hanpu sailcloth / 帆布

1m²あたり８オンス以上という厚地の平織物を、帆布と呼びます。岡山県倉敷で、江戸時代後期より帆船の帆として生産されてきた天然素材です。帆布は、時代の移り変わりとともに様々なプロダクツとして、人々の生活で使われてきました。耐久性と通気性に優れており、使うほどに味わいが生まれます。なにより糸がぎっしりと詰め込まれた美しい織り目は、他のどの織物でも表現できないものです。

Thick, plain-woven fabric that weighs eight-ounces or more per square meter is called sailcloth. It is a natural material produced originally for sailboat sails in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture since the late Edo Period. With the changing times, sailcloth has been used in various products in our daily lives. As it excels in durability and breathability, it gains patina the longer it is used. Above all, its beautiful texture with tightly packed weave cannot be expressed in any other textile.

quality / 品質

JOBUの帆布の最大の特徴は、糸と糸のつまり具合です。そこから、「立体感のある表情」と、「独特のさわり心地」がうまれます。私たちは、帆布の原料にも、製造方法にも、こだわっています。はじめに厳選された綿花から紡いだ糸を、職人が張り具合を整えながら、一本一本撚っていきます。その後、シャトルが経糸を横切って緯糸を通す伝統的なシャトル織機で織っていきます。シャトルが糸と糸の間につくるわずかな空気は、現代的な自動織機では決してだせない「風合い」を生み出すといわれています。

JOBU sailcloth’s most salient feature is its tight weave that realizes a substantial expression and distinct texture to the touch. We are particular about both the material of the sailcloth and its manufacturing method. First, artisans twist yarn spun from rigorously selected cotton into threads one by one while adjusting the tension. Then, weaving is done using a traditional shuttle loom where the shuttle is passed through the warp across the weft. It is said that the minuscule amount of air trapped between the threads by the shuttle creates a distinct texture that’s impossible to produce using today's automated looms.

region / 土地

瀬戸内海に面した穏やかな気候で、豊かな水源に恵まれた倉敷は、古くから良質な綿花を栽培していました。また大正時代からは、糸屋、染め屋、機（はた）屋が集まる帆布の産地として栄えてきました。瀬戸内の島々による美しい景観に恵まれ天領でもあった倉敷は、蔵屋敷など文化遺産や美術館も多く、帆布と共に豊かな文化が築かれてきた地域です。

Good quality cotton has been grown traditionally in Kurashiki, an area facing the Seto Inland Sea and blessed with a temperate climate and abundant sources of water. It has also prospered as a sailcloth production area that has been home to many yarn shops, dyers, and weavers since the Taisho Period (1912-1926). As Kurashiki was also one of the important regions designated by the Edo Government for its beautiful vistas of the Seto Inland Sea with its many islands, a rich culture has been nurtured along with the sailcloth production, and has much cultural heritage including mansions with storehouses and art museums.

design / デザイン

JOBUは倉敷から生まれた帆布のプロダクトシリーズです。100年以上帆布を織ってきた技術と知識で丁寧に仕上げた、高品質の帆布を使用しています。帆布をつくり続けてきた知識をいかし、様々な厚みや幅の生地を使い分け、やわらかさと堅さの適材適所が考えられています。頑丈で質の高い帆布ならではの、時代をこえて永く使い続けられるプロダクトを目指しています。

JOBU is a series of sailcloth products born in Kurashiki. We use high-quality sailcloth made carefully in accordance with sailcloth weaving skills and knowledge that have been nurtured for over 100 years. Using our ever-growing knowledge of sailcloth, we utilize cloth of various thickness and width in order to get just the right softness and stiffness appropriate to the use. We aim for products only possible with high-quality durable sailcloth that will transcend the age and be enjoyed for years to come.