Historical background 

Akita Hachijō is a traditional artcraft produced in Akita, originally brought from Hachijō-Jima island, Tokyo  Revered for its simple beauty (shibu-mi), Akita Hachijō has a rich history spanning over 200 years. Akita Hachijō is a silk fabric dyed using hamanasu (beach rose) and yama tsutsuji (mountain azalea) that grows wild in Akita. The origin of the product is in Hachijō-Jima. It is said that the introduction of silk products by Takiemon Ishikawa was the beginning of the Akita Hachijō. During 1804-1818, industrial promotion and introduction of new ways by Tatenuma Jinpei brought Akita silk and Akita Hachijō outstanding. Once, it became more popular than the original products from Hachijō Island due to its high quality. However, the popularity began to decline due to changes in industry and social issues. Goro Namekawa was the only one who kept producing Akita Hachijō. In 1980, Akita Hachijō was registered as Akita Prefecture designated intangible cultural property. After closing the factory in 2003, one of the employees inherited the factory and named Kotomu Studio. 

Characteristics

Akita Hachijō is dyed using various natural plants. To make shades of brown, reddish brown, and yellow, “hamanasu”, “kariyasu”, “yama tsutsuji”, and “yama momo” plants are used. The hamanasu and logwood plants are also combined to make black dye for the fabric. The dye liquid is produced by boiling the plants for 7-8 hours. First, the threads of the fabric are processed and mordanted by placing them in sticks of bamboo and a combination of “iron, aluminum and chrome”. This is a 24-hour long process that prepares the fabric for dyeing. After the mordanting, the fabric threads are placed in the dye liquid for 4-5 minutes, then placed in a hemp bag and left to soak in the dye for 4-5 hours. The threads are then rinsed and placed in lime water, which allows the color to be produced. It is at this point that the silk is ready to be weaved. In the kimono-wearing era, the sturdiness of the silk Akita Hachijō was appreciated.

Regarding the colors,  yellow Akita Hachijō is the most famous of all. It is sometimes called Akita KiHachijō (黄 - ki) because of the beautiful yellow-colored fabric dyed with local plants.  It is so famous that it is sometimes called Akita KiHachijō (黄八丈). Compared to KiHachijō, which is based in Tokyo, Akita Hachijō is characterized by slightly less glossiness and Shibu-Mi (渋み).

Current activity

Though there were many Akita Hachijō ateliers back then, they were once extinct in 2003. 3 years later, however, Kotomu Studio (ことむ工房) was revived to preserve the traditional artworks. Toshiko Narada who runs the studio carries out the entire process by herself from dyeing silk thread to weaving. She was at first working at an Akita Hachijō factory in Akita City, but later it went out of business and eventually Akita Hachijō itself was lost. She then took over machines and tools were still available from the master she used to work with and started the atelier. She referred to her work of producing Akita Hachijō that the color will never be the same every time she dyes silk threads. That is the difficult part, especially when a client orders a specific color, but at the same time, it would be the fascinating part because every finished product is the one and only.