"Hachijo-ori" is a type of silk fabric dyed with natural dyes. Kihachijo, produced on Hachijo Island, is the most famous, and it was produced all over Japan from Hachijo Island. Akita Hachijo follows in that same tradition.
In the late Edo period, as the Akita domain was promoting industrial development, Tatenuma Jinpei, who was invited to the area as a dyeing and weaving expert, introduced weaving techniques from Oshu Date (present-day Fukushima prefecture) and Joshu Kiryu (Gunma prefecture) to promote Akita Hachijo, a tradition that continues to this day.
Akita Hachijo is characterized by a slightly lower gloss and astringency compared to Ki-Hachijo. It comes in three colors: dark reddish brown tobi, yellow, and black. Tobi comes from the pigment found in the roots of the Rugosa rose, which grows wild on the shores of the Sea of Japan in Akita Prefecture, while the yellow comes from the leaves of the grass family Calliphora rugosa and mountain azalea, which grow in clusters in the mountains. Another characteristic is that the texture becomes smoother the more it is used.
Currently, Toshiko Narata is the only person producing silk fabrics that incorporate the unique colors of the plants and trees grown in Akita's soil.
It has been 40 years since he encountered Akita Hachijo by chance. Looking back on his life with Akita Hachijo and his journey, Narada cheerfully spoke about the struggles he faced to create beauty and the successor he has finally found.
The tradition of Akita Hachijo entrusted to us by the president of Namekawa Textile Factory, which has been designated as an intangible asset of Akita Prefecture. 
-- Artist Interview --
Please tell us about your involvement with Akita Hachijo until you took over.
"I was born in the Takanosu area of Kitaakita City, where my father was the village chief. I was the youngest of six siblings, and when my father fell ill I did not continue to college. Instead, after graduating from Takanosu Junior High School, I got a job at Yamato Spinning in Fukui Prefecture, where I made thread at a factory. I wanted to get a chef's exemption so that I could learn a trade, but for various reasons I gave up on becoming a chef, married a man I met in Akita City, and became a full-time housewife. I devoted myself to raising my two children for a while, but when I was around 28 or 29 years old, I left my children in nursery school and started working at Namekawa Textile Factory in Akita City. This was the Akita Hachijo workshop."
Had you heard about Akita Hachijo before that?
"I had never seen or heard of it before. It was also my first time in the world of craftsmen, so I thought the only thing I could do was cleaning and doing odd jobs. But before long, I was recognized for my cleaning skills, and my seniors started teaching me how to weave using machines."
President Namekawa's Hachijo, which he improved upon by improving the traditional techniques of Akita Hachijo, has been designated an intangible cultural asset of the prefecture. What do you think of him, Mr. Narata?
"He had the temperament of a traditional craftsman and was a man who never laughed. It was normal for him to scold me, and he was very strict, as if he was always checking how I was doing my work.
I think it was thanks to my previous job at a spinning factory that I was able to continue working in Namekawa for 25 years, even though many people left the industry. I think it was a big help that I was taught not only how to weave but also how to dye. Everyone else only did weaving."
You decided to leave Namekawa Textile Factory, where you had worked for 25 years, but what was the process that led to you becoming independent?
"The Namekawa Weaving Factory closed down. The elderly president of the company folded up the company, or rather, when he went out of business, he gave all of the machines at the Namekawa Weaving Factory to me. I wasn't asked, but he said he would give all of the looms and spools to me.
At the time, I was 53 years old, had finished raising my children, and Namekawa was going to close, so I didn't have to think about work anymore. I was feeling a sense of relief, but when I wondered if the president was handing over all the machinery to me, meaning that I should continue with Hachijo, my older sister, who is four years older than me, said, 'You can run the workshop,' and found the land, so I naturally became the successor. That's how the continuation of Namekawa began."
Even though it is a continuation, he became the lord of his own castle and country.
"The previous president said he would come and teach me if I had any questions, but he got sick and was hospitalized, so I had to do it on my own. This was a natural progression. My husband and brother assembled and set up the machines I gave them, and it started to look like a workshop."
Blessed with successors, Akita Hachijo's potential expands
The dyeing process that I learned about from the president of Namekawa is one that can be said to be the key process of Akita Hachijo.
"First, the thread is soaked in water, but it's very heavy and hard work. In Namerikawa, the president did it for us, so it was easy. Dyeing is also difficult. First of all, dyeing with natural plants doesn't dye as beautifully as chemical dyes. The texture changes depending on the temperature, so it's really difficult to dye evenly. I guess the reason we can do it is because of our many years of experience."
I heard that it takes about a week to dye one color.
"During that time, I stay overnight in the workshop. The three main colours are black, yellow and black, but I've also dyed the fabric in colours that the previous president didn't approve of. He pointed out that pink and purple don't suit Hachijo style, but I still made whatever colour I wanted (laughs). I don't stray from the basics, but I also like to have a sense of playfulness."
Many traditional craftspeople are concerned about finding successors, but I've heard that Narada-san has found a successor.
"He is a 33- year-old man named Fujiwara Kentaro. Kentaro is from Morioka City, majored in botany at an agricultural high school, and went on to study medicine with the dream of becoming a researcher. When he was 32 , he fell ill. While he was recuperating at home, he found Akita Hachijo on the internet and fell in love at first sight.
When he was faced with the choice of choosing his career path or doing what he loved, he decided to do what he loved and participated in a one-day experience at Akita Hachijo. After seeing Akita Hachijo for himself, he became even more motivated. I'm grateful for that.
We decided to try a new color scheme, and Kentaro said he wanted to fold brown stripes onto a black background."
What an amazing color! It's like a symbol of Reiwa dandyism.
"He says he wants to spread the word about Akita Hachijo on the Internet and develop products that people from overseas will want to buy. The flexible minds and sensibilities of young people are what Akita Hachijo needs in the future. I want Kentaro to do his best so that I can make things easier for myself."
Finally, what is the secret behind your continued success for 40 years?
"I think I was able to continue for 40 years because I thought of each day as a continuation of yesterday. It's difficult to continue such an enormous process for so many years if you get too worked up about it. So tomorrow is just a continuation of today!"
( TEXT : Natsume Kaoru)