See, use, and eat Enshu Cotton Tsumugi - A treasure box of Enshu that lets you experience tradition and the four seasons

The Enshu region, along with Mikawa (Aichi) and Senshu (Osaka), has long flourished as one of Japan's leading cotton-producing regions. Did you know that cotton cultivation and the associated weaving techniques later led to the manufacture of automobiles, motorcycles, pianos, and other products, giving rise to global companies?

You may be thinking, "Why talk about industry when it's gastronomy?"

Cotton tsumugi, an indispensable fabric in daily life, and food, which are also indispensable in daily life, are like a treasure box, woven together like warp and weft threads, to create a story.

Enshu Cotton Tsumugi that fits into your lifestyle

"There are various names for Enshu cotton tsumugi, such as Enshu cotton, Enshu stripes, and Kasai stripes, named after the place. As we are promoting the brand nationwide, we have decided to use the name 'Enshu cotton tsumugi' as the easiest to understand."

These were the words of Mr. Iriyama, the manager of Nukumori Kobo, a shop that is working to preserve Enshu Cotton Tsumugi, a tradition that has been passed down since the Edo period, for the next generation. Nukumori Kobo purchases, produces, and sells Enshu Cotton Tsumugi woven at weavers in Hamamatsu City.

The traditional pattern is stripes on a navy blue background, so much so that it is also known as "Enshu Stripes." However, the store also had fabrics and products in bright colors and checkered patterns.

"It was originally used as fabric for everyday wear by farmers in the Edo period, so perhaps people enjoyed making it fashionable by using stripes.

In the past, there weren't many colorfully dyed fabrics like this, and most were traditional colors like indigo dye or plant dye. It's difficult to dye all navy blue with indigo these days, so we use environmentally friendly chemical dyes, which gives us more freedom in the range of colors.

Checked patterns are a fabric that we have recently started producing, and they are cute and suitable for modern life. If we only offer subdued patterns and colors, when we suggest using them in interiors, the customer might say, "Hmm, that's a bit difficult," but if we have checks and bright colors, the range of suggestions becomes wider.

As you said, the store was filled with products familiar to modern lifestyles, from cloth accessories such as handkerchiefs, furoshiki wrapping cloths, business card holders and book covers to slippers and aprons.

What caught my eye in particular were the gift envelopes, which are popular not only for weddings but also for other celebrations!

These days, it's no longer the case that "it has to be red because it's a celebration," and many people choose a color based on the image they want to convey to the recipient. When I hear the word "tsumugi," I think of high-end kimonos made with silk thread, such as Oshima Tsumugi and Yuki Tsumugi, and I had the impression that it was something from a world that had nothing to do with me. However, the products proposed by Nukumori Kobo are cotton tsumugi. And they are not kimonos or bolts of fabric, but products that fit into everyday life. With this, even someone like me who doesn't wear kimono as everyday wear will be able to incorporate cotton tsumugi products into my life.

The greatest feature of Enshu Cotton Tsumugi is that the thread balls remain. They are present in every piece of fabric, although some are easily visible and some are not. The presence of these thread balls completely changes the feel of the fabric. The appearance of the thread balls is not uniform, and each one is different, which sets it apart from industrial products and gives it a unique, one-of-a-kind feel that is also appealing.

"These days, we use electrically operated looms, not foot looms like in the past, so the manufacturing process itself is closer to that of an industrial product, but the way the yarn is spun and the weaving method still retain the feel of hand-woven fabrics from the past. I think it's great that you can feel that in the fabric."

The weaving culture that gave birth to a global manufacturer

Cotton cultivation became popular in the Enshu region in the mid-Edo period. It was a peaceful time without war, and economic development was sought, so cotton cultivation was encouraged as a local industry. The area had a large amount of land, a warm climate, and long hours of sunlight, making it ideal for cotton cultivation.

"The Enshu region, especially Hamamatsu and Iwata, is located close to the large Tenryu River and has an abundance of water. The climate is warm, there is no snow, and the long hours of sunshine make it ideal for growing cotton.

Cotton is an annual plant. If it is sown before Golden Week, it can be harvested in the fall. It was probably just the right size for farming women to spin it into thread and weave it as winter work. Cotton cultivation began, and cotton textiles were also produced, and now the city is known as a "textile town," and eventually became an automobile town.

What does it mean to go from a textile town to an automobile town?

The loom that stands out in the store is an extremely rare item that is said to have been made around 1915. It is said to be from a time when electricity was just starting to become widespread and people were beginning to switch from hand weaving to electric weaving. It has a bicycle-like structure, with a belt connected to a gear and a rod at the end of the belt that turns the rod. Rather than connecting each loom to electricity, if there are 10 looms in a factory, belts extend from all 10 looms, allowing them to be operated using electricity from a single source.

"The Suzuki Weaving Factory at the top is the predecessor of the current automobile manufacturer Suzuki. Suzuki and Toyota were born from these looms, and Hamamatsu is a city of textiles and automobiles, connected to the industry.

That's the case with YAMAHA, too. When they decided to gather craftsmen to make organs, looms were made out of wood at the time, so they gathered craftsmen who were accustomed to working with wood, and that's how YAMAHA started making musical instruments. Because they had craftsmen with the skills to make looms and work with wood, they were good at working with wood, which later led to the making of pianos. It's amazing to think that there's an industrial connection here too."

Without the fertility and vastness of the land of Enshu, its warm climate and long hours of sunshine, and the efforts and wisdom of our ancestors who continued to cultivate cotton and weave it with ingenuity, it could be said that the global company that Shizuoka Prefecture is so proud of would never have been born.

People from Enshu seem to have a culture of producing artisan-like inventors and entrepreneurs, such as Toyota's Sakichi Toyoda, Suzuki's Michio Suzuki, Honda's Soichiro Honda, and Takayanagi Kenjiro, known as the father of television. However, I feel that inventors and entrepreneurs did not suddenly emerge; rather, it was because the industry and technology of weaving existed as a foundation. "I think it was good that weaving was a necessity. If it had been a leisure product, people would have given up if they wanted to, but it was an essential part of daily life, so everyone needed it. In a situation where people had no choice but to weave, I think it was easy to develop how to weave well. I think the reason weaving techniques and weaving tools have evolved so rapidly is because it was an area where skills and culture could be cultivated easily."

How Enshu Cotton Tsumugi is Made

Enshu Cotton Tsumugi is made using a division of labor system. Weaving involves various processes, such as turning cotton into thread and dyeing it, and it is said that the division of labor was due to each person taking charge of their own area of ​​expertise.

Many artisans each preserve the traditions, and work repeatedly and carefully by hand using time-honored methods, passing the baton along as they weave a single piece of cloth.

Let me introduce you to the process.

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　The above information is from the Nukumori Kobo website.

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I was surprised to learn that one loom can only weave 25 meters per day.

However, by weaving slowly, pressure is reduced, resulting in a soft, gentle texture similar to that of handwoven fabric. The soft feel of Enshu Cotton Tsumugi, which becomes more comfortable against the skin the more you use it, is something that can only be achieved with this old loom.

At its peak from the Taisho to Showa eras, there were said to be over 2000 weaving shops in the city, but now there are only about 10. Of those, only 5 or 6 weave Enshu cotton tsumugi. These weavers do not just weave cotton tsumugi, but also silk and linen, and send their products to dyeing centers such as Kyoto.

"Basically, kimono fabric is woven when it's white and then dyed. Enshu cotton tsumugi is woven after the threads have been dyed, so it's not possible to create intricate floral or polka dot patterns, but it does have the advantage of being less likely to fade. Because it's a fabric that doesn't fade easily, I think it's easy to care for at home and incorporate into your life. That's another reason it's a fabric for everyday use and casual wear."

A workshop where people of all ages can get familiar with Enshu Cotton Tsumugi

It is quite difficult to observe the process of weaving Enshu Cotton Tsumugi, which is done at several factories, but Nukumori Kobo regularly holds workshops where you can easily experience Enshu Cotton Tsumugi.

Applications can be made through the "Hamamatsu Lake Hamana Yaramaka Tourism" website, and involve cutting scraps of Enshu cotton tsumugi into the shape of your choice and pasting them onto a pure white ceramic beckoning cat. Depending on the maker, the fabric they choose, how they cut it, and where they paste it, the end result will be a beckoning cat with a completely different expression.

"Because all weavers are artisans, most are not open to the public and are not even open to the public. However, we hope that this store can be a gateway for customers who want to learn more or buy something.

When it comes to fabric workshops, they often turn into sewing experiences, but that limits the opportunities to those who are interested. Even the smallest items take about two hours, but with this, even a child can make it in about an hour. Everyone in the family is also happy that they can make the same thing. There is no age limit, and anyone who can use scissors is welcome.

This looks fun! However, although it seems simple, it seems like it will test your sense of style, as you have to decide how to cut the scraps and how to paste them. Drawing the face seems difficult.

"Don't worry. No matter how you use the fabric, it will still turn out cute. If you're worried about drawing a face, it's still cute even if you don't. Everyone gets nervous when they draw a face, but no matter what face it turns out to be, it's their own child. They'll grow attached to it and go home satisfied."

Make your own one-of-a-kind beckoning cat. It's a great experience that you'll want to share with others. I'd like to come back again with my friends to experience and shop.

Through these experiences and in the store, people can learn about the history and manufacturing process, which makes shopping more enjoyable and allows them to appreciate the quality of the products they use on a daily basis. The artisans also learn about customers' reactions through Nukumori Kobo, which may create a synergistic effect, inspiring and encouraging them.

At Nukumori Kobo, Iriyama and the company president visit elementary schools in the city and give lessons during integrated learning classes to convey the appeal of Enshu Cotton Tsumugi. This should help children to feel proud of the town where they were born and raised. Perhaps the lessons will inspire them to pursue a career related to Enshu Cotton Tsumugi in the future. This activity is like sowing seeds that will connect the cotton textile industry to the future, ensuring it does not die out. It is our hope that the cotton seeds will take root in this land, just like the cotton seeds that were planted here during the Edo period.

"The Lake Hamana Flower Festival will be held at Lake Hamana Garden Park and Hamamatsu Flower Park from March. This area in the northern part of Hamamatsu City is bustling, so I hope you will come and visit. I would be happy if people could not only see the flowers, but also try the delicious food of this region and learn about its industry."

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Enshu Cotton Tsumugi Warmth Workshop

434-0046
3-12-25 Somejidai, Hamana Ward, Hamamatsu City

Business hours: 10:00-18:00 (closed on Wednesdays)

https://nukumorikoubou.com

To apply for the Maneki-neko making experience,

Make your own beckoning cat using colorful "Enshu cotton tsumugi"

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Eat "Enshu Cotton Tsumugi"!?

In addition to its brick-and-mortar store, Nukumori Kobo also sells its products at highway service areas and hotel kiosks, and also offers suggestions for "living with Enshu Cotton Tsumugi" by designing noren curtains and interior decorations for restaurants and other businesses.

The next place we visited was one such restaurant: "Washokudokoro Nakaya," which uses Enshu cotton tsumugi as its brand image. It's about an hour's drive from "Nukumori Kobo." It's located in the former Toyooka village, known as a producer of shrimp potatoes, in Iwata city, across the Tenryu River.

The shop was founded 76 years ago by the grandfather of the owner, Kosuke Fukada.

"When my grandfather returned from the war, there was nothing around here, so he decided to start a place where people could gather and relax. Up until then, he hadn't worked in the kitchen, so he got help from a lot of different people and would serve food and drinks, as well as cook for celebrations, but my father trained and made the place into a more restaurant-like establishment.

During my father's time, the term "local production for local consumption" didn't even exist, so the restaurant just wanted to make food that everyone would enjoy, but since my generation, we've become more conscious of the local area."

Fukada's first training location was at Chakaiseki Onseki in Yaizu City, a well-known restaurant.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred the year he graduated from Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka. He had wanted to train in Kyoto or Osaka, but the economy in the Kansai region suddenly took a turn, and all the restaurants he had planned to train at after graduation turned him down, saying they couldn't afford to hire new staff. So he returned to his hometown, and through a connection, he was given the opportunity to train at Nukuishi.

Since the restaurant catered for tea ceremonies and held tea ceremonies in-store, he trained under the previous owner, focusing on that type of cooking. He would sometimes go to "Sasue Maeda" and ask to be allowed to fillet anything, whether it was sardines or horse mackerel, and help out.

　"I sometimes go to elementary and junior high schools to give talks, and although I only have a chef's license, I tell them that connections with people are more important than qualifications, and that encounters can be an opportunity to deepen your own self-worth. That's exactly what happened to me."

　After training at Onishi for about four and a half years, he returned to Kansai, determined to "at least train in Kansai at least once." After working for a year as promised at a newly opened restaurant run by his vocational school teacher, he moved to Kyoto's famous restaurant, Wakuden.

　"During the year I lived in Osaka, I didn't have a salary or savings, and every week on my days off I would go around Kyoto eating at different restaurants. One place I always went to every month was Wakuden. The head chef asked me, 'If you love our food that much, why don't you come work here?' and I was under his care for four and a half years. The basis of my cooking is from Nukuseki. I learned my skills there, and they helped me grow to the point where I could get a mid-career position in either Osaka or Kyoto. Using the basics I learned at Nukuseki as a base, I was able to rediscover the good things that make Kyoto unique."

The beautiful colors and presentation of the "Food Capital Tamatebako" lunch box we are introducing this time are the result of his training in Kyoto. The seasonal feel and color are incorporated into the lunch box. The rice ball shape is also a remnant of his training in the Kansai region.

"That bale shape is a Kyoto style. Here, we press the bale to make only the top, but we use a Kyoto bale-shaped tool that makes the bottom as well."

The contents of the bento change depending on the season and what is available that day.

"The truth is, right now is the season when it's the hardest to find ingredients to make Tamatebako using local ingredients. Until it gets warmer and wild vegetables and bamboo shoots start to appear, there aren't any main ingredients to choose from.

In autumn, the mountains, the sea, the fields, and everything else are available, so even if you serve your lunch, the colors will naturally be beautiful. That's why making "Tamatebako" in autumn is the most fun. From now on, you'll need to think carefully about choosing your ingredients.

Fukada laughed, but when the accompanying staff saw the bento box that had been prepared for them, they couldn't help but cheer. It looked just like a treasure box filled with the seasons.

Since the visit was in mid-January, the menu was full of black beans, arrowheads, and shrimp, reminiscent of the New Year. Grilled Spanish mackerel from Omaezaki, softly stewed octopus from Maisaka, Iwata's famous "Oishii" chicken, shrimp potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, rolled omelet with chives and cherry shrimp, and other dishes. The dishes were vibrantly colorful, but the sheer number of dishes was also surprising. Even the bottom, which you can't see, was packed with food.

Of course, it's not just the beautiful colors that are appealing. Each dish was lightly seasoned to bring out the flavor of the ingredients, yet had a strong dashi flavor and a perfect texture, showing the careful preparation that went into making them.

This is a bento that you'll want to try as the seasons change.

　The wrapping paper used for the lunch boxes is Enshu cotton tsumugi, with two distinctive striped patterns: a deep navy blue for autumn and winter, and a cool white-based one for spring and summer.

　We asked her what prompted her to start using Enshu cotton tsumugi.

"The person who created our website was also involved in local revitalization activities and was a member of the Enshu Stripe Project, which has now disbanded, which was launched with the aim of making Enshu Cotton Tsumugi popular. When he advised me that I should create a brand image for Nakaya, I thought that Enshu Cotton Tsumugi would be a good choice.

　So I researched cotton tsumugi and found out that it wasn't a high-end fabric, but rather something that even common people could wear at the time, and that it was accepted by a wide range of people. My business isn't a particularly high-end store either, and we want to attract a wide range of customers. I thought that's something we have in common."

　Nakaya is located in the northern part of Iwata city, in Toyooka village before the merger of municipalities. There are no textile industries or weaving shops in this area today, but in the past, farmers may have wove their weaving machines as winter work. In the Fukuda district of Iwata city, textile companies still remain, and the area is a thriving producer of not only cotton tsumugi, but also velveteen and corduroy.

　Unlike silk products like Oshima Tsumugi, Enshu Cotton Tsumugi is a cotton fabric that is familiar to everyday life and is an inseparable part of daily life. It seems to fit perfectly with the vision of the founder, Mr. Fukada's grandfather, who wanted to create a place where people could enjoy themselves.

　"But actually, when I was first told that 'Enshu Cotton Tsumugi' would be the store's brand image, I was a little skeptical. It wasn't until four years ago that I really understood it. This area was hit hard by Typhoon Faxai and suffered major flooding. The water rose up to the raised floor, all the kitchen machinery floated, and four of our cars were damaged. We had to close for about 30 days.

At that time, I was supported by many people, and one of my customers from far away who had been coming to my store for a long time asked me, "Do you know why you come to this store?"

　He reiterated to me, "I came all the way from far away because I wanted to eat Japanese food that had been made with care and care."

That's when I finally understood the advice I'd received earlier: "You should build an image that's closely tied to the local area, like Enshu Cotton Tsumugi." I've seen a lot of glamorous work, like kaiseki cuisine and tea parties, and I've seen a lot of people who run specialized shops that are able to make a living off that alone, and I used to think that was amazing, but I started to think that if we're going to do it here, then this is fine.

We do tea ceremony and kaiseki cuisine if requested, but we also serve set meals that allow you to feel the careful handiwork of our craftsmen, and I think that continuing to do so without disappointing customers who understand and demand that is what makes us what we are.

　"I'm the kind of person who takes a long time to understand things," Fukada said with a laugh. As I sensed from stories from his apprenticeship, I sensed a sincere, earnest, artisan-like personality who steadily masters things, even if it takes time.

A taste unique to the region

Finally, the Toyooka area of ​​Iwata City is famous for its shrimp potato. It was included in the Food Capital Tamatebako, but you can also enjoy it in the store at this time of year.

Since it is an agricultural product, the time when it can be served varies from year to year, but it is usually available until the end of February.

The dish we had was deep-fried shrimp potato with a generous amount of crab meat filling. On the day we visited, it was also served as a lunch set.

There were four large chunks of shrimp potatoes. Not only was the filling, which was rich in dashi, delicious, but the careful work of seasoning the shrimp potatoes before boiling them was also outstanding.

Ebiimo does not have the earthy smell of taro, and has a sticky texture, a refined taste, and a rich flavor. Ah, how delicious!

Ebiimo grows from a seed potato, followed by a parent potato, a baby potato, and a grandchild potato. It is called Ebiimo because a special cultivation method is used to make the baby potatoes swell up into a shrimp-like shape.

Nakaya uses baby potatoes, which are traded at the highest price.

Baby potatoes are often shipped to high-end restaurants in the Kanto and Kansai regions, but Fukada says that while the taste is the same, they can be obtained in slightly misshapen varieties, which means "we're able to offer them at the lowest possible price."

"Because we're in the local area, we can have face-to-face relationships with the farmers. The young farmers are often my seniors or juniors from when I was a member of the fire brigade. That's why we have things to talk about.

Recently, we've seen parent potatoes being made into croquettes and baby potatoes being sold cheaply, but it's a shame that the true deliciousness that only baby potatoes can have isn't being conveyed. I see how hard the producers have to work to grow them over the course of a year, so I think we need to sell them in a way that conveys that."

It was a passionate statement that showed the trust he has built with producers and his pride as a chef.

Cotton products that supported people's daily lives and restaurants that began as places for people to gather and relax, and which also provided the meals essential to daily life - this is the story of Enshu Cotton Tsumugi, which is woven by connecting these two elements like warp and weft.

The plum blossoms at Toyooka Plum Garden, located close to Japanese Restaurant Nakaya, are also in bloom (usually until late February).

The Lake Hamana Flower Festival will also begin on March 20th. Why not take a trip to Enshu to experience tradition and the four seasons?

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Japanese Restaurant Nakaya

438-0111 

1649-1 Uenobe, Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture

Business hours: 11:30am - 13:30pm (last order)

　　　　　5:30 PM - 9:00 PM (last order)

Closed: Tuesdays, second Wednesday, last Wednesday of the month

TEL：0539-62-2061
https://www.toyooka-nakaya.com/

*Food City Tamatebako requires reservations of 5 or more people, made 6 days in advance.

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Date of coverage: July 2026, 1

Writer: Gohantsubu Labo Aokirika
Photo: Yoshihiko Konan