Weaving Cloth from Tosa-washi (Japanese Paper from Kochi in Shikoku, Japan): Connection and Expansion of Area and People

Authors

Yuka Matsumoto, Kochi Women’s UniversityFollow

Date of this Version

2008

Document Type

Article

Comments

Presented at Textile Society of America 11^th Biennial Symposium: Textiles as Cultural Expressions, September 4-7, 2008, Honolulu, Hawai'i. Copyright © 2008 Yuka Matsumoto

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to make clear the socio-cultural meanings of woven textiles through a case study of making textiles from Tosa-washi which was already being made in Kochi in the 10th century involving two textile craftswomen of two different generations. Mey Kusakawa (1933-) and Yuko Isozaki (1978-) create paper textiles with the underlying meaning and rationale of recycling used paper and thrift long ago. From activities of these two textile craftswomen in modern times, it is clear that the change from paper to cloth has a role which connects areas and people, and brings independence and a symbiosis of women and handicapped persons, in addition to the role of clothing people.