Kaizawa Yukiko
Attus Weaver (1962- )
Born in 1941 in Hidaka Village, Hokkaido. From a young age, she helped with the family business by making threads for attus (※1). In 1960, she married the late woodcarver Kaizawa Moriyuki, and from 1962 she began making folk crafts such as woodcarving and embroidery in Nibutani. Particularly in attus weaving, she learned under her mother-in-law, the late Kaizawa Hagi, who was the deputy head of the Nibutani Attus Weaving Production Association. Since then, she has preserved traditional techniques for over 60 years and has been actively training successors.
She mainly produces attus. She is involved in all processes, starting with making thread from the bark of the Ohyo tree and continuing through to producing the woven cloth. Although she often spends more than 10 hours a day, she finds weaving enjoyable and not burdensome. She devotes much time and effort to dyeing, weaving attus threads with colors drawn from familiar flowers and plants. For this, she observes the best seasons for each plant and keeps collecting them as sources of natural dyes.
Her work extends beyond traditional Ainu clothing to various items such as Japanese kimono sashes and business card holders, aiming to bring attus weaving closer to everyday life. Fans attracted to the soft colors of natural dyeing and the beauty of weaving are spread throughout the country.
A member of the Nibutani Craft Association. She is one of the makers of the traditional craft “Nibutani Attus” and holds the title of Traditional Crafts Master.
※1 Attus is a traditional Ainu textile, plain-woven from fibers extracted from the inner bark of trees such as the Japanese elm (Ulmus laciniata, also known as lobed elm), as well as the garments made from it. Nibutani Attus, woven using traditional techniques handed down in the Nibutani region of Biratori, is a designated Traditional Craft Product of Japan. Nibutani Attus is a special brand that can only be called as such when created only by specially recognized weavers.
Career Highlights
Awards and Recognitions
2011 — Certified as an Excellent Craftsperson by the Public Interest Incorporated Association Hokkaido Ainu Association
2021 — Certified as a Traditional Craftsperson of Traditional Craft Products
2011 — Ainu Culture Encouragement Award by the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Ainu Culture Foundation
2018 — Regional Award of the Pola Traditional Culture Award by the Pola Foundation for the Promotion of Traditional Culture
Hokkaido Ainu Traditional Craft Exhibition (organized by the Ainu Association of Hokkaido)
2002 — Excellence Award in Traditional Craft Division (Governor of Hokkaido Award) (awarded also in 2009, 2011)
Ainu Craftwork Contest (organized by the Foundation for Ainu Culture)
2005 — Excellence Award in the Traditional Craft Division
2011 — Excellence Award in the General Works Related to Ainu Category for the Attus weaving
2016 — Selected in the General Works Related to Ainu Category for the Nibutani Attus Obi
2007 — Grand Prix at the Japan Tsumugi Textile Summit
2008 — Prize Winner at the Japan Traditional Craft Dyeing Exhibition for the attus obi “Hurep – Dyed Red”
2019 — Numerous awards including Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Commendation and Hokkaido Culture Prize
2023 — Awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays
※1 Utari Association of Hokkaido was renamed and then reorganized as the Ainu Association of Hokkaido in 2014.
※2 The Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture became and be reorganized into the Foundation for Ainu Culture in 2018.
Contact Information
Yukiko no Mise (Yukiko’s Shop)
76-7 Nibutani, Biratori-cho, Saru-gun, Hokkaido 055-0101, Japan
TEL (International): +81-90-6217-8449（katak×bee）