Yasakamura Watabun Art Fabric is located in Yasakacho, a quiet valley town full of nature in Hamada municipality, western Shimane prefecture. In the past, the area thrived on sericulture (raising silkworms) and had many mulberry trees.
For 34 years, the venerable Watabun was a factory which wove fashionable obi in Nishijin, Kyoto, but in 2012 it closed shop. Although they no longer weave obis, representative Kouno and several other former employees wanted to make use of the knowledge and techniques they gained weaving Nishijin obis. In 2013, they restarted their business, this time as a weaving factory of Kibisohada Tomodachi, an innovative silk bath towel which contains plenty of sericin, a component with excellent moisturizing properties. In this way, they also hoped to teach others to appreciate the wonders of silkworms.
Upon entering the factory, one sees the hand looms standing packed together in rows and hears the almost musical clack-clack of the looms resonating comfortingly throughout the space.
The factory contains many current, vibrant silk threads. Among all those sounds and colors, the sound produced when weaving a large shawl from real handspun silk thread—"tu-ton-ton"—became the brand name. It conveys to all of Japan a "manufacturing practice showing Shimane's relaxed countryside lifestyle." The group also offers tours of the factory and allows people to try hand-weaving cloth from thread using their visitor looms. These experiences actively increase interactions and exchanges in the region.