Tatami-beri is the fabric trim attached along the longer edges of a tatami mat in Japanese-style rooms.
It serves various purposes, such as preventing friction on the corners of the tatami mats and filling in gaps that tend to form when tatami mats are laid together.
In ancient times, only high-ranking individuals were allowed to use tatami, and there was even a period when the patterns and colors of the tatami-beri indicated social status.
The materials for tatami-beri were once mainly waxed cotton or hemp threads polished with a brush, and colors were predominantly black or brown.
Today, those woven from synthetic fibers are mainstream, offering excellent durability, lightness, and strength. They are also used as materials for handmade items, featuring a wide array of beautiful colors and patterns with a radiant sheen.
Kojima in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, is known as a textile town, and the variety of textiles produced here is extensive.
Today, this includes denim, canvas, tatami-beri, and Sanada-himo (braided cords). Additionally, the sewing of school uniforms, work clothes, and jeans is thriving.
The reason for such diversity lies in its long history in the cotton industry.
In 1882, the first private spinning mill in Japan, "Shimomura Spinning Mill," was established, making the textile industry an even greater presence in Kojima.
With the import of power looms from Europe, mass production of cotton products became possible, and the production of "tabi" (traditional Japanese socks), essential to people at the time, became the highest in Japan.
After World War I, as Western clothing became widespread, Kojima quickly switched to producing school uniforms and is now also known as a town of school uniforms.
Thus, Kojima has always responded sensitively to changes in times and culture, and has a history of protecting the cotton weaving industry through numerous shifts in direction.
Around a hundred years ago, when the era saw a transition from tatami-beri made of cotton and hemp threads to "Koki Tatami-beri" using glossy threads, Kojima was quick to adopt it.
How was it possible to quickly understand the times and adapt?
Tatami-beri is a narrow fabric, about 8 cm wide. This was possible because there were weaving machines and technology to accommodate it.
Even today, tatami-beri factories are concentrated in specific areas of Kojima, such as Tanokuchi and Karako, which are known for narrow textiles like Sanada-himo.
In fact, the areas for wide textiles like denim and canvas are distinctly separate.
The division of production areas by fabric width is precisely because it's an industry that has been passed down from ancient times to the present.
The foresight of that time led to events that would become clear just a few years later.
In 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred. This event dramatically increased the demand for tatami-beri.
Today, Kojima boasts approximately 80% of the national production share.
Regarding recent Japanese housing trends, purely Japanese-style architecture is declining, and tatami mats and tatami-beri are no longer as commonplace as they once were.
However, Kojima's tatami-beri continues to evolve beyond the realm of architectural materials, adhering to the principle of "weaving new things without being confined by the status quo."
One such example is "collaboration with tradition."
By using tatami-beri in Japanese traditional attire, we propose new materials to the declining kimono industry and new uses to the tatami-beri industry.
This is the "Kojima Obi."
Why was tatami-beri chosen for traditional attire?
Recently, I feel that more and more people are enjoying kimono fashion, whether by touring tourist spots in kimono or by styling old kimonos in an original way.
Unlike functional and easy-to-wear Western clothes, kimonos require a bit more effort both in wearing and in how one carries oneself.
But precisely because we feel a long history and culture within that effort, I believe we inherently respect kimonos and aspire to wear them.
Surely, people in the future, no matter how much times change, will never forget their respect for tradition.
"Tatami-beri" and "traditional attire."
Both are wonderful traditions.
It is truly inevitable that these two would collaborate.
And now, local revitalization is being advocated.
Let's revitalize Japan from its regions.
Let's stimulate regional economies.
The "Kojima Obi" is truly one such example.
The Kojima Obi will surely become a new specialty product of Okayama.
It has been about 100 years since tatami-beri began to be made from modern materials.
What can we leave behind for the next 100 years?
It is now an era where each person must consider this.
