1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910817492603321

Autore

Hareven Tamara K

Titolo

The silk weavers of Kyoto : family and work in a changing traditional industry / / Tamara K. Hareven

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley, Calif., : University of California Press, c2002

ISBN

9786612359477

1-59734-899-6

1-282-35947-9

0-520-93576-4

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (376 p.)

Disciplina

331.7/677391242/09521864

Soggetti

Weavers - Japan - Kyoto

Silk weaving - Japan - Kyoto

Silk industry - Japan - Kyoto

Work and family - Japan - Kyoto

Nishijin (Kyoto, Japan)

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 329-332) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- List of Illustrations and Tables -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Conclusion: The Nishijin Experience in Comparative Perspective -- Appendix: The Subjective Reconstruction of Life History -- Glossary of Japanese Words -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

The makers of obi, the elegant and costly sash worn over kimono in Japan, belong to an endangered species. These families of manufacturers, weavers, and other craftspeople centered in the Nishijin weaving district of Kyoto have practiced their demanding craft for generations. In recent decades, however, as a result of declining markets for kimono, they find their livelihood and pride harder to sustain. This book is a poignant exploration of a vanishing world. Tamara Hareven integrates historical research with intensive life history interviews to reveal the relationships among family, work, and community in this highly specialized occupation. Hareven uses her knowledge of textile workers' lives in the United States and Western Europe to show how striking similarities in weavers' experiences



transcend cultural differences. These very rich personal testimonies, taken over a decade and a half, provide insight into how these men and women have juggled family and work roles and coped with insecurities. Readers can learn firsthand how weavers perceive their craft and how they interpret their lives and view the world around them. With rare immediacy, The Silk Weavers of Kyoto captures a way of life that is rapidly disappearing.