Machine Weaving

In Britain, the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th century brought the flying shuttle and the power loom, and textile output rose sharply. In Japan, these technologies took hold from the Meiji period (the late 19th century); as domestic power looms developed, they spread widely. Many kinds of loom emerged along the way, each with its own path.

Today’s mainstream high-speed looms — air-jet and water-jet — fire the weft with jets of air or water to finish smooth, even cloth at speed. MITTAN rarely uses them. We work mainly with shuttle looms, Schönherr looms and rapier looms still running in Japan’s traditional textile regions — Enshu, Banshu and Bishu — and we also bring in some hand-weaving from India and Laos.

Because these older looms and hand-weaving work gently, at low tension, they don’t crush the air and natural loft held in the fibres. Depending on the cloth, the surface takes on a rustic texture — slight three-dimensional unevenness and distinctive creases — and a light, supple feel against the skin. We value what these older methods give, and by keeping these regions and techniques in our work, we help preserve production backgrounds that are valuable but slowly vanishing.