Vol.3

Tradition and innovation, young leaders who train every day

In his seventh year with IKEUCHI ORGANIC, Mr. Kawamoto is the head of the weaving department and the young leader of the weaving mill, the heart of IKEUCHI ORGANIC. He is in charge of the traditional towel weaving business, and in recent years he has also taken charge of the knitting machines that produce shawls, stoles, scarves, and baby knitwear knitted with whole garment, which has no seams. With a charming smile, he told us about his pride as a craftsman who manages the weaving machines while keeping an eye on the condition of the yarn, which changes daily like a living creature.

Director of Weaving Kawamoto

What’s going on with this lump? This thing won’t turn…”

–Please tell us about your job.

Originally, I was a maintenance worker, adjusting and repairing machines and setting them up. I only do the actual weaving work when no one is around. I am mainly looking around to see if there is anything wrong with the weaving machine.

–I have heard from other weavers that it is very important to take care of the machines at the towel weaving site, isn’t it?

Yes, it is. The thread stage determines whether or not the towels can be woven, but we actually put them on the loom and make sure the threads are all in the same condition. This makes it easier or harder for the weaver to weave. It is difficult to make adjustments.

–The threads are wound on the beam at the warping machine, and the threads go out of tune at that stage?

Yes, it does. The condition of the yarn is almost always determined at the stage of winding on the beam.

–Do you wind yarns harder or softer depending on the season?

I don’t think it depends on the season, but it depends on how much glue is on the yarn. It depends on how much glue is in the yarn.

–You can tell if the thread is in good condition or not by looking at the beam?

Yes, when I look at the glue and the condition of the yarn, I set everything on the line, and at that time, even though I only put a little comb in, there are already dumplings. I had only put a little bit of combing in, but there are already dumplings. I can’t turn this…” (laughs).

(Laughs.) — That happens, and the loom stops, doesn’t it?

It’s so much that I think it’s almost the yarn already.

The challenge of a knitting machine for seamless WHOLEGARMENT knitting

Did you have a trigger when you took charge of the –knitting machine?

There was no trigger (laughs). (laughs) The president told me, “You have to take care of it. I couldn’t do design work, so I told Sakai (note: in-house designer) that I would take care of that, and you would take care of the machines (laughs). (Laughs). He just said, “I know, I know you can’t do it (design),” and that was that (laugh).

Difficulties with Organic Air

–At the Tokyo Store event, you mentioned before that organic air is difficult to weave, didn’t you?

I hate air (laughs). I don’t like it – I can’t tie the threads, basically. （The thread is too weak (because it is too thin), too weak, so I tie the thread like this, and it breaks (pulling on the thread).

–It’s a crying shame for weaving.

How many times do you have to tie the thread to one thread? And when I threaded the thread and turned it, it would break. （You can’t touch (other threads).

–I am amazed that you were able to commercialize it.

It’s really amazing. Without losing heart (laughs).

(Laughs) — When do you feel the most rewarding aspect of your work at the loom?

It is interesting when (the loom) starts to spin. I think, “How am I going to get the loom to work with this kind of stretch? It is fun or interesting when the loom starts spinning when the threads are not moving smoothly.

Thinness, lightness, and ease of use are the best.

–Please tell us about your favorite IKEUCHI ORGANIC towels.

(Organic) 316.

–What is the reason why you like Organic 316?

It is easy to use. Thinness, lightness, and ease of use are the best.

–I think Organic 120 is also well-balanced in terms of thinness and lightness, but is it still 316?

I feel that 3 is softer, and 5 is a bit heavy. Well, that’s just my opinion. (Note: 3 -> Organic 316, 5 -> Organic 520)

–How long have you been using these towels?

I use 3, 1, and various other towels, but 3 is used most often.

–Do you like natural colors for your towels?

Almost all of them are white. There are beige and brown ones, too, but all of them are white.

What we can do to evolve IKEUCHI towels

–What do you value in your work?

I have just been given the position of chief, which entails a certain amount of responsibility, so I want to make sure that I don’t let that come out, along with quality control and dissolution.

–What do you mean by “preventing”?

I want to prevent B products.

–Do you want to make this kind of product or do you want to do this kind of work in the future?

For now, I am allowed to go to a training session for Sulzer (name of the loom), so I would like to go to that as soon as possible. If I don’t study properly, I will be replaced.

–Do you want to absorb more and more knowledge?

Yes, I have to.

–Do you have a loom that you are good at?

No, I am very shallow and broad (laughs).

(laughs) –First of all, it is a job of expanding knowledge and digging, isn’t it?

（The specifications are completely different (depending on the model of the loom). I’m just trying to delve into the principles of the loom during the training.

Interview January 2016
Interview and text / Mutaguchi, Kamio
Photographer/ Yuji Kimura (Kimura Photo Office)