静岡県・葛布（くずふ）

葛布（
くずふ
Kudzu-fu
）

くずふ
Kudzu-fu
葛布静岡県

野趣味の中にきらめく糸の輝き。
古の貴人に愛された、自然と共生する古代布。

葛布（くずふ、かっぷ）は蔦性のマメ科の植物「葛」から作られる自然布の一つで、その歴史の古さから、芭蕉布、科布（しなふ）と共に日本三大原始布とも呼ばれています。
葛は、葛餅や葛根湯など食用の用途として知られていますが、繁殖力が強く繊維も強靭であることから、麻や綿が大陸から入ってくる以前の日本では、身近な植物である葛から布が作られていたと考えられています。やがて、葛の繊維特有の美しい光沢感を活かし、貴族の装束や武士の裃として身分の高い人々の装いに用いられるようになりました。
静岡県を南北に流れる大井川沿いは鎌倉時代から続く葛布の名産地で、「千年の歴史を途絶えさせない」という思いで、新たな葛布の魅力を世界へ向けて発信しています。
伐採した蔓を茹でた後、室で発酵させ固い外皮を溶かして繊維を採る等、その独特の製法も興味深く、自然の力を生かし自然と共生する布づくりの在り方に、今再び注目が集まっています。

Kudzu (often spelt as kuzu) is a natural fiber dervied from the kudzu vine. It is contemporarily known in west as a creeping vine, but It has an ancient history in Japan. It is even called one of Japan's three ancient fabrics, along with bashōfu (Banana fiber) and shinafu (Linden tree fiber).

Kudzu is also known for its culinary uses such as kuzumochi and kakkonto, but due to its strong reproductive ability and resilient fibers, it was used to make fabric in Japan, even before hemp and cotton were introduced from the continent. Kudzu was used to dress nobility, as well as the samurai. It was highly sought after for its lusterous yet understated sheen.

Along the Ōi River in the Shizuoka Prefecture, kudzu fabric has been a specialty since the 11th century. There is a commitment to not let its thousand-year history die out, and efforts are being made to promote kudzu fabric to the world. Once upon a time, Kudzu wallpaper was even used to adorn the walls of the white house as it was loved by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

The unique production methods of kudzu fabric, such as boiling the harvested vines and fermenting them to dissolve the tough outer skin and extract the fibers, are also intriguing. There is renewed attention to the ways of creating fabric that coexist with nature, harnessing the power of nature once again.