Saori Weaving: 6 Things You Need to Know

by Aidan Ross McFarlane | CRAFT

Weaving may not be at the forefront of everyone’s mind when you think of exciting activities for the weekend, but we invite you to open your mind to a type of weaving that is all about self-expression and making deliberate mistakes to foster a unique piece of art that reflects your feelings. By its very nature, the process of creating Japanese Saori weaving is a meditative exercise. Why not give it a go yourself?

Contents

1. What is Saori Weaving?
2. History of Saori Weaving
3. How to do Saori Weaving?
4. Where Can I Try Saori Weaving?
5. Where Can I Buy Saori Products?
6. How to look after Saori Weaving?

1. What is Saori Weaving?

Saori is a practice of handweaving that focuses on the significance of inspiration and self-expression in your creation. You feel a kind of zen and inner peace as you completely absorb yourself into the rotations of weakening threads and other materials together, slowly building up a cascade of colours and textures line by line at the top of your weave. The emphasis on no rules and no mistakes allows you the creative freedom to completely go wild in your colour choices, length, shapes and textures. You will find that the composition you create is uniquely beautiful and very reminiscent of how you feel.

© Dyeing to Weave Saori Studio, Australia, Prue Simmons

Saori has evolved from its humble roots into a global phenomenon, with classes and communities all over the world, acting as a kind of group therapy. The ease of practice and open, inclusive philosophies means it also can be enjoyed by people with physical and mental disabilities, adding a true depth and value to the art form.

Saori allows you to put your thoughts and feeling into a handwoven masterpiece, offering not only beautiful articles of clothing but also a meditative, peaceful process.

2. History of Saori Weaving

Saori was the brainchild of one person: Misao Jo. Misao created the art form at the age of 57, while she was teaching ikebana, a highly rigid art form of flower arranging. Misao Jo sadly passed away in 2018 at the grand old age of 104. She is survived by her sons, one of whom, Kenzo Jo, continues his mother’s famed artform by developing and refining the weaving looms and technique of Saori. Its core values allow Saori weaving to transcend nationality, gender, culture and is open to people with special needs, bringing a great charm and dignity to the practice.

The significance of Saori weaving was not lost on the Japanese, as there are more than 50,000 weavers in the country to date. Misao Jo was commended for her public contributions made through her classes to society twice by the Japanese government for her public contribution made through the SAORI Weaving Program by both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health in the early ’90s.

The philosophy of Saori is centred around the following values:

1. To consider the differences between machines and people,

2. To adventure beyond our imagination,

3. To look out through eyes that shine,

4. To learn from everyone around you.

To learn more about Saori handweaving in Misao Jo’s own words, you can check out the book that she wrote with her son below.

SAORI: Self-Discovery through Free Weaving, Available at Amazon

3. How to do Saori Weaving?

From art therapists and fashion designers to meditation groups and team-building exercises, Saori weaving is open to all. Saori weaving is a very liberal approach to handweaving using a very easy to use loom as you see above. You can then pick whatever color you would like to thread with (as many colors as you want as a time, however, you will be recommended 2-3). Roll the yarn around a tube which is then put into the wooden block threader. Under the look are two pedals that alternate the warp that is strung behind the loom.

As you slide the threader from one side to the other, you pull back on the lever to push the yarn in place before switching pedals and sliding the threader to the other side of the warp and repeat the process to grow your weave. You alternate this pattern until you’ve created your desired pattern and length. More savvy weavers can add patterns by threading different colours at varying lengths through the warp to create different patterns within your main colors. The simple design of the loom means even beginners can weave truly stunning tapestries from their first try.

If you’re interested in Japanese handicraft trends, you should also take a look at Amigurumi: All You Need to Know About Japanese Crochet.

4. Where Can I Try Saori Weaving?

Official stores and associations around the world, such as the Saori Shed in the UK, are mentioned in this list here. For those not living in Japan, there is a full list of officially licensed Saori workshop addresses on the Saori Global website. If you can’t see one in your country or near your town, do not fret, there may be classes outside the organization offering the same quality of service near you by searching “Saori weaving workshop” in your area.

Other honourable mentions include:

Jota28

You can catch a great class in Tokyo for example with the guys at Jota28, the tokyopast3 blog wrote a wonderful piece in English about her experience. The lesson is very simple to understand and even if you don’t speak Japanese it is easy to follow along simply by watching. Several helpers also come around and give you any assistance you might need to get you on your way.

Where:

Kichijoji Workshop, 5-17-29 Inogashira, Mitaka City, Tokyo

Jiyugaoka Workshop, 1-13-4-402 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo　

When: Open 10:00-17:00, Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun (except first the first Sunday of every month)

Website: jota28.com

Ki-to

A small, boutique workshop and fashion store. If you are looking for more of a hands-off, private experience. You can go here and just book a class for yourself, put your headphones in and weave. Inspirations are draped all around the walls if you run out of ideas.

Where: 201, 5-11-6 Honcho, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-0012, Japan

When: 10:30-15:30

Website: ki-to.net

5. Where Can I Buy Saori Products?

Being so intertwined with self-expression and exploration, there isn’t an enormous commercial market for their sale. There are, however, places you can buy the yarn and machinery to do it yourself in the privacy of your own home. The previously mentioned Jota28 has its very own web store where you can buy everything you need as a bundle.

Those who are really into the aesthetic sites such as Creema, Minne and Mercari have plenty of Saori weave artisans making hats, scarves, purses, bags and many more products for you to buy. Not to mention the specialist online store over at saorinomori.

If you want to come and see the wares for yourself from professional Saori wavers, you can attend one of the many art-fair events hosted all around Japan. Information on those are uploaded here.

6. How to look after Saori Weaving?

This question depends on the material you used to create the the weave. If you made a cashmere scarf, its important to wash it in the washing machine twice to soften the material. Once the cashmere has been washed, it will be safe to cut the loose ends without risk of fraying. Normal wool pieces must be hand-washed to maintain their shape and texture, putting in the washing machine could cause damage.

November 26, 2021 | Craft

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