One of Japan’s defining characteristics is its love and refined mastery of many traditional crafts. Perfected over many generations, Japanese craft is renowned around the world for its expertise and beauty and to this today, many people continue the practice of traditional crafts as a hobby or for their profession.

One such place is the Azumino Tensan Silk Museum in the rural enclave of Azumino. Celebrating Azumino’s traditional silk-weaving industry, the museum aims to revitalise this traditional craft through educating visitors and finding contemporary use for this centuries old practice.

The ‘tensan silkworm’ is a large, non-mulberry silkworm that feeds on local quercus leaves, and in doing so, produce unique green-yellow cocoons. The silk is considered of very high quality and traditionally was woven to produce ‘kimono’ of the highest quality.

Today, a dedicated team is revitalising the craft to produce clothing and other daily items for subtle beauty. Anyone interested in this traditional craft can try their hand at weaving basic textiles, using a loom in the centre. Open daily other than Mondays, admission is free of charge. If you are interested in observing silk-weaving demonstration, contact the center in advance to confirm availability.