Silk fabrics are used in the walls and ceiling of the “Ken” guest room. The silk, which is said to be a natural reflector, softly and diffusely reflects light, and is popular for its comforting effect, as if you were in a cocoon. The silk used is local Johana silk, a rare material called “Shike silk,” which is made of threads from cocoons made by two silkworms together. This program takes you to meet its producer.

“Shike silk” is a material that is usually discarded because of its uneven thickness due to the two spit threads. It is said that the reason why this difficult-to-handle thread is used with such care is due to the Buddhist teaching of respecting life. It is no wonder that the town of Johana was born as a “temple town” 450 years ago when Zentokuji, a temple of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism, moved into the area, and the town developed through the silk weaving industry that was brought in at that time. Even today, Zentokuji Temple is a temple supported by the faith of its people, still holds a Dharma talk twice a day.

The weaver of the silk room is “Matsui Silk Weaving” here in Johana. We will visit this workshop, which is the last silk weavers in Toyama Prefecture, where silk weaving used to flourish.

We will observe the traditional process of Matsui Silk Weaving, which produces products that utilize the potential of “silk” in modern life, and enjoy cookies and coffee containing silkworm feces, which is highly valued as an herbal medicine, while learning about their philosophy of craftsmanship.