Joy in Weaving at Saori Toyosaki
Stepping through the sliding door at Saori Toyosaki transports you into a wonderland of colourful warps and weaves, igniting a passion for hand-weaving you never knew you had. Nestled in Osaka’s arty Nakazaki neighbourhood, which boasts numerous Taisho era buildings, the weaving studio is housed in a charming 100-year-old residence carefully updated to preserve its original interior. The space's brightness and warmth are matched by the warm welcome you receive.
The studio hosts around twenty visitors daily across three sessions, inviting tourists, families, friends, individuals, experienced weavers, and newcomers alike to experience the joy of Saori weaving. Space is at a premium in this historic building, yet it is efficiently organised. Saori looms are quickly set up, and guests soon find themselves selecting their warps and wefts. With a few clicks, clunks, and knots, the chosen warps are in position, ready for weaving.
I had the privilege of spending five days at Saori Toyosaki, thanks to support from the Daiwa Foundation, which strengthens UK-Japan relations. Besides honing my handweaving skills, I was eager to learn about the studio's broader operations, especially as most workshop facilitators are learning disabled, working alongside one or two non-disabled staff. With nearly twenty years of experience in UK social care, I am particularly interested in how weaving can create employment opportunities for learning disabled people. Despite many wanting to work, only 5.1% of learning disabled individuals in the UK are in paid employment, according to Mencap.
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The studio hosts around twenty visitors daily across three sessions, inviting tourists, families, friends, individuals, experienced weavers, and newcomers alike to experience the joy of Saori weaving. Space is at a premium in this historic building, yet it is efficiently organised. Saori looms are quickly set up, and guests soon find themselves selecting their warps and wefts. With a few clicks, clunks, and knots, the chosen warps are in position, ready for weaving.
I had the privilege of spending five days at Saori Toyosaki, thanks to support from the Daiwa Foundation, which strengthens UK-Japan relations. Besides honing my handweaving skills, I was eager to learn about the studio's broader operations, especially as most workshop facilitators are learning disabled, working alongside one or two non-disabled staff. With nearly twenty years of experience in UK social care, I am particularly interested in how weaving can create employment opportunities for learning disabled people. Despite many wanting to work, only 5.1% of learning disabled individuals in the UK are in paid employment, according to Mencap.
Want to read more of this article?
We are proud to be a subscriber-funded publication with members in 185 countries. We know our readership is passionate about textiles, so we invite you to help us preserve and promote the stories, memories, and histories that fabric holds. Your support allows us to publish our magazine, and also ‘what's on’ information, and subscription interviews, reviews, and long-read articles in our online blog.
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? CLICK HERE TO ACCESS CONTENT
OR...to continue reading….
*Magazine subscribers automatically get free access to all our online content. We send the access code by email with the publication of each issue. You will also find it on the envelope containing your magazine. Please note the access code changes every issue.*