Tsuzure weaving in Kyoto

May 29, 2018

Kyoto- Master nail weaver, Kyoko Kikuchi, uses a file to serrate edges in her finger nails so they can be used to weave tapestry to make traditional kimonos, at the Ishikawa Tsuzure Weaving company in Kyoto, Japan.

Tsuzure weaving, or nail weaving, is a type of tapestry weave that is done completely by hand, usuallly by women, using the serrated edges of the weavers' fingernails to achieve free form designs that appear to have been brush painted onto the fabric.



The highly specialized profession involves a ten year apprenticeship to produce high end tapestry.

The woven items sell for tens of thousands of euros.

The technique of nail weaving began in Japan in the Nara period (AD 710-794). Across Asia, billions of people head to work as the sun rises.

A number of these occupations do not fall into the category of mainstream careers, instead they are deemed by some to be peculiar professions. EPA/EVERETT KENNEDY BROWN- Jiji Photo