pattern.

The third stick is used as a tabby place holder.

The bottom two are older versions of the ones above.

Shuttles come in a variety of sizes, based upon the width of piece you are weaving. Silk thread is wound on the shuttle.

The sokobo is used as a heddle. For simple weaving, only one is used and serves as a tabby. When used in conjunction with the tabby stick, it then opens the second shed.
Some Saganishiki schools use a metal bar, with paper attached, in place of the sokobo.

Others may sue a round stick that has the warp threads attached to it.

More than one soboko can be used if doing a twill patterns but needs to be limited to 6 or else it becomes too heavy.

Soboko threaded.

Silk thread. The thread comes in a variety of sizes. Use the size thread that correlates to the warp cut. Example: 30 cut warp, use a #30 silk thread.

Warp is rice paper that is laquered for strength and durability. It can come with either imitation or gold leaf laminated to the top surface. Silver or platimum are other metal alternatives. Other laquered surfaces are available from black to varigated. Each end is solid paper which is glued to the rice paper on the rollers.

The size is the number of cuts in 3 centimeters. The cut range is from 35-60,with 60 being the finest.

While on a work assignment in Japan from 1999-2002, I had the opportunity to meet a very dear woman who did Saganishiki weaving. At the time, I was not into the fiber arts, just work, work, work! The woman who wove was 95 at the time; she showed me her loom, some examples of her weaving and a book that had some of her weave structures.

Upon retiring, I took lessons in weaving. I remembered obaasan (grandmother in Japanese) and her Saganishiki weaving. Now that I had some background in weaving, I had great appreciation for the skill involved in the Saganishiki weaving. That began my journey to Saganishiki weaving.

Saganishiki is a unique method of weaving. It used rice paper for the warp and silk thread for the weft. The weave is described as a type of brocade.

Saga is a prefecture in Japan on the island of Kyushu. A nobelwoman of the Nabashima clan developed the weave at the end of the Edo period, around 1810. A weave pattern in the ceiling was her inspiration.

Today, few are continuing with this type of weaving due to cost and time required. There are guilds under NHK that are teaching and exhibiting to keep this skill from dying out.

I tried to find classes here in the US to no avail. There had been a Japanese teacher, Mihoko Karaki, who taught Saganishiki at two past Convergences. She continues to return to Dallas to teach annually but other than that, there are no formal classes in the US. I did find a woman in Seattle, Jan Paul, who had taken Mihoko's classes and was still doing the weaving. I contacted her and arranged some private classes with her.

In 2007, I returned to Japan to take classes with Wakaba Miyata-san in Tokyo. Wakaba-san acquired the business from her associate, Inoue-san, who died. Inoue-san was born in Saga and learned the weaving in her home state. Inoue-san also was a classmate of the current Empress, also born in Saga. Inoue-san wove Saganishiki fabric used to make purses for the Empress. That tradition is continued today by Wakaba-san. It is helpful that the Empress appreciates the beauty of the weave and gives the purses to visiting dignitaries as gifts.

The obaasan who inspired me was also born in Saga. Her training was in Saga as well as the former teacher at Echizenya, Matsuno-san.