[Traditional Crafts] Wearing the Culture of Kasuri and Sharing Its Joy
Kurume Kasuri Open Factory Program Report｜Marugame Ikat Textile

The tour begins at Tateyoko Store + Lab, a shop with an attached lab space that opened in 2025.
First, visitors learn about the fundamentals of Kurume Kasuri from videos and panel displays. The process starts by tying and dyeing the threads, based on the pattern design. Then the threads are woven into fabric. The structure of this program allows visitors to gain knowledge about how kasuri is made before they move on to the hands-on experiences, thereby deepening their appreciation of the craft.
Here, visitors can try their hand at untying the threads wrapped around the dyed yarn. The moment the threads are loosened, the white sections of the pattern suddenly emerge. That small moment of surprise reveals the depth behind kasuri textiles.
Even a small bundle of thread, just a few centimeters long, begins to feel unexpectedly special.
 

This Open Factory program also includes a hands-on experience in tsumami dyeing, an old technique which is thought to only remain in Kurume.
Tsumami (spot-dye) means “to pinch,” and with this technique, a very fine section of thread is pinched between two sticks, and dye is rubbed in as the sticks are rolled along the thread to add additional color. From the standpoint of efficiency alone, this step could have been easily eliminated from the process. At Marugame Ikat Textile, however, this is something that visitors can try their hand at on the Open Factory program.
Try this delicate work yourself, and the way you look at each single thread will change.
The workshop also receives many groups from overseas, and explanations are adjusted flexibly depending on each visitor’s knowledge level and interests. The willingness of the staff to carefully answer even the most technical of questions reveals their openness and generosity of spirit.
 

The character of Marugame Ikat Textile extends beyond the fabric itself.
Rather than using a lockstitch sewing machine, the rough edges are concealed with flat-felled seams. Durable cotton kasuri garments are tailored with the intention that they will be worn for many years. By thinking through the entire process from dyeing to tailoring, the kasuri is transformed from a fabric into something meant to be worn in everyday life.
“The goal is not only to weave kasuri as a textile, but to produce a completed garment that can serve as daily wear.” These are the words of Mr. Maruyama, the owner of the workshop who also studied apparel.
He says he particularly enjoys the moments spent working outdoors while hanging dyed threads to dry, looking at the neatly arranged strands and wondering what kind of stripes he could create with each one. Even as he studies the arrangement of dyed threads, the design process has already begun.
Just looking at them before they have been woven, he says the future of the final fabric is already visible.

The dyeing process is carried out in-house, and as much as possible, Marugame Ikat Textile uses monochromatic dyes.
The reason for this is simple. When dyes are mixed, the color can become murky.
To keep the colors as vibrant as possible, the concentration and water levels are carefully adjusted. The dyed threads are washed in hot water to make sure the color doesn’t run before moving on to the next step.
For Mr. Maruyama, the dyeing process is how he arranges the color palette. Here too, his background in apparel quietly shapes the work.

In 2013, a fire destroyed the workshop, the family home, and all of their looms.
“I didn’t have time to stand around feeling discouraged,” Mr. Maruyama recalls. 
With the support of fellow artisans in the production region, he received looms and tools from fellow weavers, made repeated repairs, and began again.
Each loom now standing in the workshop tells part of that story of rebuilding.
Today, younger staff have joined the team, including some who relocated to the area after first joining an internship program run by Fukuoka Prefecture. Although Kurume Kasuri is a regional industry, Marugame Ikat Textile continues to maintain an open and welcoming spirit.
“First and foremost, we want to keep creating kasuri with integrity. On top of that, we hope to give something back to those who supported us as we work to reinvigorate the production region.”
The words of Mr. Maruyama carry both deep gratitude and a hope for the future.

A dot-pattern design that Marugame Ikat Textile released in 2025 received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the Kurume Kasuri New Design Exhibition. Its appeal lies in the delicate balance it strikes between symmetry and asymmetry.
“This was one of those designs that just came to me,” Mr. Maruyama says with a smile.
Mr. Maruyama also has plans to one day open an indigo-dyeing atelier on the vacant lot next to Tateyoko Store + Lab. Marugame Ikat Textile's efforts to broaden the range of hands-on experiences—and to expand the possibilities of the production region—continue.
Rather than preserving tradition exactly as it is, the goal is to translate it into everyday life. At Marugame Ikat Textile, kasuri as a cultural tradition is carried forward in garments made for daily wear.
Open the door, and you can witness the moment when thread becomes color. The threshold is not as high as it might seem. With just a little curiosity, this traditional craft suddenly feels much more accessible.
 

    [Traditional Crafts] Open Factory TOP