Japanese weaver Koichi Tanji shares textile techniques with Tasmania

Koichi Tanji took a week away from his Hataoto weaving school to visit Hobart, Launceston and Melbourne to share his craft and expertise in textiles and fabrics.

Mr Tanji was originally trained as an architect and worked as part of an interior design team before establishing his own architectural office.

His interest soon turned to interior fabrics and how they were created and in 1985 he attended the Hataoto weaving school to combine his design skills with textiles. 

By 1998 he was an expert and took over the running of the school, which now has three locations in Tokyo, Saitama and Gunma and about 160 students.

Masako Sawada of Impressive Tasmania helped to facilitate Mr Tanji’s visit to Australia.

She said the area where the school is in Tokyo is very well known and has a focus on kimono silk weaving and dying.

“The second school is in Saitama prefecture and is actually next to his own residence … the studio and the residence are his [architectural] work,” she said.

“This school has a natural dyeing class.”

The third school in Gunma is close to one of Japan’s most famous silk areas and near only one or two locations still producing silk yarn.

Ms Sawada said the production of silk yarn is fading.

Mr Tanji shared his story, background and information about his weaving schools with workshop attendees.

The second part of the day was focused on how a special paper is prepared for spinning in Japan.

“In Launceston the bundle dyeing is quite unique, his student came to Launceston two years ago and did the workshop and the technique was eye-opening,” Ms Sawada said.

“So today we asked the Tasmanian people how to do the bundle dyeing.”

Mr Tanji said it takes about two weeks for him to make a kimono and the one garment requires 80 kilogram of maple leaves, 2300 silk worms and 2200 cocoons.