'Weaving princess' finds niche in Fukushima

FUKUSHIMA — Yoko Funaki, 35, was one of the first women to come to the village of Showa in Fukushima Prefecture 15 years ago as a student to take part in the Weaving Princess System to foster production of traditional China-grass textiles, the village's special craft.

Originally from Saitama Prefecture, she is now is teaching younger people how to make yarn and woven goods. "I want to hand down to the next generation what the villagers have been engaged in," she said.

Funaki learned that the village, population 1,600 and located in the Okuaizu area, was seeking "weaving princesses" while hunting for a job after suffering back pain as a nursing care provider.

She had always been interested in kimono. But at the time she did not know about China grass, which is also called Chinese plant or white ramie and is said to be Japan's oldest knitted goods material.

China grass has been grown in the village for around 600 years, but fibers are taken from the grass only about once a year.

Funaki at first struggled to do the job well but saw her teacher glean high-quality fibers from poor-quality grass. "The technical gap is caused by the affection toward this industrial art," she thought.

Funaki began to excel and vowed to remain in the village after finishing her one-year training program.

Earning a living from the industrial art alone is difficult, but she said, "I'd like to create an environment in which villagers of the same generation think they can also do the same."