The Secrets Behind Crafting A Kimono: Understanding A Culture Symbol | Handmade In Japan | Journal

Celebrating a traditional Japanese craft, in this short documentary we journey to the remarkable island of Amami Oshima in the southern oceans of Japan, to follow the elaborate handmade production of a traditional Japanese Kimono. A staggering five hundred people are involved in producing the island's famous mud-dyed silk which takes several months to produce. The painstaking process of producing this silk and it then being bound, hand dyed, woven and finally turned into the beautiful, iconic and symbolic Kimono that we all know is documented closely in this documentary. Along the way we not only discover the history of the kimono tradition but also the many difficulties facing the kimono industry in modern Japan.

Handmade In Japan is a short trilogy of films that take a closer look at the incredible and iconic items that originate from Japan. The Samurai Sword, the Kimono and Japanese Pottery. Each film focuses on the process behind the craft as well as looking at their importance in Japanese culture.