Founder Heizo Tatsumura brought a revolution to the world of

textiles.

Steeped in the research of traditional textiles such as Kodaigire

taught at Horyuji Temple and the Shosoin Repository (at the Todaiji

Temple, Nara), his work can be described as the pinnacle of dyeing

and weaving textile techniques, which he preserved and elevated to

the level of an art.

When Tatsumura was 16, he started on his path in the kimono sales

business in Nishijin, Kyoto and gradually grew more and more

immersed in the research of kimono textile weaving techniques.

He set out on his own as an independent textile manufacturer at the

age of 18 in 1894 (the 27th year of the Meiji period).

As his sales grew, he took out patents for numerous techniques

such as Takanami Ori Weave and Kokechi Ori Weave, amazing his

counterparts in the process as he was barely over the age of 30.

Tatsumura recruited many young designers who possessed a

wealth of artistic sensibility. This was unprecedented in the textile

industry at the time, and led to fostering the famous modernist

Insho Domoto (1891-1975) and a number of other distinguished

figures in the Japanese art world who produced many remarkable

designs.

The great writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa boosted Tatsumura to

lasting fame when describing his works as having "astounding

artistic sense." This helped lead "textile art" to become established

in broader society.

In his research on what are called “famed fabrics” (meibutsugire),

Tatsumura restored some 70 precious textiles. His contributions

helped the proliferation of Japanese textile art. His field of activity

broadened worldwide when he took orders for material from notable

international designers such as Christian Dior. In 1956, he received

the Imperial Award at the age of 80 from the Japan Art Academy.

The award was given to honor Tatsumura's many achievements that

helped open new possibilities in the world of textile craftsmanship.

Working in the traditional environs of the Nishijin neighborhood of

Kyoto, Tatsumura's continuously novel ideas and mastery of

innovative techniques broke new ground in his field. His predilection

for the phrase "weave [designs] of the future by knowing [designs]

of the past" expressed the unaltered passion and fervor that he

possessed for a lifetime dedicated to the beauty of textiles.